True Crime with Kimbyr - Part 2: Family of Five Killed, Secrets Burned Away | The Morey Family Tragedy

Episode Date: October 12, 2025

In part two of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha continues the heart breaking case of the Morey family, digging deeper into the events that followed the horrific fire in Fishkill, New York. As investigators uncover shocking details, the picture-perfect life of the Moreys begins to unravel, exposing hidden struggles, unanswered questions, and unsettling motives. How did a family so loved by their community meet such a violent end, and who could be responsible? Join True Crime with Kimbyr as the investigation takes a darker turn and the search for justice reveals even more disturbing truths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Detectives had to move on to other potential witnesses and suspects. But when they went back through the leads, they recognized something significant. The lake? Where those items were found, the bloody clothing, the lockbox, the knife, the rifle. It was really close to Mark Serrano's residence. So was this a coincidence? Could someone have intentionally placed them there? Was it just a careless mistake?

Did it link him to the crime? That's what they're wondering. The knife's proximity to Mark's house, that made them move up. Him and Charlie went up the list, prompting the detectives to start asking around, digging a little deeper. That's how they do it. They're eliminating, they're moving people up and down. Everyone is a suspect. You have to keep going from the inner circle outward and moving people up and down, because they're not entirely checked off unless you can 100% say something doesn't match up, or they have such an ironclad alibi that they couldn't have done it, or you find out who

really did it. So they decide they need to look into their alibis even more. So they're checking phone records, license plate data, they're speaking again to friends and family and neighbors, and slowly the picture detectives had to these two people, two friends, begin to shift from harmless and low-key to possibly hiding something. And because Tony was into buying illicit substances, the narcotics unit was brought in to assist in this investigation. And officers that were familiar with the local drug scene, they provide even more additional support. They were able to access informants, street level, Intel, and through these efforts, they were able to identify Tony's supplier.

So they bring this man in for questioning. And he admits to providing Tony with, I can't keep saying this, but like the white stuff in the past, but investigators suspected he wasn't going to tell them everything. I mean, I would assume someone in that kind of business really doesn't want to be giving away too much information, especially about his other clients. which detectives were inquiring about. But eventually, because of how horrific this murder was and because we are dealing with a murder,

the supplier admits that, yes, he also sold to Mark and Charlie. And that on the same night of the murders, he did sell them about a hundred bucks worth and that they met him at a local Wendy's parking lot along Route 9 to make that exchange. The supplier said that both Mark and Charlie were there and that Charlie was actually the one who told the supplier that the supplier

that the Moris were dead the next day. So we're going to get more into that, but he called him in the morning, and he thought that was kind of weird. But investigators weren't sure. However, what is clear is that this disclosure by the supplier contradicted what Charlie and Mark had previously told them, because they had said

they stayed at Charlie's the entire night. If the alibi was already being questioned, it is even more now. But I'm really not sure that anyone's going to readily admit to going and buying substances, when being questioned by an investigator, but this was a small town. These men were all associated with one another, and clearly, they did substances together, and they used the same source, but they had lied about their whereabouts.

So investigators wanted to question, what else these two men may have been dishonest about? The fact that they were close to the Moray family, they had been there for barbecues, they'd been there for parties and hung out with them, they were in the same friend group, and that meant that Tony would have possibly opened the door for them, if they were the people that did this, right? So there they are. These people are moving up, up, up. You lie, you're moving up the list.

You are supposed to be in one place, but you're in another, you're moving up the list. You would have been let into the house, and there was no force entry. You're moving up the list. The next step was figuring out where else they went that night. So detectives contacted the Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center, and they request the license plate data

from the reader that's tied to any vehicles registered to Charlie or Mark. And they start going through phone records, GPS, traffic cameras from the night of January 18th into the early morning hours of January 19th. And they're looking for any cracks in their alibi. And soon enough, one small detail jumps out. License plate cameras recorded Mark's vehicle passing directly near the Mori home around the time of the murders. But Route 82 was a through road. I explained that is the main road in and out of this area and Charlie lived over there.

