1 00:00:07,950 --> 00:00:11,990 I asked Morgan and Rod what does marriage mean to each of them. Morgan 2 00:00:11,990 --> 00:00:14,810 with this. We will be together forever. 3 00:00:15,250 --> 00:00:18,370 For God has sent Rod to me and he is my guardian angel. 4 00:00:18,790 --> 00:00:20,590 And Rod concluded with this. 5 00:00:20,850 --> 00:00:25,030 My only hope for my life is that I can be the man and husband and father that 6 00:00:25,030 --> 00:00:26,750 Morgan and my future children deserve. 7 00:00:27,750 --> 00:00:31,550 She really thought he was the love of her life. The prince charming. 8 00:00:31,850 --> 00:00:33,230 It's going to be a fun honeymoon. 9 00:00:35,790 --> 00:00:38,750 We were just really excited to start our life. 10 00:00:39,010 --> 00:00:43,630 But unfortunately, at the start of our fairy tales, when our nightmare began. 11 00:00:45,650 --> 00:00:50,790 Morgan looked at him to be her protector. But what you don't know, you 12 00:00:50,790 --> 00:00:51,790 know. 13 00:00:52,890 --> 00:00:55,650 A shocking event happens that changes everything. 14 00:01:06,190 --> 00:01:10,050 He was no longer my husband. He was somebody completely different, somebody 15 00:01:10,050 --> 00:01:15,990 ugly, somebody that I didn't know who it was, a stranger to me. 16 00:01:37,130 --> 00:01:41,190 I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is Betrayal, a show about the people we 17 00:01:41,190 --> 00:01:44,050 most and the deceptions that change everything. 18 00:01:45,350 --> 00:01:49,730 Today we meet Morgan, who thought she had it all, a loving relationship with 19 00:01:49,730 --> 00:01:52,510 high school sweetheart and the promise of a bright future. 20 00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:57,810 But after a series of tragic events, that promise turned into peril. 21 00:01:59,710 --> 00:02:02,490 Morgan, what are you hoping people learn from your story? 22 00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:06,450 My hope is that women learn to speak up. 23 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,360 to see if the things that are going on in your relationship is healthy or not. 24 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,920 Yeah. Like, I generally started to believe it was me, that I was the 25 00:02:15,460 --> 00:02:17,940 So I didn't say anything. I stopped trying to be heard. 26 00:02:22,660 --> 00:02:24,140 My name is Morgan Metzer. 27 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:28,220 I grew up in Canton, Georgia. 28 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,820 We have an older brother. I'm the middle. And then Morgan's the baby 29 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:36,560 We have so many wonderful memories together. 30 00:02:37,740 --> 00:02:40,400 All girls pretty much dream of finding their prince charming. 31 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:43,960 So we always, like, thought about, you know, who our boyfriend would be someday 32 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:44,960 or our husband. 33 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,800 And then when, of course, we met Rod, she felt like she found her prince. 34 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:00,880 Rod and I met when I was 14, he was 17, and we were high school sweethearts. 35 00:03:05,930 --> 00:03:09,810 My first impression of Rod that he gave off is definitely the big man on campus. 36 00:03:10,910 --> 00:03:13,370 Everywhere he went, everyone knew who he was. 37 00:03:14,050 --> 00:03:18,110 He was extremely patient, funny, kind -hearted. 38 00:03:18,410 --> 00:03:19,590 He had ambition. 39 00:03:20,550 --> 00:03:23,010 He was pretty much the whole package, I guess you could say. 40 00:03:23,910 --> 00:03:25,430 He made me feel like a princess. 41 00:03:26,830 --> 00:03:30,990 Morgan wanted to be protected, and she looked at him to be her protector. 42 00:03:31,250 --> 00:03:32,990 And so he kind of just took on that role. 43 00:03:34,820 --> 00:03:38,160 Rodney's family came from a lot of money. They were very well to do. 44 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,420 Rod's parents would take a lot of their kids' friends on trips. 45 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:47,820 And on these trips, we were spoiled, given a very lavish lifestyle. 46 00:03:50,100 --> 00:03:52,160 I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. 47 00:03:55,220 --> 00:03:57,500 After high school, the couple, they're stronger than ever. 48 00:03:57,740 --> 00:04:02,820 Morgan follows Rodney to Wyoming, where he's... training to be a mechanic, and 49 00:04:02,820 --> 00:04:08,560 she goes to cosmetology school. And then they decide to move back to Georgia and 50 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:09,800 start their careers. 51 00:04:10,860 --> 00:04:14,740 We grew together naturally as a couple. 52 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,899 Everything was still innocent and pure. 53 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,720 I don't ever recall them ever arguing. 54 00:04:23,020 --> 00:04:24,320 They always got along. 55 00:04:24,540 --> 00:04:27,060 From the very beginning, they've always been very happy. 56 00:04:29,130 --> 00:04:32,950 Rod proposed to me after about six or seven years being together. 57 00:04:34,530 --> 00:04:38,310 He asked me in front of my family with my grandmother's wedding ring. 58 00:04:39,270 --> 00:04:42,490 I was 100 % sure I wanted to marry Rod. 59 00:04:45,570 --> 00:04:50,690 Rod and Morgan, the importance of marriage supersedes our daily 60 00:04:51,810 --> 00:04:54,330 We got married April 18, 2009. 61 00:04:55,020 --> 00:04:59,500 I asked Morgan and Rod individually what does marriage mean to each of them, and 62 00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:01,600 Rod had this to say. Marriage good. 63 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:02,920 Rod liked marriage. 64 00:05:06,140 --> 00:05:10,000 The wedding was my dream. Everything I could have ever imagined. 