Episode 514: Bernie Tiede and the murder of Marjorie Nugent
Morbid
The Emotional Trial and Jury Verdict
This chapter discusses Bernie's emotional reaction during the trial, the jury's response to disturbing images, and the defense's tactics to portray Bernie's motive as a moment of passion. The jury ultimately reaches a guilty verdict, sentencing Bernie to life in prison. The chapter also mentions the defense's appeal and the mixed reactions to the movie adaptation.
When 39 year old Bernie Tiede confessed to the murder of his friend and companion, 81 year old Marjorie Nugent in November 1996, the revelation came as a shock to the small town of Carthage, Texas. The two had been inseparable friends since the death of Nugent’s husband in 1990 and as far as anyone in Carthage could tell, Nugent couldn’t have picked a more devoted companion than Tiede. Yet as the details of the crime began to emerge, a strange story began to take shape—Tiede’s supposed motive for the murder was to gain access to Nugent’s fortune, but what he did with that money once he had access defied the logic and expectations of greed.
The story of Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent should have ended with the trial and conviction of Tiede, but a few years later, Bernie’s story became the subject of a big Hollywood film, shining a spotlight on the story and raising new questions about the extent of Bernie’s responsibility for the murder. Tiede remains a rarity in the history of American crime: a sympathetic killer almost no one in town wanted to see convicted.
Thank you to the wonderful David White, of the Bring me the Axe podcast, for research assistance
References
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Bernhardt Tiede, II v. The State of Texas. 2002. 12-99-00182-CR (Twelfth District Court of Appeals (Tyler, Texas), November 2).
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