However, investigators considered the possibility that these two guys had gone to the Mori home to party, to do more substances with Tony or maybe to get some because Tony did this stuff as well. But the investigators also realized that these guys were probably not going to admit it if they were over Tony's house. If they weren't involved in these murders, it wasn't a good look. And if they are involved, they wondered, what could have led to you? such a vicious crime. Could it be a confrontation over the substances, money, supply, a personal

falling out? These were all working theories. Charlie was Tony's really good friend, so it didn't seem to make sense. But during the course of the interviews, several individuals told police that Tony and Charlie actually had a major disagreement. According to one account, the two men had gotten into a heated argument the weekend before the murders. Tony had told his friends that he told Charlie to stop calling him and to stay away from him and his family. That's pretty telling. One person even told investigators that Tony was afraid for his family's safety and it confided that Charlie had made a threat to burn down his house. That's pretty specific. And another witness recalled seeing Charlie pulling knife on Tony in the past. Well, that doesn't

seem like something a friend would do. But what was this all about? Why would Mark be involved? Well, according to people that knew both of them, both Charlie and Mark were known to carry large knives that some described as Rambo style, which was exactly like the Winchester that was found close to Mark's home near the lake. Well, soon, more and more people close to Charlie and Mark were being interviewed, including Lori Presti. And this was Mark's longtime girlfriend. They had been in relationship for approximately 10 years by this point. So Lori was asked about the evidence that was found in the lake. Questions about what were whether she recognized the knife or the rifle. But of all things, she said she believed they were the same pair that she'd given to Mark as a Valentine's Day gift three years earlier.

Wow. What are the chances that they would belong to anyone else? But this was still circumstantial, except the crime lab had confirmed. The knife tested positive for both Adam and Ryan's DNA. And that charred axe handle that was found near Ryan's body was also consistent as having both boys' DNA on it as well. And Tony Jr.'s DNA was found on the blue pants and the long underwear.

And the boxers that Laurie thought she may have bought for Mark. So these items were indeed from the crime scene. So as the investigators progressed, even more evidence was coming to light, phone records showing calls from Charlie to Tony's residence and to a known dealer that same night. So now there does seem to be a connection between Mark, Charlie, and Tony on the night that this family was murdered.

So they bring Mark back to the station. First, he begins shifting his story and saying, well, they were at Charlie's house that night, but they may have stepped out to a gas station or a local store for some more beer. But the detectives already knew it was more than that. It was not just beer that night, right? They met a dealer.

So finally, Mark admitted he and Charlie did go over to the Wendy's parking lot in Beacon to make that deal. And later when they ran out of stuff to do, meaning stuff to snort, they again went back out and headed to Fishkill to buy more. But he insisted they never went to Tony's house. They just passed that area. But what about the call to Tony's house? Well, he admitted we did call Tony, but we only called there to ask him where we could get some. And that's all.

But those boxers? He could not explain how the same type of boxers that he owned were covered. covered in the victim's blood and then tossed into a lake right near his house. So they pressed him even more and he admitted more. Mark explained that he left something out, but it was because he was afraid of what Charlie may do. He said he drove Charlie over to Tony Zonite because he was looking to do more substances. He said that he actually stayed outside in the car while Charlie went into the house.

But let me ask you this. how long is too long to wait for a friend to make an exchange like that? Really, I'm asking you, like, how long before you decide, I don't know, I'm going to go in, I'm going to leave? Because according to Mark, he said he waited for two hours before Charlie came back outside. And when he did, he said Charlie just took Tony's car and drove off. The Kia, the one that was eventually burned, that car. And Mark said, because he didn't know why Charlie fled in Tony's car,

he started following him to a housing development, about a mile from the scene, where he saw Charlie get out, throw something in the front seat of the car, and then it just went up in flames. So over the span of the next several interviews, Mark gave multiple conflicting versions of that night. In one, he said Charlie was carrying a rifle and knife when he entered the Mori home.