65 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,260 It was a true fairy tale. 66 00:05:14,100 --> 00:05:16,380 It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen. 67 00:05:16,660 --> 00:05:18,420 You may kiss to your heart's content. 68 00:05:21,620 --> 00:05:23,660 The family was so excited. 69 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:28,110 His brother Kevin's speech was wonderful. 70 00:05:28,350 --> 00:05:33,970 One day I hope I can share the same love they have with a woman as great as 71 00:05:33,970 --> 00:05:34,970 Morgan. 72 00:05:35,910 --> 00:05:39,730 And for the first official time, Morgan, welcome to the family. 73 00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:43,790 I cried. 74 00:05:44,490 --> 00:05:50,070 It felt like royalty becoming Mithmatzer. 75 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,040 Before we got married, we did own a house together. 76 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,060 We resided there after the wedding. 77 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,960 It was so much fun getting to call him my husband. 78 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:14,200 They were happy. They were always doing things, and I felt like I had a brother 79 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:15,200 there, so it was nice. 80 00:06:15,900 --> 00:06:18,120 Rod had no expectations from me. 81 00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:20,020 He really didn't. 82 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:27,020 He just wanted me to do what I wanted to do, and I wanted to go hang out with 83 00:06:27,020 --> 00:06:30,280 friends that night. He said, go out, go have fun. I'll see you later. 84 00:06:30,780 --> 00:06:34,180 We were just overall really excited to start our life. 85 00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:41,060 But unfortunately, at the start of our fairy tales, when our nightmare began. 86 00:06:51,340 --> 00:06:57,520 Morgan and Rodney's marriage is almost picture perfect. And then a tragic event 87 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:58,640 changes everything. 88 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,300 Rod's brother passed away of leukemia. 89 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,420 Kevin's passing was very difficult for all of us. I can only imagine how it 90 00:07:17,420 --> 00:07:18,420 Rod feel. 91 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:25,740 It was just him and his brother, you know, and to see the pain of losing a 92 00:07:25,740 --> 00:07:27,320 sibling, it was difficult. 93 00:07:29,700 --> 00:07:34,920 It affected both of them, but Rod was just very quiet. He was not sociable. He 94 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,160 was not fun. 95 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:44,740 This death was a test of how the couple would weather dark times together. 96 00:07:50,380 --> 00:07:55,360 I was supportive. I tried to help guide him in different ways, therapy, just 97 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,540 talking, listening, asking what it is that he needs. 98 00:08:01,420 --> 00:08:05,240 But Rodney started changing into somebody completely different. 99 00:08:08,780 --> 00:08:11,520 It was like watching a slow, painful death. 100 00:08:24,620 --> 00:08:28,740 After we lost Kevin, a really good bounce back, something exciting that 101 00:08:28,740 --> 00:08:30,080 in the family was we got pregnant. 102 00:08:32,260 --> 00:08:35,179 I feel like I got a glimpse of that old Rod. 103 00:08:36,340 --> 00:08:37,440 He was the latest. 104 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,039 More excited that we were going to name him Kevin after his brother. 105 00:08:43,299 --> 00:08:48,060 It was just exciting after so much of the heartache of losing Kevin that 106 00:08:48,060 --> 00:08:50,020 something so wonderful was about to happen. 107 00:08:53,930 --> 00:08:56,690 At 22 weeks, the couple received devastating news. 108 00:09:00,470 --> 00:09:02,730 The baby has a congenital heart defect. 109 00:09:03,970 --> 00:09:08,150 They did say he would need multiple heart surgeries, eventually possibly a 110 00:09:08,150 --> 00:09:10,550 transplant. There was a lot of unknowns. 111 00:09:12,670 --> 00:09:17,950 Nobody wants to hear that their baby is going to be sick or potentially need all 112 00:09:17,950 --> 00:09:22,110 these treatments and surgeries and be in pain after they're born. 113 00:09:23,219 --> 00:09:27,580 Right after I'd had Kevin, they let me hold him for a second. They took him 114 00:09:27,580 --> 00:09:28,720 me pretty much immediately. 115 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:32,180 He was a week old when he had his first heart surgery. 116 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:44,800 I remember dropping to my knees and I said, God, either take him home 117 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,160 with you or let me bring him home. 118 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:52,000 And the next day, 119 00:09:52,970 --> 00:09:57,690 is when God decided to answer my prayer, but decided to take him home with him. 120 00:10:02,630 --> 00:10:04,330 It wrecked her. It wrecked her soul. 121 00:10:07,210 --> 00:10:11,210 Any mother to lose a child is just unimaginable. 122 00:10:12,970 --> 00:10:18,450 From what Morgan had shared with me and how Rod brought the loss of baby Kevin, 123 00:10:18,510 --> 00:10:21,230 it was more of he just stayed busy. 124 00:10:22,860 --> 00:10:27,620 He kept himself away, and she grieved by herself. 125 00:10:32,660 --> 00:10:36,760 I feel like my sister handled it well, but she was devastated, and she wasn't 126 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:37,820 herself, nor was Rod. 127 00:10:38,220 --> 00:10:39,500 So, yeah, it was awful. 128 00:10:42,460 --> 00:10:49,440 As Morgan 129 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,910 continues to grieve the loss of her child, She gets some amazing news. 130 00:10:55,550 --> 00:10:59,490 I got pregnant after the loss of Kevin about three months later. 