True Crime with Kimbyr - Fatal Love Story: The Brutal Murder of Cindy Monkman: Part 2

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

As investigators dig deeper into Cindy Monkman’s life, disturbing details begin to surface. Who was the mysterious new man she had recently married, and what role might he have played in her tragic fate? In Part 2 of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha explores the secrets, relationships, and hidden tensions that shaped Cindy’s final days. With shocking revelations about trust, betrayal, and a love story gone wrong, this episode uncovers chilling clues that bring us closer to the truth behind Cindy’s murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that you have a complete picture of what Cindy's family told investigators, let's go back to the crime scene. The clues were limited, but they were enough to start painting a picture. The tire tracks near the body suggested that Cindy had been driven out to the desert, and I know we could have probably guessed that, but this wasn't Cindy just wandering aimlessly and then killed. No. The location was chosen. The killer had made a deliberate effort to leave her in this isolated spot where they thought no one would find her, at least not for us. for a long time, if ever. Detectives couldn't ignore the possibility

that the violence inflicted on her could be personal. These injuries that were so extensive, they rarely come from a random act. This wasn't the work of someone who probably just snapped. It seemed more intimate, as though the killer had a relationship with her. The deliberate slashing of her throat and the extent of her injuries suggested

something way more deep and sinister. It wasn't like a robbery gone wrong out in the middle of this death. was calculated. So far, all they had were the tire marks. Although only two were clear enough to be of any use to them, they had shoe prints, a piece of nylon cord nearby, and a blood-soaked beach towel next to where Cindy was found. These items were collected for analysis, and investigators go back to interviewing Cindy's family and those closest to her, and they ask if they can provide any information about the things that may have seemed suspicious

in the weeks leading up to her murder. Kathy is the first first, to admit she was worried about Cindy because of her ex-boyfriend Mike Maur. Now you see, there was another reason Cindy broke it off with him. She found out that one of Mark's ex-girlfriends had been found murdered. And that case was still unsolved. And this freaks Cindy out. She just couldn't stop thinking about this possibility that she could be in danger. So Kathy felt better knowing that Cindy had broken up with Mark. But he had re-entered her life only days before she was

found murder two. In truth, Cindy confided in Kathy three days before her flight home to Illinois on December 21st that during a lapse in judgment, Cindy reached out to Mark. Maybe it was the holiday spirit, maybe because now she was married, she felt okay reconnecting because she knew she wasn't available, and maybe it was just a friendly, hello, how are you? But the conversation turned he did when she told Mark that she married Michael. It was so soon. after they broke up, he couldn't believe it. He was furious. But by the end of their talk, Mark calmed down.

And he told Cindy that he was actually going to be in town for Christmas, and he said, why don't we meet up? Cindy told Kathy, she was thinking about it, despite being now with Michael because she still had lingering feelings for Mark. Kathy couldn't help but think that Mark could have done this to her in a fit of rage. It would let her to reach out to Michael

after Cindy failed to show up for that dinner party that she had planned. Kathy called the apartment that Michael and Cindy shared and left numerous messages for both Cindy and her husband, telling Michael to please call her back as soon as she could. Now, they were playing phone tag. They were both calling each other back, back and forward, leaving messages on each other's answering machines

until Michael finally connected with Kathy at about 2 a.m. And as soon as she picked up, he was screaming. He was like, where is Cindy? And that's exactly what Kathy wanted to know. It didn't take long for Kathy to realize, The Michael was drunk. He was slurring his words and not really providing any useful information, especially with the language barrier. Kathy managed to be able to understand that Cindy had apparently abruptly left the apartment after she received a heated phone call from another man.

All Kathy could make out was that the guy on the other line sounded angry to Michael. At this point, Kathy hung up with Michael and she calls Annette because Annette knew Michael better than she did. Remember she was hanging out doing double dates? So Kathy asked Annette, please go over there to the apartment and try to ask Michael details about the last time you saw her sister. So she did. Annette was able to relay to Kathy that Michael was actually passed out when she got there. He was just snoring away on the couch. So Annette let herself into the apartment. Michael finally told Annette that Cindy stormed out, telling him she needed to sort things out with someone and she would connect with Michael later for drinks and maybe some food at Bobby.