In another version, he described the weapon as a sawed-off 22-caliber shotgun. And in each version, he placed Charlie as the one that went inside while he waited outside, definitely distancing himself from the murders, but continuing to change key details. Still, they had nothing solid to hold him on. A pair of underwear wasn't enough. However, he was asked to provide fingerprints and handprints for comparison to the crime scene. And while Mark's story continued to evolve, investigators turned their attention to Charlie. Remember Frankie? Well, when asked, he confirmed that Charlie

would often buy substances from Tony. But Frankie said, Tony only did it when the kids were not home, or if they were asleep. So now the story checks out, and their theory does too, that he would often stop there to make these same type of transactions. So they had enough probable cause for an arrest. They went to his home, and they detained Charlie. And while they were, they conducted a thorough search, but they didn't recover any physical evidence. Charlie did not speak either. The entire time when he's, you know, handcuffed, put in the car, brought to the station, he refused to say anything, which is your right to remain silent. And not many people exercise that right. But then when he was in one of the interview rooms, the police step out. He's in there all alone. They're

watching him through a two-way mirror and they could see him without his knowledge. And at one point, Charlie starts to mumble to himself. He's looking up to the sky. And he's saying, why, Tony? Why are you doing this to me. And later, when he was booked into the jail, it was a detective Larry and Michaelardi and Thomas Martin, and he said to them, I didn't do this. But if I did, I don't recall it. So wait a minute. That's quite a statement. What? You didn't do it, but if you did, you don't recall it? Well, doesn't that mean you could have done it? And as far as Mark was concerned, remember that random bloody palm print on the wall of the boys' bedroom? Well, you're probably going to know where I'm going with this. After the forensic exam happened, they determined the ridge

patterns and the unique characteristics aligned with Mark's right home. So now this was direct physical evidence linking Mark to the home during the time of the murders because how else are you going to get someone else's blood on a wall and a bedroom if you weren't in the house? So of course, now they have enough for arrest from Mark. So they quickly go to Mark's house, take him into custody, and then they search his car and his home. Inside his Nissan X-Tera, there was blood on the carpet, and that was a match to Tony's DNA. And once he was at the police barracks, they give Mark one more chance to come clean about his involvement in these murders. And what followed was a long, very intense interview that was nine hours. It was exhausting, it was emotional, but it was also revealing. They relentlessly

question this man. They had to. And then his careful facade that he wasn't involved in nothing to do with it, it was crumbling piece by piece. Initially, he stubbornly stuck to his same story and his claim of innocence. But they were putting out all the evidence in front of him. The DNA matches, the license plate data placing his car near the crime scene, the bloody palm print inside the home, they confronted him. It was undeniable. He was inside. And finally, he had to buckle. He had no choice. So now he had made. Yeah, I entered the home. I only went in for a brief moment, and that's when I left the palm print behind.

It was in a moment of panic. He said that he slipped in blood and he tried to brace himself against the wall, which is probably true. But he said he was just trying to look for Charlie. And as the investigation stretch on, Mark was starting to get desperate. He was almost pleading with detectives. He insisted that he had not personally harmed anyone. He said he realized something terrible happened. He ran back to his car and that's how he thinks Tony's blood got

into the interior. But he said Charlie was the one that came out later just covered in blood, carrying weapons, carrying Tony's lockbox, before fleeing the scene in the Kia, which he already told him about. He said he only went after Charlie because he was panicked and he had no idea what happened, so he followed that car. But detectives are trained to read very subtle cues, and they knew that Mark was still holding back. With each version of his story, he was shifting the blame, He was pointing fingers, conveniently placing himself as an innocent bystander. Yet we know, DNA, palm print, inconsistencies with other stories he told. He was involved, but he wouldn't admit it, and they knew that.

Because how did your boxers get blood on them? What excuse would make that make sense? Did they seep through the seat? I mean, they knew he was hiding something. Each of these guys were painting the other one as a true monster. But who had pulled the trigger, who had held the knife, and who ended up? the lives of Tony and his entire family. And most importantly, why? Why would they do this?

So 29-year-old Mark Serrano of Fischkell, and 33-year-old Charles Gallio of Hopewell Junction were formerly charged with a single count of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of the Mori family. Mark was also charged with first-degree robbery, and both men pleaded not guilty. And they were held without bail

at the Duchess County Jail, as this investigation moved into the pre-trial phase. This is when they're going to uncover even more because when you're about to go to trial, this is when you get your experts hired, you go into detail, you piece everything together for your arguments. They had two suspects, both proven liars, both clearly involved, and both desperately pointing fingers at the other. What about the community? Well, hearing the news of these arrests, they were stunned. This entire town had been waiting and anxiously trying to figure who was responsible for such a horrific act against a family that everyone knew and everyone loved.