131 00:11:00,190 --> 00:11:05,770 It was just a gift that was sent from baby Kevin to them to be like, don't be 132 00:11:05,770 --> 00:11:09,990 sad, you know, it's going to be okay. We've got a baby on the way, you know. 133 00:11:10,310 --> 00:11:15,890 The first ultrasound, Kevin's doctor was in there and she looked at me and she 134 00:11:15,890 --> 00:11:19,710 goes, of course, you would give me a high -risk pregnancy after Kevin. 135 00:11:21,510 --> 00:11:22,510 You're having twins. 136 00:11:24,690 --> 00:11:29,010 I handed Rod the ultrasound thing, and he's like, two? I said, yeah, and he's 137 00:11:29,010 --> 00:11:30,030 just so excited. 138 00:11:31,850 --> 00:11:36,250 Almost a year to the day of losing baby Kevin, Morgan gives birth to twins, 139 00:11:36,330 --> 00:11:37,670 Mason and Amelia. 140 00:11:42,110 --> 00:11:44,490 So after the twins were born, Morgan was a stay -at -home mom. 141 00:11:46,810 --> 00:11:51,520 And that's when I could just tell that... Rod wasn't happy or he was going 142 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:55,480 through something, but it was something that she kind of kept private. 143 00:11:56,420 --> 00:12:01,280 He struggled with sharing my time. Anything that took me away from taking 144 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:07,680 of him, he would get irritated. But it wasn't where people would notice it. 145 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,880 He was just like, honestly, just miserable and hating life. 146 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:14,700 He was a mechanic. 147 00:12:15,060 --> 00:12:16,960 Rod was making countless mistakes. 148 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:19,620 Certain things went wrong. 149 00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:25,340 Soon, Rodney was unemployed, but Morgan thought that they would be okay 150 00:12:25,340 --> 00:12:26,340 financially. 151 00:12:27,300 --> 00:12:29,580 We had an amazing home that was paid for outright. 152 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:36,780 He did have inheritance from a great aunt, but he eventually told me the 153 00:12:36,780 --> 00:12:37,780 was gone. 154 00:12:39,020 --> 00:12:43,900 I realized that Rod was waiting for his grandmother to die. 155 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,000 But when his grandmother passed away, he did not receive anything. 156 00:12:50,730 --> 00:12:55,010 Then they get the notice that they're going to potentially be losing the 157 00:12:56,850 --> 00:13:01,530 It put a strain on our relationship because that's, when he ran out of any 158 00:13:01,530 --> 00:13:03,810 options to be able to provide for the house at all. 159 00:13:05,890 --> 00:13:09,570 She was going to have to be the one to step up because he obviously couldn't. 160 00:13:13,090 --> 00:13:16,630 So I started my own inferior design business, Chip Lap and Sugar. 161 00:13:17,670 --> 00:13:18,670 It took off. 162 00:13:19,530 --> 00:13:22,750 After the first year, I was voted the number one interior designer in Canton, 163 00:13:22,910 --> 00:13:25,490 and I was still able to rock at being a mom. 164 00:13:27,650 --> 00:13:31,750 We got to work together and run this business. It was so much fun. 165 00:13:32,450 --> 00:13:33,710 They didn't lose their house. 166 00:13:34,310 --> 00:13:36,850 We had more business than we knew what to do with. 167 00:13:38,030 --> 00:13:42,830 Eventually, Rodney, he started working for my company as a handyman. He would 168 00:13:42,830 --> 00:13:43,830 built -in bunk beds. 169 00:13:43,990 --> 00:13:46,110 He'd make me floating shelves. He'd hang everything. 170 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,320 He didn't like being the worker. 171 00:13:52,100 --> 00:13:56,820 In my opinion, I felt like, to me, Rodney would find ways to sabotage the 172 00:13:56,820 --> 00:14:02,380 project. I would see something like the stupid curtain rods not having the right 173 00:14:02,380 --> 00:14:04,780 measurements, even though that was your one job. 174 00:14:10,140 --> 00:14:13,500 I would tell him to do something, and he would do it incorrectly. 175 00:14:15,390 --> 00:14:19,470 He would convince me that I told him to do it that way, and it would be my 176 00:14:19,470 --> 00:14:20,470 fault. 177 00:14:21,830 --> 00:14:26,350 He had a hard time deciphering if what he was saying was true or not. 178 00:14:26,750 --> 00:14:30,730 Looking back on it now, he definitely was gaslighting me. 179 00:14:31,310 --> 00:14:36,950 Once Rod saw that I was able to become successful for our family and I had the 180 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:39,050 drive, he still wanted the control. 181 00:14:40,250 --> 00:14:42,050 The way he spoke to me did change. 182 00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:47,040 He wanted to degrade me. He wanted to make sure I knew who was in charge. 183 00:14:51,420 --> 00:14:54,460 He would antagonize me. 184 00:14:55,420 --> 00:14:59,380 And as soon as I would lose my cool is when he would go quiet. 185 00:14:59,620 --> 00:15:03,260 And he'd start recording me and say, look at how crazy you're being. 186 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,220 Gaslighting was Rodney's M .O. 187 00:15:08,590 --> 00:15:11,610 They can beat you down. I felt like a horrible mom. I felt like a horrible 188 00:15:11,610 --> 00:15:15,670 provider. Overall, I didn't look forward to getting up every morning. 189 00:15:17,470 --> 00:15:22,830 A lot was on her plate, but she wanted to protect her kid, make sure that they 190 00:15:22,830 --> 00:15:24,230 didn't know that something was going on with mom. 191 00:15:27,490 --> 00:15:30,190 One day, Rod and I were having a disagreement. 192 00:15:31,710 --> 00:15:33,090 We were going up the stairs. 193 00:15:33,310 --> 00:15:34,310 The kids were listening. 194 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,480 and all of a sudden, he's falling down the stairs. 195 00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:46,180 And as soon as when he hit the bottom stairs, the kids were down there, and 196 00:15:46,180 --> 00:15:47,740 like, Mom, push me down the stairs. 