McGee's. She was going to meet up with Michael, his brother, and a female friend, Uncle Dorn, at 10.30 p.m. after Cindy was finished with her meeting, the dinner that she planned with friends, but she never showed up. When Kathy heard all this, her very first thought was, it's Mark. He was supposed to come into town from California. She'd probably run off with him. She's on a bender with Mark, and she just doesn't understand why Cindy wouldn't have told her any of this. While Annette is still at the apartment with Michael. She called the police and reported Cindy as missing. It was now three o'clock in the morning and Kathy went over there to meet them. The officers took a statement from all three of them, and they reiterated everything I just told you. Annette also noticed at that point that Cindy's purse

was still there as well as her keys. And that raised a red flag because who leaves their purse and keys behind unless maybe they thought they were just stepping outside or they weren't planning to go very far or they were getting a ride with someone that they knew. Kathy said Mark was the only person she could think of that her sister would have run out of the house like that for if in fact that's what happened. This is when Kathy left a note on the counter with the plane ticket just in case her sister made it back home before their flight. Meanwhile, investigators are trying to track down Mark and Kathy finally calls her family at 5 a.m. and told them what was going on, that Cindy had been declared a missing person and her face was now all over the news.

It was hard for them to believe. Cindy had just mailed her father and her stepmom a letter for the holidays, talking all about her job, and also about Michael that they were getting along really well, and she wished that he would be able to meet them. She even included a wish list of items she wanted for Christmas, and it just seemed surreal. They'd also just spoken to her the night before

when she broke the news that she and Michael were, in fact, married. Now, she did this on the advice of Kathy who said, she better let them know before they all got there. All of this was going on before the 911 call came in, and Cindy's body was found. Later that morning around 8.45 a.m., Detective Ron Davis from Mesa PD was sent out to Cindy's apartment at Crespo Department Complex in Unit 117 to speak with Michael.

Now, even though this detective, Detective Davis, his department usually handled shoplifters, theft, and burglaries. He was specifically sent over because, He was fluent in German. He could speak it and he could write it. And since Michael had limited English language skills, the department wanted to get someone in there who could gather way more detailed information. So Detective Davis and the other detectives there knocked on the door to the apartment several times

before Michael finally answered. And when he did, and Davis introduced himself in German, Michael was very surprised that someone in the local law enforcement agency actually spoke his language. Now Davis wanted to create a timeline, of Cindy's last movements. And Michael explained that December 23rd was a very busy day. Cindy's Volkswagen bug needed maintenance. So Cindy and Michael drove it to the dealer for some repairs,

and they rented a Subaru and drove it back to their apartment. And for the rest of the day, Cindy was busy getting ready to leave the next morning for Illinois with her sister Kathy. She was also planning that dinner with friends. He said they made plans to have drinks around 10 p.m. at Bobby McGee's with his brother Rudy and friend Unka. But about 7 p.m., while Michael's taking a shower and getting ready, he said Cindy receives a phone call. Michael described the call as a heated discussion. It was intense and it was emotionally charged, but he did not know who was on the other end of that call. After Cindy hung up, Michael described the events that followed.

He said that Cindy turned to him abruptly and she said, I need to take care of something and she just left. She did not take her keys or her purse with her at that time and hours went by. with no word from her. So he expected, at the very least, she would make it to Bobby McGee's that night, but she never showed up. So now he's upset that she's out with another guy, and Michael and the group decide to get some food.

And they were reserving a spot for Cindy this whole time in case she showed up, but she never did. So then they proceeded to go to another bar for drinks, and by the time Michael got home, he was highly intoxicated and he passed out. That's why he was missing all the phone calls back and forth with Kathy. Now, Michael allowed detectives to search the appointment,

and the vehicle he was driving, and during the search, he provided them with a receipt from Bobby McGee's. And it was dated for December 23rd of 1988 and had Michael's signature on it, so that checked out. Detectives were there all day interviewing Michael, doing a cursory surge and writing reports. There were many messages on that answering machine from Annette, Kathy, Maria, all who were worried because Cindy failed to show up for that dinner or call Kathy as planned. Now, when the detectives are playing these answering machine messages, they find one from Mark. Yes. And it was that morning.