But the best that the detectives could offer this community was a commitment to uncover every truth, no matter how disturbing, and to ensure that whoever was responsible for ending those five innocent lives would never get out to hurt anyone ever again. And for more than a week, residents had been left reeling from the violence, and they were afraid that the killers were still out there. Captain Keith Corlett of the New York State Police had to make an announcement. Of course, now they had an arrest, so they announced that, and they also talked about whether they believed there was a link to drugs involved between Tony and these two suspects. The substances involved were primarily coke and marijuana, and there could have been a debt, or maybe it was just substance induced, an induced conflict because of the state of mind that these men were in. But it just seemed too horrific to be believable, because even the kids, why?

Hi. At a memorial service for this family that was held at Fishkill Baptist Church, there were hundreds of people that came from across the community and beyond. Classmates, teachers, and staff from the boys' schools. They came to pay their respects along with neighbors, friends, and family that were impacted by this tragedy. And inside the church, images of Tony, Tina, and their three sons were displayed all over. On one wall, there was a long mural made of colorful handwritten, that had messages from the boys' classmates.

Members of the PTA from both schools came together to provide food and drinks for those that were in attendance. It is sad, but these tragedies do bring communities together. It's these really hard times where you need support the most. And then came the trials. Mark's trial was first. It was in November of 2007, and this courtroom was packed. Friends, family members, classmates,

all the people in the town were, the people in the town wanted to get every available seat, and they did. And the media was, of course, there and cameras were flashing, and the prosecutors. They laid out their chilling narrative for these jurors. The prosecutors described Mark not as a helpless bystander, but as an active participant who had willingly stepped inside the Mori home on the night of January 19th. Forensic analysts would testify about the DNA matches from the knife, the gloves, and the clothing found near Mark's home, Ballistic experts matched the rifle to casings found in that burnt-out car that Mark admitted he followed to that area. Why, if you're innocent, and you saw blood and you knew that your friend possibly killed someone, would you follow him there?

And the prosecutors did not spare any details. They described in haunting clarity the brutality inflicted on Tony, Tina, and their three boys. You could see the jurors when they were listening to this. Some were tearing up. There were photos shown, and the forensic evidence it detailed violent final moments of this family's lives. And they trusted Mark and Charlie. But of course, during opening statements, Mark's defense attorney tried to shift the blame to Charlie. He acknowledged the horrific nature of the crime,

and he told the jury they would be shocked and outraged by the evidence and that they should be. But then he urged them to keep an open mind about Mark's role, claiming that his client went to the Maury home that night to get substances, not to commit murder, and he argued that it was Charlie who had the personal conflict with Tony. He was the one that carried out those killings on his own. The jury heard from Mark's girlfriend, Lori. She explained the boxers, and she broke down, as she recounted how Mark visited her after the murders,

something that she didn't initially tell the police about. She said that he was visibly shaken and acting really strange and making chilling admissions about being involved, saying specifically that he killed Tony and Tina. And I was thinking that is not good testimony for Mark, not at all. They also heard about all the evidence, the autopsy reports, the bloody handprint. However, under cross-examination, that senior investigator, Thomas Martin, who handled the fingerprints and the palm print admitted, there were errors in fingerprint and palm print identification in past cases. Not this case, but what they were saying was,

well, if it happened in the past, couldn't it have happened here. And he did admit that the palm print recovered from the home did have have some distortion, but still, his conclusion was that it belonged to Mark, and even noted that the state police crime lab in Albany did an independent verification, and they matched it to Mark as well. The jury then sat through emotional testimony from EMTs, the women that called 911, the firefighters, including how devastating it was when they removed each of those bodies from the home. The defense attorney objected to the prosecution's plan to show the autopsy photos of the three boys. They argued that these images were going to unfairly sway the jury. But the court ultimately allowed at least one image per victim.

I think they should see everything. If you're going to be on a jury, I feel like nothing should be hidden, but I understand the law. I do. I understand prejudice and all of that. But I was glad that the judge did say that even though pictures weren't going to be shown, the prosecution was allowed to ask about the extent of the injury. So that was very, very detailed.