197 00:15:50,820 --> 00:15:57,160 I felt as though Rod faked falling down the stairs to show the kids, Mommy did 198 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,680 hurt Daddy, to paint me ugly in their eyes. 199 00:16:03,290 --> 00:16:06,730 Morgan could endure anything that Rodney was throwing at her, but then he 200 00:16:06,730 --> 00:16:11,370 started manipulating the kids against her, and she realized she had to face 201 00:16:11,370 --> 00:16:12,450 reality of her relationship. 202 00:16:14,690 --> 00:16:18,490 I just, like, all right, that's it, I'm done. 203 00:16:29,550 --> 00:16:32,210 Eleven years into their marriage, Morgan files for divorce. 204 00:16:33,570 --> 00:16:38,370 When he found out I filed for divorce, Rod wasn't accepting of it. He would sit 205 00:16:38,370 --> 00:16:41,690 outside my parents' house, calling me like crazy. 206 00:16:42,010 --> 00:16:44,170 I mean, he really thought he was going to get me back. 207 00:16:44,690 --> 00:16:46,850 But I wasn't going, I wasn't budging. 208 00:16:49,490 --> 00:16:53,850 This is the only man that she's been with, and no matter how the relationship 209 00:16:53,850 --> 00:16:55,390 was going, it was still hard. 210 00:16:55,990 --> 00:16:58,910 But I think she knew that she deserved to be treated better, you know what I 211 00:16:58,910 --> 00:17:01,430 mean? So I was proud of her for sticking up for her and her kid. 212 00:17:03,210 --> 00:17:06,310 In December of 2020, the divorce was finalized. 213 00:17:06,869 --> 00:17:10,250 He moved out, got an apartment, and they shared custody of the two kids. 214 00:17:12,130 --> 00:17:17,569 I knew in my heart I had done the right thing, but I loved 215 00:17:17,569 --> 00:17:22,430 my husband. 216 00:17:25,010 --> 00:17:26,569 He was my best friend. 217 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:42,480 That year, the day after Christmas, I took the kids to see my sister in 218 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,940 for them to stay for a few weeks. 219 00:17:46,060 --> 00:17:50,060 The kids wanted to come see me and stay at my home outside of Disney World. 220 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:58,700 When I got back, I was over at Nicole's house, and Rod had sent me an email, 221 00:17:58,980 --> 00:18:03,980 something along the lines of, I think you should know this, and he attached 222 00:18:03,980 --> 00:18:06,020 document from the doctor's diagnosis. 223 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,540 I think I dropped my phone and I was like, oh, my God. 224 00:18:12,980 --> 00:18:16,480 The father of my children has pancreatic cancer. 225 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,220 I mean, he was telling me it was stage four and he was going to die. 226 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:25,240 She was distraught. 227 00:18:25,540 --> 00:18:27,460 It was, oh, my God, my children's father. 228 00:18:29,220 --> 00:18:31,320 My emotions were all over the place. 229 00:18:31,820 --> 00:18:36,460 I remember just dropping everything and left Nicole's house and went to his 230 00:18:36,460 --> 00:18:37,460 apartment. 231 00:18:37,660 --> 00:18:39,320 He said he was extremely scared. 232 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,280 He didn't want to tell his parents. He wasn't comfortable being alone. 233 00:18:42,660 --> 00:18:45,200 And I said, okay, you can come and stay at the house. 234 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:52,520 Even though they were divorced, Morgan still loved Rodney, and she wanted to be 235 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,340 supportive. So she let him stay with her for a few days. 236 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:04,020 On the day of New Year's Eve, my parents came over and approached Rod and said 237 00:19:04,020 --> 00:19:05,520 that we do need to call your parents. 238 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,540 and tell them about your diagnosis. 239 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:11,560 He left very angry. 240 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,660 New Year's Eve, I mean, we talked for a little bit. I was telling her about what 241 00:19:16,660 --> 00:19:20,320 the kids and I were going to be doing. I just knew that she was going to 242 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:21,820 Nicole's house, so it was nothing unusual. 243 00:19:25,980 --> 00:19:28,960 I did get text messages from Rod. 244 00:19:30,180 --> 00:19:34,240 He wanted to hang out, but I told him. 245 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,520 I'm going to be staying at my parents' house tonight. 246 00:19:37,340 --> 00:19:38,860 So that was never my intention. 247 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:40,880 I didn't want to see him. 248 00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:45,620 It was my hope that he would leave me alone knowing that I was with my 249 00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:51,260 When Morgan came over to my house, she was a lot more quiet than usual. 250 00:19:52,340 --> 00:19:56,080 But then I realized that at the time it was my husband and I and then it was our 251 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:56,819 other friends. 252 00:19:56,820 --> 00:19:58,040 So I understood it. 253 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,840 And then she went home. 254 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,680 That night, all I wanted to do was just curl up next to my dog and go to sleep 255 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:19,520 and wake up the next morning ready to start my fresh new year as a newly 256 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:20,520 divorcee. 257 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:29,340 The next time Morgan opens her eyes, she sees an image no one wants to see. 258 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:37,120 I saw a male figure standing in a lit -up doorway, dressed in black, 259 00:20:37,380 --> 00:20:44,160 but I went to go, like, really, like, adjust my eyes is when he attacks. 260 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,400 I screamed the loudest I have ever screamed. 