Now, still, this was before the 911 call came in and this message, it's quite eerie in hindsight. But Mark says, hey, Sin, it's Mark in California. There's reports that you've been reported missing or whatever, and he says he's in Palm Springs and that the local time is 10 a.m., which means it was 11 a.m. in Arizona at that time. Now, this was before daylight saving. So in case you're doing the math, that's why. So let's listen to this message now. I don't know what you were thinking after hearing that,

but how did he know that her face was all over the news? I can't imagine that the news traveled that fast from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. across state lines to other news stations, but I was thinking maybe someone local to Arizona told him his ex-girlfriend was on the news, or he was leaving this message as an alibi, and he was involved. Now, that's what Kathy was thinking.

It's only a four-hour drive between Palm Springs and Mace, Arizona. So if Michael's times were correct, and Cindy had left at 7 p.m. the night before, that was more than enough time for Mark to do something to her and drive back in time to make this call before her body was even found. And maybe the killer never thought she would be found. Just a couple hours later, that father and son stumbled upon her body in the desert. So this

brings you full circle. Now you know all the facts that the investigators had up to this point when Cindy was identified. They notified her family, as I told you, and then they requested that Michael, his brother Rudy, and their friend, Anka, came down to the police station where they proceeded to notify Michael that his wife had been found deceased. The devastating news immediately evoked this strong emotional response from Michael. He became visibly distraught. He was overwhelmed by grief. He was crying and he was even yelling. He was screaming, why, why her, why me. He was in disbelief that this had happened and I'm sure this would be an emotionally charged and very shocking moment for any loved one. But as you know in any murder case, it's important to start

investigating as soon as possible. So once everyone had calmed down, investigators put the brothers and their friend in separate rooms to speak with them individually and to gather their alibis to eliminate them. They also wanted any information they could provide about when they saw Cindy last. Both Unka and Rudy corroborated Michael's information. They said they saw Cindy leaving the apartment

at 7 p.m. as they were arriving to meet up with them, at which point Cindy promised to meet them at Bobby McGee's later. By now, crime scene investigators had collected the tire impressions, the shoe prints, which investigators believed match Reebok tennis shoes, and they were looking at shoes worn by Michael, Anka, and Rudy. And none of them were a match.

And when they asked all of them if they owned tennis shoes like this, they all said no. Now, an extra step was that the detectives requested their saliva and also samples of their hair because they were thinking that maybe there could be DNA at the crime scene that this could be matched to. The brothers, they cooperated, they provided all the requested samples and their willingness to aid in this investigation was noted,

and they were sent home to finally grieve Cindy's loss. Now, anyone close to the victim has to be eliminated, and their only person of interest at this time was Mark Mauer, since Michael's alibi checked out and the brothers and also their friend Anka. Now, they were all regulars at Bobby McGee's, and the staff recalled the brothers and uncle were there on December 23rd. Now, lead investigator Mark Jones jumped on the plane

to California to speak with Mark Mauer. What no one knew is that while Kathy was in Illinois with her family, her phone back in Arizona was ringing off the hook, and it was Mark calling again and again. And he actually left messages on her answering machine. He wanted to know what was going on. Kathy, this is Mark Bowler. I like you to give me a call that ASAP.

Once Detective Jones tracked Mark down, he was able to confirm that Mark was working on the day of the murder. Then he rented a car later that day, and he drove from L.A. to Palm Springs to be with his mom and his sister for Christmas. His alibi checked out too. So whatever role he might have played in Cindy's life, it was now clear that he hadn't played one in her death. This had them back at Square One,

and Cindy's family was preparing to lay her to rest. Her body was flown out to Illinois, where they planned a funeral for December 31st, and then a burial right next to her mom, Dotty. Michael Rudy and Unka flew to Illinois together. Michael wanted to speak at the service as well, and he got up to the podium. And that's when he just had an emotional breakdown

in front of everyone. He couldn't speak, he was just wailing, and Rudy had to physically pull him away. And then he turned to the crowd, and he did his best to apologize on behalf of his brother, who was too distraught to even say a word. Then they made their way to the cemetery. Michael was driving a rental car that they got.