Some family members even had to leave the courtroom because this was a very graphic, this part of the testimony. I think the most heartbreaking part that was hard for jurors and also for whoever was in that courtroom was when they described the condition of Tina's body. The jury also heard about the shell casings that had been picked up from the scene and then thrown under the seat of Tony's burnt-out car. They matched the caliber of the rifle that was later found in the lake and the caliber used on the victims. The stab wounds matched the knife that was found at the at the lake as well. An investigator also testified that he recovered blood-stained seat covers from Mark's Nissan that were hidden under his kitchen sink at his house. Another investigator testified about the license plate reader that captured an image of Mark's vehicle passing the

Mori home at 1 14 a.m. on January 19th. This was approximately the time that the fire investigators said that the fire began. So I'm going through this like it's check, check, check, like it all checks out, right? Well, the jury hadn't heard. the defense's case yet. And I have to say, there's only been one other case that I've done that involved this topic, and it's so random, but very important, here it is. The defense brought in a DNA expert of their own, a forensic scientist, who explained that DNA was unique to an individual except in cases of identical twins, which was relevant, because Mark had an identical twin brother, yep. So reasonable doubt. That's all it takes. But his twin brother took the stand.

He told the court on the night of the murders he was home. But still, that's not confirmation. So a jury could still believe that they hadn't ruled Mark out sufficiently. We know that. And even their mother, Lachman Serrano, took the stand in Mark's defense, mostly to say she never saw him do illegal substances. But I mean, he's a grown man. He's not living at home anymore. She talked about his childhood and his education that he struggled with reading and writing. for most of his life, and that he attended special education classes. But I wasn't really sure how that is relevant to a crime, but I thought maybe it was just to humanize him.

And of course, Mark took the stand in his own defense, and the courtroom watched. They were looking for anything. His face, what kind of cues and clues they could take. Now he was visibly emotional, and he stuck to his earlier claims, that Charlie was the true killer, and that Mark had only witnessed the aftermath. and that fear had silenced him.

Here's the complete story about what he said happened that night. And I want to get your thoughts on this. You're going to hear more. You're going to hear more because we're not done yet. But he claimed that earlier in the evening, he and Charlie spent most of January 18th sitting in his Nissan Xera drinking and snorting stuff. And around 10 p.m., they were parked outside of a convenience store along Route 82, waiting to meet a marijuana dealer.

When Charlie suggested, they go to do that, they go to the convenience store, drive to Tony's to get some more white stuff. I'm using those words on purpose. The AI bots, they don't like the real words. Then Mark said he drove south on Route 82, parked his vehicle outside of Gino's restaurant, which was adjacent to the Mori home. And that's when he said that Charlie got out of the car and went to Tony's house alone. About 10 minutes later, Mark said he followed him inside and saw Tony and Charlie talking in the kitchen. The two men discussed going out and getting some more substances. But when, Tony told Tina, she said no way. And that was when things went south. According to Mark,

the conversation between Tony and Charlie moved into the living room. At that point, Charlie allegedly took out a 22 caliber firearm from his sweatshirt, pointed it right at Tony's face, and just pulled the trigger, just like that. And Tony fell to the floor. Tina was screaming in shock. She was shouting, what did you just do? And she pushed Charlie and ran to Tony's side, grabbing onto him and trying to help him. And then Mark said he was shocked when Charlie responded to Tina by coming right up to her

and shooting her in the face. And then in the back. Mark told the jury that he backed out of the living room in panic yelling, what the hell just happened? He said Charlie tried to calm him down, telling him, don't worry, but Mark left the house and drove back to his home. There, he changed his clothes.

He locked the door. And then he snorted more stuff. And then about two hours later, Mark said he returned to the Mori home, and he was looking for Charlie. And when he walked through the house, he noted a very strong odor of fresh blood. It had a heavy metallic scent. That's when he said he saw one of the Mori boys unresponsive in the bedroom.