261 00:20:54,140 --> 00:20:56,140 I thought it was over for me. 262 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:13,500 When the attacker attacked me, I was hit in the face countless times 263 00:21:13,500 --> 00:21:15,520 with the butt of a gun. 264 00:21:16,980 --> 00:21:19,440 I was strangled. I was sexually assaulted. 265 00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:23,280 I had the gun pointed at my forehead. 266 00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:24,820 I was fighting for my life. 267 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,280 He had a voice disguiser. It sounded like Batman. 268 00:21:30,340 --> 00:21:32,220 I still hear his voice in my head. 269 00:21:32,660 --> 00:21:35,260 He said, you've messed with the wrong people. 270 00:21:36,970 --> 00:21:39,710 I couldn't help but think, okay, this is it. I'm done. 271 00:21:41,470 --> 00:21:47,490 Still to this day, I get disappointed in myself when I say that I finally just 272 00:21:47,490 --> 00:21:48,490 let go. 273 00:21:50,490 --> 00:21:51,490 And I stopped. 274 00:21:51,970 --> 00:21:58,790 All of a sudden, I had a sense of peace that just went all 275 00:21:58,790 --> 00:22:04,670 over. And at that moment, he stopped strangling me. 276 00:22:07,350 --> 00:22:10,330 That's when he proceeded to zip tie my hands behind my back. 277 00:22:11,150 --> 00:22:13,710 He put a pillowcase over my head. 278 00:22:14,790 --> 00:22:18,490 I was bleeding. I could feel the blood just going down my face. 279 00:22:20,070 --> 00:22:21,990 He started asking where's my phone. 280 00:22:22,270 --> 00:22:24,650 And I said, I don't know, it's somewhere in the bed. 281 00:22:24,970 --> 00:22:28,130 And he found it, and he's like, what's the passcode? And I told him the 282 00:22:28,130 --> 00:22:29,130 passcode. 283 00:22:30,630 --> 00:22:34,650 And then all of a sudden, Morgan's attacker takes her to the back porch. 284 00:22:35,210 --> 00:22:39,650 And says, don't move until you hear a car honk its horn two or three times. 285 00:22:40,030 --> 00:22:41,030 That never happened. 286 00:22:42,810 --> 00:22:44,450 Morgan is struggling to stay awake. 287 00:22:44,650 --> 00:22:48,710 And finally, she hears footsteps. She doesn't know who it is. 288 00:22:52,230 --> 00:22:55,090 And then, she hears Rodney's voice. 289 00:22:56,390 --> 00:23:02,590 That was like, hello? 290 00:23:03,390 --> 00:23:05,710 And he goes, what happened, what happened, what happened? 291 00:23:05,990 --> 00:23:07,450 And I told him what happened. 292 00:23:07,930 --> 00:23:11,010 He took me inside. He called the cops. 293 00:23:11,630 --> 00:23:13,190 I'm right here, okay? 294 00:23:14,350 --> 00:23:15,350 Right here. 295 00:23:19,630 --> 00:23:20,630 Cherokee County 911. 296 00:23:20,890 --> 00:23:22,490 Somebody broke in over here. 297 00:23:25,370 --> 00:23:27,590 Okay, the person that broke in, are they still there? 298 00:23:27,790 --> 00:23:29,750 Did you come home to them? We don't know. 299 00:23:30,190 --> 00:23:32,330 I showed up, and I don't know. 300 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,800 She said, did someone broke into your house? 301 00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:36,780 Yeah, it's not my house. It's my ex -wife's house. 302 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:41,620 She was on the back porch, and the back door was wide open. She was tied up with 303 00:23:41,620 --> 00:23:42,620 a hood over her head. 304 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,060 You're saying she was tied up with a hood over her head? 305 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:46,520 Yes. 306 00:23:47,180 --> 00:23:51,960 When he got off the phone with them, he's like, you know, it's fine. 307 00:23:53,060 --> 00:23:54,780 I, you know, walked the house. 308 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:56,700 Nobody's here or anything like that. 309 00:23:57,100 --> 00:23:59,160 But I was still scared. 310 00:24:01,179 --> 00:24:02,200 I'm Dakota Livers. 311 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,600 At the time of this case, I was a detective in the Criminal Investigations 312 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:08,040 Division, specifically assigned in the Special Victims Unit. 313 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,820 When I initially arrived, Rodney Metzer was sitting in the driveway. As I walked 314 00:24:15,820 --> 00:24:19,460 past him, he said, are you the guy that we've been waiting on? I said, yes, sir, 315 00:24:19,460 --> 00:24:23,480 I am. And he looked me dead in the eyes and he said, do your job. 316 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,240 I was like, okay. 317 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:39,020 First investigative step that I wanted to do was get a scene size up. We were 318 00:24:39,020 --> 00:24:42,300 able to find out that their children were actually in Florida, which was a 319 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:43,300 relief. 320 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:50,840 Morgan was in a shocked state. She was obviously beaten. She had bruising 321 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,780 her eye. She looked disheveled, as would somebody that had just went through an 322 00:24:55,780 --> 00:24:56,780 incident like this. 323 00:24:57,540 --> 00:25:00,280 There were no signs of forced entry into the house. 324 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:08,020 When Morgan detailed how the attacker had used her phone, we began looking at 325 00:25:08,020 --> 00:25:13,000 the alarm system. We were able to look through the records. It showed Rodney 326 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,600 arriving, which is about the time the 911 call was made when Morgan was found. 327 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:22,240 But videos prior to that had been deleted or weren't there. 328 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,480 The last video was Morgan going inside. 