Rudy was in the passenger seat, and Nanka was in the back of the car and Kathy's car had passed them and as she looked over she actually saw them laughing out loud they were all smiles and giggles over what she was wondering she thought that was really weird and it made her feel very uncomfortable and i know what some people may be thinking and i was too it just popped in my head people grieve in different ways so maybe they were reminiscing over the good times that they'd shared but on the other hand they're There's a time and a place, right? And speaking of time and place, right after the funeral was over, the investigators wanted to

fly Kathy all the way back to Mesa for just one day. And they did that and they grilled her for hours about every single person in her sister's life, including these two German brothers, who were some of the newest people around Cindy. I'm just going to say it. You're probably thinking it too. Michael stood out. The world-win romance, the rushed Vegas wedding, the peculiar behavior in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Actually, I haven't mentioned that yet. I haven't told you about that. Well, when Kathy's going deeper and being asked if maybe there was any red flags other than the whole relationship progressing so quickly, she remembered something. In the midst of Michael's charm,

there were just these small moments that didn't quite add up. For starters, he and Rudy claimed to be staying at the Holiday Inn. Remember that? But every time Cindy and Annette wanted to meet them in the room, they would just avoid the topic. Their backstories about being in Mesa for business, it was vague. They wouldn't tell them exactly what companies they were working for. And it was also pretty inconsistent. It felt like they were being really secretive about their lives. Cindy and Annette couldn't shake their curiosity.

So they decided to follow the brothers after one of their outings at Bobby McGee's. Michael and Rudy made their way to the Holiday and Hotel. But then, as Cindy and Annette are watching from across the street, They saw them leave this hotel through the back door. So again, they're following them, keeping a safe distance not to alert them that they're on their tail. And to their surprise, the brothers cross the street. They walked to a motel six. And I'm just going to say this.

So what? Maybe they couldn't really afford the holiday inn. But wait a minute. That would be kind of odd considering their flashy appearance. Why would these two wealthy, sophisticated men be staying at such a modest motel? So Cindy and Annette, they were determined to get answers. They managed to persuade the motel clerk to give them Michael and Rudy's room number. When they knocked on the door, they were shocked because a woman answered, and she was also German.

And when they asked, like, who are you? She's like, I'm Uncle Dorn. I'm a family friend of the brothers. Well, Cindy and Annette had already invested a pretty good amount of time in these guys, and they wanted answers. So they actually pushed this lady aside. They go into the room looking for signs. that Michael and Rudy were staying there, but the brothers were nowhere to be found.

However, they saw their watches they had been wearing, the shoes that they knew were theirs. So they knew they must have been there at one point, but Uncle insisted no, they're not here now. This entire situation was bizarre, and it actually didn't end there. Cindy started to think back a few nights before this. After the brothers were over at her apartment,

she could have sworn she was missing over $100 in cash after they left. And Cindy could not wait to confront Michael. She talked to him about it the very next day, and when she did, he was furious. He told her that her and Annette's little snooping that they went on had led to them losing their high security clearance, resulting in the termination of their jobs and their work visas. And as a consequence, they were now not able to access their money, and now they had nowhere to go. Oh, and about Anka.

They explained that she was a family friend whose husband was in the hospital. They were just helping her out and letting her stay with them. Well, Cindy and Annette were apologetic, and they actually suggested various ways they could try to help them get their jobs back or find them new jobs, but the brothers refused any of these suggestions. Finally, in frustration, and that was like, what do you want us to do? Marry you? And to their surprise, the appell brothers replied, yeah, they were serious. It's not that uncommon for people from other countries to marry for

citizenship and though it didn't happen right then and there. Feeling guilty for what she believed was her role in his troubles, this is when Cindy invited Michael to move in with her and Annette did the same thing for Rudy. So if you're wondering, that's the more to the story I didn't tell you at the time. And then Annette discussed the possibility of a sham marriage to Rudy so that he can work in the United States, but Rudy insisted he was in love with her and if they got married, it would be forever, it would be a real wedding. But he also insisted they would have to keep marriage secret and that didn't really make sense and it didn't sit well with Annette. Meanwhile, within a week or so of Michael moving in with Cindy, he told her he would be forced to go back

to Germany unless they got married. The idea of losing him so soon was not something Cindy wanted to go through. And in the mix of her excitement and nervousness, she agreed. So this is what led to their secret ceremony in Vegas. So it wasn't really a fairy tale. It was a marriage of convenience out of guilt, passion, and the thrill Cindy felt in this honeymoon stage. Well, things didn't go so well with Annette and Rudy, though. He had been staying with Annette less than a week when she discovered that the story regarding Unka, remember her, that was a lie. She wasn't a family friend.