When he touched the boy's leg, he realized he was standing in a giant pool of blood. Mark said that's when he panicked and he ran downstairs and he slipped on the blood, and that's why he used his hand to brace himself against the wall. Then he explained that he saw Charlie carrying a gas can and followed him outside, where Charlie got into Tony's Kia. And after watching the vehicle go up in flames in a nearby housing development, Mark said he drove Charlie home. And later that day, Mark called his employer at a company called Royal Carding, which is a sanitation company, and he said he would not be coming into work. He then admitted to cleaning blood off of his clothes and his car seats and hiding them in the

kitchen, and then he said the following afternoon, Charlie asked him to drive to Duchess Park Lake. And according to Mark's testimony, Charlie exited the vehicle carrying something under a leather jacket while Mark was driving around and circling the block. He then picked up Charlie a few minutes later and also discarded some bloody clothing of his own while he was there. He admitted. He lied repeatedly to police and he apologized to the families. But he continued to insist. He did not murder anyone. Wow. I was thinking, what do you think? It sounds plausible, doesn't it? Leave it below because I don't know if I was on the jury what I would feel like hearing that. Sounds like it could be believable. Charlie was the one that knew Tony, but they were childhood friends. Could he do something

so heinous? Or was it Mark all along? And he was just blaming Charlie. It's really hard to tell because we haven't even heard Charlie's version. But the jurors deliberated carefully and there just so much forensic evidence. It was overwhelming. After less than five hours, Mark was found guilty on 31 different counts, including first-year-murder and 10 other charges. Many friends and neighbors and loved ones of the Mori family were relieved with this verdict. But it wasn't over because Charlie's trial was next. Charlie Galeo's trial began on Monday, February 4th of 2008. It was in Duchess County and senior ADA Edward McLaughlin, was leading the prosecution while the defense attorney was Jeffrey Hoarder, and he argued on Charlie's behalf.

Now, Charlie's defense was different. He remained quiet. He was composed, carefully controlled, never really gave up anything. He had the right to mean silent, and he did. And he said that Mark was the true villain and had pulled him into this crime unknowingly. In opening statements, Charlie's defense acknowledged the brutality of this crime. but told the jurors that the evidence would show that it was Mark, not Charlie, who was responsible. He insisted there was no proof that Charlie had participated in these murders. But as this trial went on, chilling details did emerge. Fellow inmates testified. They said first, he said he was at home playing video games on the night of the murders, but then as they became more chummy with him, he admitted that he and Mark had gone to the

moray home to buy some substances. But Charlie, just like Mark said, he was the one that left the house briefly and then returned to find Mark running away. When confronted about the inconsistencies in the story, the inmate said that Charlie got emotional and said, it wasn't supposed to go down like that. And this inmate wasn't even getting anything in return. He said he just felt sympathy for the children, so he came forward. However, we always know this. There is cross-examination.

He admitted that he served as an informant in another murder case, and he did not report the conversation until three weeks before this trial. So kind of last minute to tell everyone this, like maybe he was trying to get something in return. But I think the most important testimony came from Charlie's own cousin, 43-year-old Dorothy Galeo. She took the stand and she testified that her cousin Charlie expressed anger at Tony in the past. And this was because of unpaid deaths. And she recalled him saying, I'm going to kill that bleep. I'm going down there and burning his bleep house down.

And Dorothy also said she was really good friends with Tina. They were close. And on the morning of the fire, she drove to the Mori residents from her home in Dover Plains. After hearing the news of the blaze, and from there, she visited her cousin, Charlie. He lived nearby in a mobile home. And she found both Charlie and Mark drinking and still snorting things. She claimed that both of them speculated at that. moment that Tony had been killed by dealers that he owed money to. And then two days later,

during a follow-up visit, she said that Charlie commented that Tony had been shot in the neck and added, I bet he felt that. I bet that hurt. Wow, that's cold. But was it true? Was this a confession? Well, his defense attorney argued it wasn't. They questioned Dorothy's mental They questioned her about being hospitalized recently. She admitted, yes. She fired a gun in her home during a mental breakdown. But she also said, my mental health has nothing to do with what I can recollect, and that her recollections were accurate.