329 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,340 Morgan detailed how the attacker made claims of your ex -husband is going to 330 00:25:34,340 --> 00:25:37,360 miss you or, you know, he's next. 331 00:25:37,820 --> 00:25:41,360 The attacker had to know Morgan had an ex -husband. 332 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,700 It's leading us to believe this is somebody close to Morgan that did this. 333 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,320 I set up two chairs on the front porch for Rodney and I to have a discussion. 334 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:59,420 They asked him how he came to be it. 335 00:25:59,660 --> 00:26:00,660 Morgan's house. 336 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,620 And his explanation was incredible. 337 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:10,880 While brushing his teeth, 338 00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:15,660 some mysterious person tapped on his window three times, and all that he 339 00:26:15,660 --> 00:26:17,280 make out that they said was Morgan. 340 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:28,840 He believed that Morgan was in danger. 341 00:26:29,450 --> 00:26:34,170 He took it upon himself to drive from his apartment to her house. His story 342 00:26:34,170 --> 00:26:40,010 began to unfold as he was telling it because it did not line up with things 343 00:26:40,010 --> 00:26:44,470 Morgan had already told him, such as there was no reason for him to come to 344 00:26:44,470 --> 00:26:49,650 house looking for Morgan because Morgan told him she was going to stay the night 345 00:26:49,650 --> 00:26:52,150 at her parents' house, which is not that house. 346 00:26:53,910 --> 00:26:56,870 You knew she was here, which is why you came straight here and not there at her 347 00:26:56,870 --> 00:26:57,870 parents' house. 348 00:26:59,210 --> 00:27:03,690 The entire time, we were all open -minded that there might be another 349 00:27:03,690 --> 00:27:04,690 suspect. 350 00:27:08,030 --> 00:27:13,570 He said 351 00:27:13,570 --> 00:27:20,130 maybe a new love interest 352 00:27:20,130 --> 00:27:24,090 had done this to Morgan. However, all the evidence at this point was pointing 353 00:27:24,090 --> 00:27:25,670 towards Rodney Metzer. 354 00:27:27,730 --> 00:27:32,050 Rodney actually ended up giving us consent to look through his phone. 355 00:27:32,050 --> 00:27:37,490 that time, we found pictures of text messages on another phone, and the other 356 00:27:37,490 --> 00:27:38,970 phone happened to be Morgan's phone. 357 00:27:40,150 --> 00:27:42,470 He also had pictures of her sleeping. 358 00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:48,050 Detective Livers pulled me aside, and he asked me if I had given Rodney 359 00:27:48,050 --> 00:27:51,670 permission to take a picture of my phone, and I told him no. 360 00:28:00,070 --> 00:28:06,250 He had unlawfully gotten into Morgan's phone. That's a crime here in Georgia, 361 00:28:06,370 --> 00:28:10,130 and they were able to arrest him that night for that crime. 362 00:28:13,850 --> 00:28:20,710 But we still had our work ahead of 363 00:28:20,710 --> 00:28:24,910 us to confirm or dispel if Rodney was our lead suspect. 364 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,120 or if there was some rando that did this. 365 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:44,780 Arresting Rodney gave us time to do further investigating into him, into his 366 00:28:44,780 --> 00:28:45,780 story. 367 00:28:46,860 --> 00:28:52,000 Starting the next day, I was tasked with obtaining search warrants for Rodney's 368 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,740 vehicle. He had a Volkswagen for his cell phone. 369 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,180 and for Rodney's apartment. 370 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:03,420 In the Volkswagen was a handwritten letter without that signature, but it 371 00:29:03,420 --> 00:29:10,120 outlining the person having cancer and begging the recipient of that letter to 372 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:11,120 come back to him. 373 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:17,800 After we finished our search of Rodney's vehicle, myself and a number of other 374 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,560 detectives went to that apartment, did a very thorough search, and recovered 375 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,340 quite a few things of interest. 376 00:29:25,390 --> 00:29:27,630 We seized his laptop computer. 377 00:29:27,850 --> 00:29:29,790 We seized his wireless router. 378 00:29:30,210 --> 00:29:35,850 And probably the strongest piece of evidence that we seized was a collection 379 00:29:35,850 --> 00:29:41,490 new and one -cut, large industrial -size zip tie. 380 00:29:45,170 --> 00:29:51,350 There was a stem from a zip tie that was missing the head. 381 00:29:52,010 --> 00:29:58,610 So we examined the zip ties that were used to bind Morgan's hands together, 382 00:29:58,610 --> 00:30:01,830 there happened to be an extra head on one of the stems. 383 00:30:04,530 --> 00:30:06,450 One of our evidence technicians. 384 00:30:07,070 --> 00:30:10,090 did what's called a fracture match examination. 385 00:30:10,670 --> 00:30:16,210 You look under magnification and you're able to see all the jagged cuts and you 386 00:30:16,210 --> 00:30:21,310 can actually move those together and you can confirm or conclude whether they 387 00:30:21,310 --> 00:30:23,790 were once one piece or they're not even related. 388 00:30:25,950 --> 00:30:27,550 It was a perfect match. 389 00:30:31,650 --> 00:30:34,810 We scanned the barcode of those zip ties and... 390 00:30:35,150 --> 00:30:39,410 We were able to see that this was a brand sold exclusively by Lowe's Home 391 00:30:39,410 --> 00:30:40,410 Improvement. 392 00:30:43,330 --> 00:30:48,790 Sergeant Harris found surveillance footage of Rodney buying 393 00:30:48,790 --> 00:30:54,130 just those zip ties and 394 00:30:54,130 --> 00:30:56,810 walking out of Lowe's. 395 00:30:57,390 --> 00:31:02,470 And this was in the height of COVID. He was the only one in there not wearing a 396 00:31:02,470 --> 00:31:05,530 mask. So you could clearly identify that it was Rodney. 