I'm an indie Texas director. "He was her man servant the guy hired to take care of her every need," Black explained. July 22, 2017 / 11:09 PM Case closed. They moved back to Carthage in 1989 (just a year before my uncle died), buying a controlling interest. Tiede was released pending a re-sentencing hearing and lived in the garage apartment of the films director, Richard Linklater, as a condition of his release according to The Washington Post. Tiede attended a college musical rehearsal that day and reportedly seemed like regular old Bernie over the following weeks, until he started becoming unprecedentedly generous. "I think the fatal mistake my grandmother made is she ended up buying a $30,000 headstone from Bernie Tiede, and from that moment he marked her," said Shanna Nugent. "Turns out he was generous with Mrs. Nugent's money," said Davidson. Bernie confessed to police, was tried, and received a 50-year prison term for the murder. Tiede claims her 24/7 demands had turned into an abusive relationship. "She untaped it and raised it up," D.A. His Case is also featured on the Season 3, Episode 7, titled "Millionairess Mortician", from the Show, Deadly Sins. And it's like, 'Mama, are you crazy?! "Well, we were first cousins," she told Van Sant. And that even though he had his own modest home, he felt trapped by Nugent and wanted out. and at Comer's Bar-B-Q "He taught our Sunday School. Bernie Tiede's mother was his father's first wife, Lela Mae Jester (19331960). "I'm thinkin' you're lying. He was just a loveable guy," Black said. Tiede met Nugent at the Hawthorne Funeral Home while preparing her husband . Danny Buck Davidson. "He's got a warmth. And it wasn't long before Nugent wanted more than a part-time dinner date -- and Tiede complied. "It was so quick. "You just have never seen a story like this come across your desk ever. As unpopular as Nugent was, her son eventually grew suspicious. He provided scholarships," said Hollandsworth. Van Sant asked. The two eventually became inseparable companions, although she was more than 40 years his senior. "No. Thats when Marjorie met Tiede, who was working at the funeral home which made the arrangements. "She just wanted more and more and more of me around.". Jack Black: That period with the walls closing in. "She was very mean-spirited, very abrupt with me," he said. "She's 42 years older than you.". And I think he's the one person in the world in that era who could feel that for Marg, when no one else could," he replied. I just think it's important if I'm gonna play a real person that I should meet you. Despite locals shock, Tiede and Nugent became inseparable and may have even shared a romantic relationship. "And we went in and there were pictures of Bernie everywhere," said Alexandria Nugent. Jack Black as Bernie Tiede in Richard Linklaters 2011 film. It was updated on July 22, 2017.]. Mortician Who Inspired 'Bernie' Movie Sent Back To Prison For Widow's Murder. Full Description. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Man convicted of murdering companion, stuffing body in freezer", 'mean-bernie-film-features-cooper-grads-unlikely', "Judge Agrees to Release Murderer "Bernie" Backed by Austin Filmmaker", "History of Bernie's secret: Facts of sexual abuse could have been key to defense". "Is this case about money?" It's very discouraging," said Black. It was August 18, 1997, when the Nugent's had finally shared their concerns with the local sheriff. When he appealed his sentence, the appellate courts ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to have found premeditation, a condition of the charge. It's what the law says," he explained. Marge M. Nugent, loving mother, devoted wife, and adored grandmother, passed away Tuesday, June 7, 2016 surrounded by her family in her Morristown, N.J. home. Taking great pride in his work, he was a consoling shoulder for the bereaved throughout the late 1980s and early 90s especially the elderly. "But Bernie is not built for conflict. [34], Tiede resided in the Telford Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for at least 15 years. [19][20] Cole theorized that Tiede shot Nugent while in a brief dissociative episode brought on by her abusive treatment of him,[21] a theory backed by forensic psychiatrist Richard Pesikoff. "Is there a miracle about to occur?" Some people are sayin', 'No, put him away for life,'" said actor Jack Black. "We'd go to the Cherokee Club, we would go to the Jalapeno Tree here in Carthage," Tiede recalled. [12], In November 1996, Tiede killed Nugent by shooting her in the back four times with a .22 caliber rifle. So what was the real truth? The premise was, The nicest guy in the world is driven to murder by a bitchy woman, says Marjories granddaughter, Shanna Nugent. Van Sant asked the women. He claims he was molested by his own uncle, Elmer Doucet. Bernie Tiede had preached and comforted and sang his way into this proud small town's everyday life. In all, he was widely regarded as the nicest man in town. Black wanted to know what made Tiede tick, right down to what he felt in the days after he murdered Marjorie: Jack Black: That must have been incredibly stressful. Marjorie Nugent met Bernhardt Tiede when her husband died in March 1990. This is a bizarre case where truth really is stranger than fiction. She opened the door. Nine years after he met Marjorie Nugent at her husband's funeral, Bernie Tiede was sentenced to life in prison. But in 2014, defense lawyer Jodi Cole, inspired by the 2011 film about his case, Bernie, discovered new evidence. At some point, Marge changed her will to make Bernie the beneficiary of her $5 million estate, leaving her estranged son out in the cold. "I want the world to know that Bernie Tiede is a good person and that this outcome is unacceptable," she said. It was absolutely horrendous. Van