She admitted that Charlie never directly confessed to the murders, but she felt like, based on everything she witnessed and what she heard, that he was involved. I'm not going to reiterate all of the same witnesses and their testimony from Mark's trial. they were the same. The first responders came in, the police officers, the medical experts. But then, on Friday, February 8th, a new witness took the stand. 34-year-old Hassan Strange. Now, he was a known dealer, and he testified that he frequently sold substances to Charlie, including one gram on the night of January 18th of 2007. He told the jury that several hours after the murders, Charlie called him and said, the family's gone.

Remember I was going to tell you about this? Well, during this conversation, This was the same dealer they talked to during the case. Same guy. He said during that conversation, Charlie revealed more disturbing details, including they killed the little one first and that Tony was made to watch. How would you know that? The dealer's wife, Tara, was overhearing this call

because it was on the walkie-talkie feature. Remember that? I think it was Nextel. Well, she heard everything. And she said she was stunned and amazed by what she heard. According to the dealer, after hearing what Charlie said, he drove to the Mory home, but he was turned away by police. But there was definitely a crime scene there. So then he drove to Charlie's, about a mile away, but he wasn't there.

And later that evening, the dealer claimed that Charlie called him and wanted to reassure him that even though he spoke to police, he didn't tell them anything about purchasing anything from him. I think the hardest part to connect Charlie to everything was that there was no DNA found at the crime scene of Charlie's. So remember, Mark's handprint is in blood. That's physical evidence, but for Charlie, there just wasn't any. But Mark was part of this trial.

On February 19th, he returned to the stand, and this time he was a witness for the prosecution. He testified that he saw Charlie shoot Tony and Tina and stab one of their sons. He said 10-year-old Adam appeared dead in bed after Tony Jr. had been stabbed. Mark also claimed Ryan, the youngest ran after him bleeding from his neck.

And he slammed the door shut to keep Ryan inside. And that's when he heard Charlie's boots on the stairs. But he wouldn't elaborate any further. Because I guess it was too graphic what happened to that little boy. But this account was different from the one he gave at his own trial. He told the jury that tensions had escalated between Charlie and the family in the weeks leading up to the murders. But if you're wondering why this happened, Mark had reasons.

He said that Charlie believed that Tony was cutting his stuff with other things, so shorting him on the deals. He recalled hearing Charlie say he wanted to kill Tony and burn down his house. Mark also testified that after Charlie was questioned by New York State Police on January 19th, he warned him not to mention anything about going to meet dealers that night. Mark said he then adjusted his story so that he could do what Charlie said. But even Charlie took the stand in his own defense, and that happened on Monday, February 25th. When he was directly asked if he shot Tony and Tina, he said, absolutely not.

When asked if he stabbed any of the children, he replied, no way. He told the jury that he spent several hours on the night of January 18th, now you're hearing his story, drinking beer and snorting substances with Mark. He admitted to lying to investigators in the hours after the murders, initially claiming that he stayed home all night. But he later acknowledged to investigators that he and Mark drove with his four-year-old son, Kenny, to buy some stuff.

When questioned by his defense attorney about why he lied, Charlie said that he was terrified that child protective services would take his son away if they found out that he had used illicit substances or even brought his son along on a run. Understandable. He testified that after they returned to his house, Mark left again to get more stuff,

and when he came back, Mark seemed off. He brought him more Coke, but he told Charlie that he had to leave without giving him a reason. Charlie said that after Mark left, he locked his doors and went to bed. He also claimed that him and Tony had been really close in childhood, even though their friendship had been strained in the recent months, and they were like brothers. But when he was on cross-examination, there were some questionable things that he talked about that kind of didn't make sense. They had those next tell had those phones at the walking,

walkie-talkie feature, right? So he claimed that when he woke up on January 19th, he heard from one of his real brothers about the fire at Tony's, and he tried to reach him through the direct connect feature, the walkie-talkie, but it went straight to a long beep, which meant it was disconnected. So the prosecutor was like, well,

did you try calling Tony or Tina's house or their cell phones? And Charlie said he didn't have their numbers. So he was asked, how is it possible that you don't have the number of someone that you claim that you're close to like a brother. And you know what happened? Charlie got mad on the stand. That's something you don't want because the jury's watching you.

He got agitated and he was defensive. That's all they really need to see. And if this was not back and forth enough with these two defendants, an inmate testified that Mark, not Charlie, confided in him the night before his own verdict and said, I'm guilty, but Charlie isn't. I think at this point, because you don't know which ones involved, and you're not really supposed to be doing that because you're looking at is there reasonable doubt.