397 00:31:09,310 --> 00:31:13,950 As the evidence against Rodney is piling up, detectives uncover something 398 00:31:13,950 --> 00:31:16,110 chilling inside Rodney's search history. 399 00:31:19,630 --> 00:31:26,150 In the search of his laptop, I found numerous search phrases and 400 00:31:26,150 --> 00:31:31,650 topics that he had been looking up in the days and weeks before this home 401 00:31:31,650 --> 00:31:32,650 invasion. 402 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:40,720 Among those search phrases were things like how to disguise your voice, various 403 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,600 entries on cancer, pancreatic cancer, treatment for cancer. 404 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:54,480 But also he was researching letters that would be mailed out that have 405 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,040 to do with cancer care. 406 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:02,420 He had made searches for... 407 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:05,180 how long to strangle someone before they go unconscious. 408 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:14,660 There was a book of seven ways to be her hero found at his apartment that gave 409 00:32:14,660 --> 00:32:20,460 us the motive of why this attack was done and why Rodney did this. It was all 410 00:32:20,460 --> 00:32:21,460 win her back. 411 00:32:22,180 --> 00:32:28,460 To show her, you need me at that house, we without a doubt believed 412 00:32:28,460 --> 00:32:31,340 Rodney was the one that conducted this attack. 413 00:32:39,850 --> 00:32:43,470 After we gathered all this evidence, we brought Rodney back to the Criminal 414 00:32:43,470 --> 00:32:46,610 Investigations Division headquarters to conduct a follow -up interview. 415 00:32:50,110 --> 00:32:56,810 Sergeant Harris actually second -chaired with me in that interview. I 416 00:32:56,810 --> 00:33:00,090 let Rodney know, hey, listen, we're still investigating this incident 417 00:33:00,090 --> 00:33:04,330 Morgan. We had yet to tell him anything about what we have done, what we have 418 00:33:04,330 --> 00:33:08,110 found. We asked Rodney about any particular diagnoses. 419 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:10,320 he might have, specifically cancer. 420 00:33:56,940 --> 00:34:01,760 His pancreatic cancer diagnosis, he ultimately told us, was fake. 421 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:08,139 That helped him achieve some sympathy from Morgan. 422 00:34:08,620 --> 00:34:14,420 And in the days following, he was able to manipulate his way into her house, 423 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,620 where he eventually would spend the night and sleep on the sofa. 424 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:24,020 I asked Rodney about some of his Internet search history, specifically 425 00:34:24,020 --> 00:34:28,460 disguising his voice, because Morgan described the attacker as how Christian 426 00:34:28,460 --> 00:34:30,739 Bale sounded in the movie The Dark Knight. 427 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:36,560 Has there been a time recently where you were interested in how you can change 428 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:37,560 the sound of your voice? 429 00:34:41,020 --> 00:34:47,920 It was funny to hear him say that he feels like he 430 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:50,540 doesn't have a masculine enough voice. I thought that was amazing. 431 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:31,540 By the time we revealed that we had his zip ties, his whole demeanor changed, 432 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:35,660 partially because he was surprised that he had forgotten to get rid of the zip 433 00:35:35,660 --> 00:35:39,960 ties, but also because the zip ties were such a... 434 00:35:40,230 --> 00:35:42,930 critical piece of evidence and he knew that he was in trouble. 435 00:35:48,550 --> 00:35:54,950 By January the 3rd, we had conducted enough investigation that I was able to 436 00:35:54,950 --> 00:35:58,790 take additional charges on Rodney for what happened to Morgan. 437 00:35:59,390 --> 00:36:03,190 And among those charges were home invasion in the first degree, aggravated 438 00:36:03,190 --> 00:36:08,190 assault by strangulation, kidnapping, armed robbery, and burglary. 439 00:36:14,730 --> 00:36:18,750 My name is Rachel Ash. I'm the Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney for 440 00:36:18,750 --> 00:36:19,870 Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit. 441 00:36:20,450 --> 00:36:25,150 During our initial interactions with Morgan, she was struggling with the idea 442 00:36:25,150 --> 00:36:29,770 that this could be this person who she had loved since they were teenagers. 443 00:36:30,730 --> 00:36:34,870 He was no longer my husband. He was somebody completely different, somebody 444 00:36:34,870 --> 00:36:40,350 ugly, somebody that I didn't know who it was, a stranger to me. 445 00:36:42,140 --> 00:36:44,300 What she had gone through was so violent. 446 00:36:44,540 --> 00:36:46,840 She was afraid he was going to come back and he was going to kill her. 447 00:36:53,100 --> 00:36:57,260 When I found out that Rod was the one that did this, I was in a state of 448 00:36:57,500 --> 00:37:02,160 All I know is I'm looking at her kids and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, thank 449 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:03,160 they were with me. 450 00:37:05,620 --> 00:37:10,360 Once I got the kids home, I sat them down and I said, guys, daddy did 451 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:11,360 very bad. 452 00:37:11,980 --> 00:37:17,040 And he's going to be in trouble for a large portion of your life. 453 00:37:21,240 --> 00:37:24,500 Rodney Metzer was indicted on 14 separate charges. 454 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:31,200 The sheriff's office investigation was so strong that this was a case that was 455 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,560 leading to a plea. He would not have had any chance at trial. 