Sant asked the director. And the motives of her new companion deeply suspect. Marjorie Nugent's granddaughter calls Tiede "the worst kind of criminal". "And when you spend time with him you want to hang out with him.". [32] In June 2016, the 1997 theft charge against Tiede was dropped. But whatever Marjorie's affection for her granddaughters, the stakes were about to change. "I said, 'Look at that. His father died in Abilene when Tiede was fifteen. And he stayed as long as he could and his body acted in a way to end that abuse," Cole told Van Sant. said Susan Jenull. Ex-Mortician Whose Killing of Widow Inspired Movie Freed Early - NBC News "I embalmed his body and got him ready for the funeral," Tiede explained. Bernie & Marge: The Mysterious Case Of The Murderous Mortician & The So I backed my car out of the garage. Bernie Tiede tears up as his uncle Elmer Doucet denies sexually abusing him as a child during Tiede's new sentencing trial, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths, Chad Daybell's kids claim he was "fooled in worst, most deadly way possible", Exonerated man fulfills dream of walking daughter down the aisle, Bernie Tiede's new sentencing trial began. We just went everywhere. After going home to shower, he returned to Marjories house. Castle Rock EntertainmentJack Black as Bernie Tiede in Richard Linklaters 2011 film Bernie. The two eventually became inseparable companions, although she was more than 40 years his senior. "So a lot of death had occurred in our family," he said. Bernie in Hell - Texas Monthly Critics loved it. "He stole her money when he was about to be found out, he shot her and killed her. Tiede was taken in for questioning, and he admitted to Nugent's murder to police in August 1997. Meanwhile, Marge's family began to worry when they could no longer reach her. [23], Nugent's family learned about Tiede's release through media reports. Bernie had embalmed Marge's husband and sang at his memorial service. And in turn, Tiede gave gifts to the good people of Carthage. It was on one of the next family visits to Carthage that the Nugent women got a hint of how deeply Tiede had moved into their grandmother's life. [33] In August 2017, a Texas appeals court upheld the 99-year prison sentence. 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When Marge's husband died, reports ID, Bernie embalmed him and even sang at his service. And she opens the door and goes, 'I don't know who you are,'" Shanna Nugent said. "Bernie Tiede is what?" Until finally I said, 'OK, I won't leave you. And for Tiede, the perks kept piling up. Almost immediately, Tiede admitted to murdering Nugent but the locals in Carthage didnt seem to hold it against him. Mr. Tiedes ability to repress and compartmentalize the abusive events from childhood and adolescence was ultimately overwhelmed by the repeated and extensive psychological abuse he suffered from Mrs. Nugent. He did that," Tanner told the court. But it's not as simple as that," Black explained of Tiede staying. Frozen solid, Nugent was transported to the coroners office in Dallas on the back of a pickup hooked up to a generator. "Well Marjorie wasn't a huggy-type person," said Ruth Cockrell, who would come to know as much as anyone in Carthage about the friendship of Bernie and Marjorie. It was there that the two met and forged their unusual bond. She would eventually become a big part of Bernie Tiede's life, and how his story would be told. Bernie movie review & film summary (2012) | Roger Ebert I won't leave. "My grandmother believed he loved her.". I just can't do this,'" Tiede explained. "And there was the top of Miss Nugent's head. How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze - New York Times The 81-year-old widow had a reputation . Tiede reluctantly admitted to Cole that he had endured molestation by an uncle from the age of 12, with psychiatrists saying he experienced a dissociative episode during which he killed Nugent. The movie, "Bernie," also featured Matthew McConaughey as Danny Buck Davidson. "In '93, we went there and she opened the door and she hugged me and kissed me like eight times," said Shanna Nugent. Despite town gossip, there was nothing sexual about it, Tiede said, thinking of Nugent more as a mother figure and a friend. "We had that strange encounter in 1994 where we didn't feel welcome," said Susan Jenull. Lisa Tanner would allege Bernie Tiede regularly forged Marjorie Nugent's signature, manually manipulated her bank accounts, altered her brokerage statements. Jane Starnes and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Tanner weren't buying it. But he did admit to writing Bernie a letter, sexual in nature. According to the Amarillo Globe-News, Nugent's estranged son, Rod, an Amarillo pathologist, had grown concerned about not being able to reach his mother. "And we said, 'Who is this?' He started purporting a sweetheart scam on her, Nugent says. "I think that he did not plan on killing her.". At first glance, the tale appears to be one of a cold-blooded killer and a helpless victim, but the real story of Bernie and Marjorie (Marge) Nugent is much more complicated. Bernie Tiede, who was first convicted for the 1996 murder in 1999, was later granted an appeal based on the theory that he was in a dissociative state at the time of the killing due to abuse hed suffered earlier in life. Just two hours up the road in Dallas, three proud granddaughters have a very different take on just why Bernie Tiede was befriending Marjorie Nugent. "Make her coffee. "Some people are sayin', 'Hey let him go.' Gregg County marriage records, book 35, page 229; cf. "And you have a community saying, 'Leave him alone,'" Van Sant noted. Bernie Tiede Re-Sentenced To Life, Family of Murder Victim - People Afterward, he took the cast and crew out for pizza, using my grandmothers credit card.. Bernie Tiede, a beloved funeral director in Carthage, Texas, was friendly, well-liked, considerate, and helpful. Tiede became a preacher and featured soloist in the choir at the First United Methodist Church and worked with the music and theater departments of the local college, often taking on starring roles himself. "He could connect that quickly," Van Sant commented. "Yes, and Jodi Cole did a lot of work towards that miracle happening," Tiede replied. "It's about abusing Marjorie Nugent financially; it's about just cold-blooded murder.". And he got one. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. "I wanted to check the freezer. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, NYPD officer Troy Patterson dies 33 years after being shot in robbery, Supreme Court to hear case that could curb power of federal agencies, The weirdest items passengers leave behind in Ubers, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo found dead at 46, How Jack Black relates to the convicted killer he plays in the film "Bernie", Rod and Marjorie Nugent with their grandchildren, Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent on one of their many vacations, Bernie Tiede tells his story to "48 Hours", Marjorie Nugent's granddaughters, from left, Alexandria, Shanna and Susan, talk with, The freezer in Marjorie Nugent's pantry where her body was found, Jack Black on meeting Bernie Tiede for the first time. "I think he is an incredibly nice generous man who did a horrible thing," he testified. In a blog on his law firm's site, Chad Baruch, an attorney who'd been hired by Marge's family,disputes much of Bernie's story. "She asked me to leave the funeral home," Tiede told Van Sant. A few years later, at Nugent's request, he quit his job to become her personal assistant, business. This is the worst kind of criminal, she says of Tiede. Among the items taken from Tiedes house after his original arrest were four books on childhood sexual abuse. "As I often do with the widows, widowers, check on 'em. "He came with his box of transcripts," she said. In 2014, Bernie filed a writ with the court alleging that his rights had been violated, that police had shamed him into confessing, and most shockingly, that Marge's abusive behavior toward him resurfaced trauma he'd experienced as a childhood victim of sexual abuse. "It happened so often," Hollandsworth said, "he asked for a change of venue.". The visit was videotaped: Jack Black: I wanted to come and meet you. Went to the pyramids. He said that after the murder, he had prepared the body, and placed it in a freezer. Van Sant asked Tiede. Van Sant asked Linklater. Black became so intrigued, he agreed to play the lead role -- but not before he and Linklater paid a visit to a Texas maximum security prison to try and understand just who Bernie Tiede really was. In 1999, Tiede was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Marjorie Nugent, his 81-year-old friend and companion. "There wasn't a question in anybody's mind. I always loved her as a sister, actually, even when she did ugly things, and she did.[29] Merrel's son, Joe Rhodes, attested to the movie's accurate portrayal of his aunt. After learning about Bernie Tiede, read up on the real-life murders that helped inspire The Amityville Horror. Not because Danny Buck wants 20. Van Sant asked. "And the thing that disturbed me was that all of the pictures of my grandfather were gone.". Got her up " Tiede replied, as his attorney, Jodi Cole, interrupted the interview. In the end, though, Bernie's new defense couldn't save him. In the film, Bernie was portrayed as a sweet man who was beloved in the small Texas town of Carthage, while Marjorie was depicted as an abusive villain. "Everyone in that courtroom knew that my grandmother was not mean. But the Nugent's say their grandma never needed Bernie, or anyone, to teach her kindness. And the Nugent women, all busy college students at the time, admit there was a reluctance to reach out to Grandma Marjorie. Nevertheless, when Tiede became the constant companion of the meanest woman in Carthage Marjorie Nugent, 40 years his senior it was certainly a surprise. He could connect, yeah, exactly," Shamburger agreed. She did not deserve to die. Marge, meanwhile, was often perceived as haughty and crotchety, per Texas Monthly, so the friendship that sprung up between the two may have been a surprise to some. "As they are putting together all of the assets, there's missing money," says Shanna Nugent. Bernie Tiede was easy to find. Bernie Tiede was an assistant funeral home director who became her companion. Van Sant asked. [35] As of 2021[update], Tiede was incarcerated at the John B. Connally Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Kenedy, Texas, for several years. "Thoroughly confused," added Susan Jenull. Tiede met Nugent at her husbands funeral in 1990, Tiede sang a hymn and escorted Nugent to and from her husbands grave, offering her his coat in the chilly cemetery. It just seemed like she didnt have any friends, and I just felt this compelling desire to give her some friendship he said. "Did it darken your world in some way?" As years passed though, Nugent became more and more possessive, expecting 24-hour obedience, paging Tiede constantly. And Hollywood makes a movie out of him.. How did the Bernie Tiede case impact Carthage, Texas? Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth wrote the "Bernie" screenplay and brought it to Jack Black. Bernie Tiede claims it pains him to recall how controlling and cantankerous Marjorie Nugent could be. And I have to stay here unless something changes. The majestic gates swung open to a kingdom of riches, and Bernie Tiede rolled right in. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests.
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