But I just think there was so much evidence. Who else was involved? And even if you were just there, you were involved and they couldn't tell whose story adds up and which one was telling the truth. And after more than 37 hours of deliberation, yes, this one took a very long time. In early March of 2008, the jury returned a guilty verdict against Charlie.

There were people crying. weeping in that courtroom on both sides. And at sentencing, Grandpa Manuel Tony's father spoke about his grandsons. He said, I can't joke with them anymore. I can't tease them anymore. They're gone. After the fire, he found a little football outside of the home,

and he kept it. Ryan had just started learning to swim. And none of the boys had their first girlfriend yet. He was saying all this. He said he was looking forward to teasing them about that. And now he said, none of them will graduate. None of them will get married. And none of them will have kids of their own.

And that is heartbreaking. Over what? Getting high? Staying high? Addiction really does make people do things that are so unreal. I'm not entirely blaming it on substances, but I think it's clear in the end that is what it stemmed from. It revolved around that.

And Tony had resorted to selling because he was so desperately trying to keep his family from losing their home. He was selling primarily to friends, people in his circle, probably never, ever considering there would be any risk, just helping some friends out and in return able to pay some bills. He wasn't some big-time dealer at all. This was a small operation with huge consequences. And it's sad because Charlie was supposed to be Tony's friend.

Charlie's dad was at the trial every day and he stuck by his belief that he was. his son was innocent. Charlie's mom and dad described Tony as being part of their family, someone that called them mom and dad. Back when he and Charlie met as students in junior high school, so because they were so close, especially growing up, they could not reconcile that their son could do anything like this. And they were shocked by what emerged during the investigation and the trial. Charlie's mom didn't attend the trial, but that's because he requested for her not to, but she said she followed every detail online. She said, the online comments, especially those calling her son and Mark Monsters, broke her.

She told reporters later, they don't know Charlie. They don't know us. These parents didn't understand how a jury could find their son guilty. To them, the evidence didn't add up. And what about their own family member, the cousin, who testified against Charlie? Well, his parents said, she's always been a little off. And they believe she had a vendetta against Charlie because one time he gave police information that led to that cousin's brother's arrest.

I know it's a lot. But in the end, the judge sentenced Charlie to five consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. And a few days later, Mark was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. Mark's testimony at Charlie's trial spared him a harsher sentence.

But speaking before sentencing, Mark said that he wished that he could apologize to Tony and Tina's parents. He hoped that, that one day he could meet them and offer whatever small measure of closure he could. But Tony's dad never got that chance. Just a few months later, in May of 2008, he died at the age of 57. His cause of death was not reported, but I felt like it could have been from a broken heart.

I'm not saying that to be, you know, weird or make light of it or anything. It was over. His family was gone. His wife was gone. His son, their children. That's a lot. And then the trials, once they were over, I really think he just wanted to be with them, and his body may have given up.

Who knows? Maybe it was something entirely different, but this is a real thing, dying of a broken heart. Go look it up. It's not as specific as a broken heart, but it does happen. And as for Tina's mother, Arlene, she, of course, still thinks about her grandsons every single day. She says she misses their laughter, their voices, their constant movement around the house, the little sound of their feet on the ground. and the joy of their presence.

When she sees friends and relatives with their grandchildren, it hits her all over again. She wondered what the boys would be doing now. Would they be riding ATVs? Would they be graduating school, falling in love? Would they have kids of their own someday? She'll never know what kind of men they might have become, whether she would have become a great grandmother,

what the holidays might have looked like with a bigger family gathered around the table. The effects of that loss, they never end. And the pain only reminds us that, reminds her of everything that was taken away. She says it wasn't just lives, but generations. And it is truly so sad. Entire family murders like this are always heartbreaking. I mean, one murder is heartbreaking, but to have an entire family gone in an instant. And still, I say for what? There was no reason for any of this. There usually isn't. But in the case that's so senseless and involves children, I just can't. I can't wrap my brain around it. And I thank you so

much, so much for giving your time to this family story. Thank you. And I will see you soon in my next video. Bye.