", 'He wanted the big house. The jury convicted Craig Heidt on all 11 counts of murder, battery, burglary and attempted arson. "That's a pretty significant question," Spencer noted. But his mother Linda, who still bears facial scarring from the attack, has stood by her son. Titled The Mystery of Effingham County, the episode examines the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the subsequent investigation that garnered national media coverage. Officer James Dingledein said. Initially the jury split, eight to four, not guilty. So Howard asked Craig to take off his shirt. "What would this do if fired at a person?" For Linda, healing has been a much slower process. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. ", "Can you be absolutely certain that it was not Craig? The shooter leaves Carey, proceeds to the parents' bedroomthe second shot was to Philip. Please logout and login again. Widow: Robin Heidt has spoken out for the first time since her lover - also her brother-in-law - shot dead her husband. Craig Heidt was tried by an Effingham County jury and convicted of the killings of his father, Philip Heidt, and brother, Carey Heidt. As Linda Heidt slowly recovered, they all wondered the same thing: Could the only surviving witness of the crime identify the killer? Missed: Speaking to CBS, Robin Heidt described her husband as a 'wonderful husband and wonderful father'. Spencer asked. They next turned their attention to the Heidt's real estate dealings. "Have you ever looked him in the eye, and said, 'Craig, son, did you do this?" 'I know the man he is. Free access to breaking news is sponsored by. "I see life. You just kinda point and shoot.". Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the best local news, sports and entertainment coverage. Nine months after the tragic event, police arrested Craig Heidt, son of Philip Heidt and brother of Carey Heidt. And then, four months after the murders, Craig Heidt moved in with his brother's widow and their three kids. Shooting spree: The gunman also killed his father Philip, left, and shot his mother Linda, right, in the face, Crime scene: Officers arrived at a scene that had been staged to look like a robbery - but found keys in the door. "It was very much a mess.". The killer had cut the phones lines and smashed a pane of glass in a door. The call came in about 8:45 p.m. City police were joined by Effingham County sheriffs deputies and Illinois state troopers at the scene, where they were met by numerous witnesses who had either heard or seen shots fired. They resumed their involvement in December, and Craig had moved in by January. . "So you think that's just because the person panicked and fled before they had a chance to take anything?" "In every single critical bit of evidence, they want you to make a leap of faith," Bonds told the court in his closing argument. They all took a single bullet from a shotgun to their face, with Craig Heidt serving as the triggerman. The married pair then got into an argument, and he left to spend the night at his parents. The couple. Investigators then searched Craig's arms for bruises caused by the impact of shooting the gun - and found his arms bore the marks. Asked about the sentence, she told Spencer. On that summer morning a prominent family lost a father and a son to violence by the hand of a family member. She told 48 Hours she held back the information as 'the Craig Heidt that I know couldn't commit such an act'. Later on, Robin called her lover to tell him what had happened, to which he only said that if his father and brother were not careful and minding their own business, hed go old school on them. He has threatened to take our daughter and stated you will never see her again. Hes threatened to burn my house and hes threatened me with a gun.. "I know I didn't do anything. Business people and friends all had similar words to describe Philip Heidt and his loss. Take the kids. Spencer asked Carey's wife, Robin Heidt. "I wasn't sure; I wasn't sure what that meant.". The upcoming episode of Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered delves deep into the shocking deaths of a father and son from a prominent business family in Effingham County in 2008. And he said, 'No.'". Many in the public didn't understand the time required for a complex investigation. "Did that shake your faith in him?" "That must've been something of a shock," said Spencer. Effingham County Jail reported the following bookings: Effingham County deputies arrested Mason L. Parker, 34, Newton, Feb. 26 on charges of possession of hypodermic syringe, possession of drug . "The community still wants to know when we're going to arrest her," Sheriff McDuffie replied. The court ruled that both Robin Heidt Cave and Linda Heidt share joint custody of the children. July 14, 2012 / 10:55 PM Investigators wanted a stronger case. On August 25, 2008, Philip and Carey were shot to death in their beds. ", "No question you'd be bruised," Spencer noted. NBCs Dateline: Mystery in Effingham County is an episode that explores the double homicide of prominent Georgian real estate developers and father and son, Philip Martin Heidt and Carey Albert Heidt, along with its baffling aftermath. In the early hours of August 25, 2008, Carey Heidt was shot dead in the face along with his father, a successful realtor, Philip Heidt, by an intruder at their home. Juror #2: Once I seen the bruises that was, like, yeah, he's guilty. "How did you expect this was going to be resolved?". Be the first one to comment on this story. "Is there any way to avoid it?". However, by that time, Craig had already insisted that one of his shotguns, boots, and gas cans were missing and even denied his affair with Robin, which she confirmed. Then a sheriff recalled a conversation he had had with Carey a month before his death. On Dec. 1, 2010, the murder trial of Craig Heidt begins in the Effingham County Courthouse. "The position of the bruises on Craig's body were actually impossible to make from a shotgun," said Chris. ", Asked what he believes Craig Heidt did that night, Muldrew told Spencer, "It's not really a matter of what I believe he did. "There was a lot of tension very heated conversations, several very heated conversations," Robin told Spencer. She knew he was lying to her, she says, especially when he said that he and Carey had patched things up before the shootings. "Based on what I've seen at the scene, looking at the photographs, my estimate was something like two feet," he replied. "he knew that his wife was runnin' around on him," McDuffie said. In his opening statement, Bonds told the court, "What shocked me was just the clear lack of physical evidence linking him to the murders. Juror #4: I think Robin played him like a fiddle. Again, Sharon reported numerous calls from an allegedly drunk Jerry the night of Aug. 18 into the morning hours of Aug. 19 in which he told her she would regret filing for divorce. "it just took off from there". Craig Heidt's lawyer, Dow Bonds, says the public perception that Craig somehow was trying to "become" his brother is completely distorted. Craig, who had failed to convince Robin to leave her husband, went on to murder his brother Carey and their father - while attempting to kill their mother - in an early morning shooting spree in 2008. He also believes multiple shooters were involved. "But I feel like they have the right person.". Crime & Public Safety. "Not only was it laughable, it was scientifically and physically impossible.". "What did you think when you heard this?" Bro. "As many fights as they'd had and as much bad blood as there was at this point? Crime Map | Effingham County, GA Home Government Departments J - Z Sheriff Crime Info Crime Map Crime Map The crime map below is updated daily. Actually, he was the only one that did not have an alibi," Muldrew said. But prosecutors think a jury will decide that's exactly what he is. "They both like to hunt, outdoors things like that And Carey was the baby of the family.". Could she identify the killer? "He later said that his boots were missin'. Spencer asked Linda. Beason murders. Kaiser is being held in the Effingham County Jail. "And he's drivin' his dead brother's truck. "I was convinced he was innocent and that he was being treated unfairly.". ", "It did not," she replied. So I did. Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie announces the arrests of three people: the children's father Elwyn Crocker Sr., 49, their stepmother Candice Crocker, 33, and step-grandmother Kim. "I just, I was just in shock". Crime Map | Effingham County, GA Home Government Departments J - Z Sheriff Crime Info Crime Map Crime Map The crime map below is updated daily. There's no DNA. They had three sons, Craig, Chris, and Carey. She then went home, where she and husband Carey had a nasty argument. So on that first day, McDuffie turned the case over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Craigs motive, in simple words, was to secure a future with Robin, attain the $3.5 million from Careys life insurance policies, and gain back his share of his fathers estate. "No," Howard replied. Craig Heidt's appeal of his conviction will be heard by the Georgia Supreme Court in September. Spencer asked, pointing to the middle of her upper arm. Cardiff. Philip was Philip Heidt - a man to be reckoned with in Effingham County, Ga., and a pal of McDuffie's. Now Robin, who some believe was involved in the shootings, has spoken out for the first time since her lover murdered her husband. "You could smell it from the road. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. But after just six hours that changed. "Sometimes they can be immediate," he said. . "I mean, this sounds like it's just completely spiraling out of control," said Spencer. That's how the news struck Israel Pattison in December when he heard two children were found buried behind their home in Effingham County. The patriarch of a close-knit family, he was married to wife Linda for 42 years. Murdered: Carey Heidt, pictured with his wife Robin, was shot by his brother as he slept at his parents' home, Family affair: Carey Heidt, left, was shot dead by his brother Craig, right, as he allegedly wanted to assume his life. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Effingham County, IL Arrest Records What are Effingham County Arrest Statistics? He had said 'that Carey and Philip had better watch out or he was going to play 'old school' on them.'