456 00:37:39,610 --> 00:37:42,970 Ultimately, Rodney Metzer pled guilty to all of the counts in the indictment. 457 00:37:43,170 --> 00:37:47,430 He was sentenced for a total period of 70 years with the first 25 years of 458 00:37:47,430 --> 00:37:48,430 being in custody. 459 00:37:49,550 --> 00:37:53,570 As part of his sentence, he's ordered to have no contact of any kind with Morgan 460 00:37:53,570 --> 00:37:54,570 or his children. 461 00:37:56,690 --> 00:37:59,710 I don't know if what he got was fair or not. 462 00:38:00,650 --> 00:38:06,350 Sometimes I think 25 years, okay, that's more than enough time. But the day is 463 00:38:06,350 --> 00:38:07,590 going to come where he's going to get out. 464 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,280 I feel like that's why I sometimes wish the sentencing was longer, because I 465 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:12,460 don't want to come to that day. 466 00:38:13,740 --> 00:38:15,120 But I know it's going to happen. 467 00:38:16,260 --> 00:38:20,560 At the sentencing hearing, you were able to give a victim impact statement. Can 468 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:23,980 you tell me a little bit about that experience and why you decided to do 469 00:38:24,340 --> 00:38:25,940 I wanted to have the last word. 470 00:38:26,540 --> 00:38:30,660 I didn't want him to think he broke me because I hadn't been heard for so many 471 00:38:30,660 --> 00:38:34,380 years, and finally he had to sit there and listen to me. So I felt like I 472 00:38:34,380 --> 00:38:37,500 finally found my voice again by walking up there and speaking. 473 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:46,620 Rod, I hope you make your mental life a priority during this time of isolation. 474 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:52,000 Thank you for the gift of my children, and my heart aches for the fact you'll 475 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,580 missing out on first dates. 476 00:38:55,100 --> 00:39:00,580 Homecomings, proms, the hormonal changes into adults, graduations, Christmas 477 00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:06,560 morning, driver's licenses, college acceptance letters, first apartments, 478 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:11,420 jobs, proposals, weddings, and the potential birth of our grandkids and so 479 00:39:11,420 --> 00:39:12,420 others. 480 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:18,160 But what disheartens me more is not only are we missing these milestones, but 481 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,620 I'll have to look into Amelia and Mason's eyes as each of these milestones 482 00:39:21,620 --> 00:39:22,620 place. 483 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,900 and see the want and the desire for their father to have been there. 484 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,180 Our kids know what happened that night you attacked me. 485 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:32,980 We didn't ask for this, Rod. 486 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:37,640 Why didn't you let me help you when I begged and pleaded to be better for our 487 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:40,580 family? It's time to let you go and lay you down to rest. 488 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:42,440 Goodbye, Rod. 489 00:39:44,780 --> 00:39:50,200 Once I stepped off the podium, I felt empowered that some weight was lifted 490 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:51,200 my shoulders. 491 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:52,240 I get it. 492 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:53,680 I really do. 493 00:39:56,780 --> 00:40:00,400 All the way up until a few years after the incident, I still believed some of 494 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:02,820 the things that Rod had told me, the kind of person I was. 495 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,600 I had to, like, reprogram my brain. 496 00:40:07,420 --> 00:40:12,620 She grew up with him, and I think it's hard because what she had known of was 497 00:40:12,620 --> 00:40:18,320 normal for 20 years of her life was really manipulation and gaslighting at 498 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:19,900 finest. It's a lot of trauma. 499 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:22,800 I feel the trauma. 500 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:29,120 There's stages you have to go through. It took me a few years to get to the 501 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:34,420 point that I realized I needed a little bit extra help to cope with the 502 00:40:34,420 --> 00:40:35,420 situation. 503 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:43,040 Morgan went to counseling. She went to therapy. 504 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:47,740 She went to a PDSV rehab facility for six weeks or so. 505 00:40:48,460 --> 00:40:54,200 She did everything and continues to do everything she can to be the most 506 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:55,320 healthiest version of herself. 507 00:40:57,580 --> 00:41:04,300 Morgan has grown and evolved by being more self -aware and not having to find 508 00:41:04,300 --> 00:41:08,560 protector and realizing that she can be her own protector and that she doesn't 509 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:09,780 need anybody. 510 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:15,560 There's so many different aspects. 511 00:41:16,430 --> 00:41:18,670 I hope people can learn from my story. 512 00:41:20,250 --> 00:41:24,530 Mental health awareness, narcissistic abuse and signs. 513 00:41:25,830 --> 00:41:30,770 And my biggest one is, as women, we need to learn to speak to each other and not 514 00:41:30,770 --> 00:41:31,770 sugarcoat everything. 515 00:41:31,930 --> 00:41:36,450 Because had maybe I spoke up a little bit more, I may have gotten the help 516 00:41:36,450 --> 00:41:37,450 earlier.