She was actually Michael's ex-girlfriend, Cindy's Michael, as in her new husband. And Rudy was married. Apparently, they had all come to the U.S. together. Rudy and his wife. weren't getting long, so she flew back. And then Michael and Unka broke up, but she was still hanging around with no way to get back to Germany. Well, when Annette and Cindy discussed all of this,

they decided it was best if Rudy and Unka left and went back home. That is why Cindy actually paid for their flights. That was weeks before Cindy was found out. Annette never saw Rudy again, and Cindy was obviously under the impression that they had left the country, that Unka and Rudy were gone.

But we now know that must not have been true. When investigators informed Kathy that Rudy and Unka had told them they had dinner plans with Cindy on December 23rd, she was shocked and confused. Kathy spoke to Cindy every single day. She was under the impression that Rudy and Unka had flown out to Germany, and Michael was going to join them soon to celebrate the holidays. When Kathy spoke to Cindy that morning, she never mentioned any plans for dinner except the ones she made with her friends. And had Rudy and Unka come back into town, she's like, trust me, I would have known.

Because Cindy would have certainly mentioned that. We're talking about Michael's ex. You don't think that Cindy's going to confide in her sister that they're back from Germany. It was very suspicious. And okay, this is a lot of drama, yes. But marriages do end. People break up. And by all accounts, Cindy and Michael had a really good relationship.

Investigators even found Cindy's diary. And her last entry from November 11th read, quote, I feel like everyone would think that I've gone baddy if they knew the whole story. And when with Michael, it feels so right the word together. He's so good to me. And although he has some faults, I feel like he's a great person for me.

I'm still a little bit paranoid about trusting another man, yet he proves himself time and time again. So how do I let go of worrying about everything and just enjoy the relationship? End quote. So now you know, Cindy's mindset. She had been burned before in relationships, but she wanted to give Michael a shot. But there were still unanswered questions like why Rudy Anunka never left the United States,

and there was also one glaring problem. No physical evidence tied anyone to this crime. No DNA, no fingerprints, nothing that could point detectives to the killer, because none of that was left behind the scene. The tire tracks near Cindy's body were the best lead that they had. But they didn't yet have a vehicle to match them to. While Michael, Rudy, and Unka were on their way back to Arizona from Illinois after Cindy's funeral, the investigators tracked down that rented Subaru that Michael had since returned.

They put ink on the tires, and they rolled it on a piece of special paper to compare them to the ones at the scene, but they were not a match. They even lumenoled the trunk and still nothing. But before they could dig deeper, Michael actually contacts Detective Ron Davis on January 3rd.

on January 3rd. He was back in town and he left a message frantically explaining that when he got back to the apartment, there was a threatening message left on Cindy's answering machine. But since Michael was not fluent in English, he couldn't understand what the man was saying. Ron Davis was the German-speaking detective. Michael wanted him to translate. So he quickly called Michael back and told him, do not erase the tape. Bring it to the station and the very next day on January 4th, Michael did just that. He went to Mesa PD and Detective Davis listened to this message over and over again. And guess what? I'm going to give you a second to stop whatever you're doing and to like really concentrate.

Listen to everything and anything you notice about the color's voice, the tone, the context, everything. You ready? Here goes. Okay, now hold on to that information and all of your thoughts. It's clear to Detective Davis. The person that left this message is saying that he killed Cindy. And if Michael didn't give him his stuff, whether that's money, drugs, whatever, he was going to kill Anka, Rudy, and then Michael, until he complied. And that is threatening. But I don't know if you noticed that it sounded like the person was reading from a script.

It didn't seem natural. And if you were threatening someone, maybe you would say boldly, like, I'm going to kill you. And even the way he described what he claimed to have done to Cindy. Sure, it is what happened. She was stabbed in the back and front and on her throat, but he said, I have cut through your throat of your wife, and I stabbed her more frequently in the stomach and the back with a knife. That doesn't flow. It's not how someone would normally speak.

Well, someone that's first language is English anyway.