. ", "It was very complicated, because Carey was very dead set against a divorce," Robin said. Todd Bowlin, 44, of Charleston was described by police as an acquaintance of Sharon Smith. From catching each others eye in English class to tying the knot soon after graduation, their courtship was genuinely a whirlwind. Then Sheriff McDuffie recalled an unsettling conversation he's had with Carey Heidt only a month earlier. He had intended to light their home on fire as well but fled upon hearing the call. "You had gasoline on your clothes?" By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 00:17 GMT, 9 January 2012. Firearms expert Ed Myrick thinks a shotgun easily could slip. "I told him that I had feelings for him that were more than, you know, brother- and sister-in-law feelings and he said that he shared the same feelings," she told Spencer. Juror #11: The way she threw him under the bus just, I mean, that told you right there, she just used him. He said Smiths current residence in Salem was being searched for more clues. The death of a father and son from a highly respected business family sent shockwaves across the community, generating massive media coverage. "I wasn't comfortable with the relationship anymore," Robin testified. Ultimately, though, it came to light that their other son, Philip Craig Heidt, was the assailant. Stars Kate Snow Dennis Murphy In the years that followed, the couple gladly welcomed three children into their lives while Carey got a job in real estate development with his father, and Robin worked as a paraprofessional. 'She's definitely responsible for Carey being in the home that night, 100 percent. Robbery. Sager said a rifle and a handgun were recovered at the scene. Muldrew argues that the shooting made perfect sense if you thought about it as Craig did. In August 2008, the weekend before the murders, Robin, once again, was up at Craig's cabin. I believe that he's innocent.". "I'm sure at the time he wrote the letter he hoped that this might somehow resolve itself so that the family hadn't torn apart," said Prosecutor Michael Muldrew. I did not see Craig in that room. "Do you think their affair had anything whatsoever to do with the murders?" Tension escalated when the family found out about the affair and Philip reportedly confronted his daughter-in-law. Craig Heidt, Carey Heidt's brother, has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his father and brother. Therefore, today, in his mid-50s, Craig Heidt is incarcerated at the maximum-security Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. Her eyes got really wide. As per records, in August 2008, Philip confronted his daughter-in-law and allegedly got a little heated when she tried to walk away. While a full investigation was conducted, no killer was ever found. EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Tony Arnsdorff has been sentenced to life without parole plus 15 years in the 2017 murder of Courtney Wells. Dateline: Secrets Uncovered takes a look at some of the most mysterious crimes in recent history. But the jurors apparently were getting that same negative vibe about everything Robin said. It was definitely not smart," Robin said. " But the defense had no qualms about appealing to the jury's emotions, asking Linda Heidt to read a letter her husband, Philip, wrote to Craig two weeks before the murders. JOSEPH RESSLER, JG-TC. Brother Chris is just as sure. McDuffie did, however, within three days of the deaths let the public know it was believed they had no reason to be afraid -- in other words, the Heidts were the target. Robin, of course, called Craig to vent not long after, only for Philip, Carey, and Linda to be shot the following morning. According to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, a majority of Effingham county court records are open and accessible to the general public. "This one right hereis about 48-to-50 pounds of pressure on your shoulder of recoil. In many ways, the scenario turned out worse than the early rumors. A Georgia stepmother has pleaded guilty to murdering two children who were beaten, starved, kept in a dog crate and buried in the backyard of their . I didn't conspire with Craig. Some said the murders were Mafia related, some said it was a real estate deal gone bad, and others said the murderers were meth dealers that lived not far from the Heidts. 'But I don't really worry about what people say.'. "that's not CraigCraig's not a murderer". The Heidt family was widely respected in their community and the murders shocked townsfolk. Based on those injuries and the pellets found at the scene, the medical examiner says the shooter used a 12-gauge shotgun; up close and personal. 'It just took off from there.'. Her husband was distraught, but he was no fool. "Where did you think this was gonna go?" Even today, some jurors aren't sure. Effingham City Police arrested 34 year old Zachary D. Tegenkamp. Chris says a shotgun would have to be held at a ridiculous angle to get those bruises and Craig knew betterbut in the heat of murder? The homicide investigation took a bizarre twist in March 2010 when the named suspect, Mr. Hollister, was arrested and charged with attempted murder of his wife, Rebecca Hollister. "I looked at Craig and I said, 'That helicopter is here watching us,'" Robin told Spencer. "I was asleep and, um, I heard knocking on the door. He is taking his dead brother's children to school," Muldrew said. Active in the Chamber of Commerce, Philip Heidt was described as a very private man who loved his family dearly. "You had a big smile when you said that," Spencer commented. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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