All language subtitles for Blood.&.Money.S01E09.The.Business.of.Divorce.1080p.PCOK.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

In the criminal
justice system,

detectives and prosecutors
face daunting challenges

when money
is the motive for murder.

[dramatic sting]

Downtown Reno is
gripped in panic

after a judge is shot.

My initial reaction was that
this was a random shooting.

We walked to the driveway.

A series
of blood droplets appeared

outside the garage door.

After a second attack,

investigators reveal
a terrifying plot.

I believe
money was the main issue.

One item that stood out
appeared to be a to-do list.

I had great concern about
who was next on the list.

Officials rush to cage

an unsuspecting killer
on the loose.

There were three families

who were living this nightmare

while all this tactical stuff
was going on.

These men and women dedicate
their lives to law and order.

Most murderers,
quite simply, believe

that their life is
more important

than the life of the victim.

These are
their true stories.

Doctors treated
Judge Chuck Weller

for gunshot wounds
to the chest.

There are multiple
bullet fragments seen,

with significant bleeding.

Judge Weller was standing
in his chambers

when he was shot.

There was
absolute pandemonium.

Nobody knew where that shot
originated from,

and nobody knew how many
more shots would come.

People were fleeing
from the streets.

They were hiding.

People driving
down the street were

removed from vehicles
and shoved into businesses.

It was a horribly
frightening experience,

and people were panicked.

My initial reaction was that
this was a random shooting,

that this was a sniper
who had taken a perch

and was firing
indiscriminately upon people,

and he happened to have
targeted the judge.

The bullet had entered

through Judge Weller's
chamber's windows.

Part of the fragments
had struck books

in a bookshelf behind him.

So we were able to isolate
the trajectory of the shot.

[gunshot]

Right at 12:00,

there was
a multilevel parking garage

that looks almost directly
into the judge's chambers.

The Reno Police Department
isolated and cordoned off

about a 3 by 5 block area.

I donned a SWAT vest
and a SWAT helmet.

I grabbed a rifle.

And I began to respond
to the area

where the shot had originated.

[siren wailing]

As a team, we began
systematically clearing

the parking garage
floor by floor.

[dramatic music]

While police searched
for the missing gunman,

investigators tried to uncover

why a sitting judge would be
a target for murder

and who was responsible.

I, during the course
of my career,

had occasion to meet
Judge Weller several times.

I assumed him to be a judicial
officer of good standing

and certainly warranted
the respect of the community.

A number of us were
concerned for Judge Weller.

This person was targeting
the family court system.

I had great concern about
who was next on the list.

As word of an active
shooter spread through Reno,

residents quickly tried
to account

for their loved ones.

On June 12, 2006,
Charla Mack, my best friend,

she was supposed to drop
her daughter, Erika, off

at her husband Darren's house

and then come over
to my house.

And then she wasn't
at my house.

I knew something was wrong.

Charla and I were
stay-at-home moms together.

She was mischievous.

She loved a good little prank.

She was a hard worker.

She was stubborn.

She had a shirt that said,

"You laugh at me
because I'm different.

I laugh at you
because you're all the same."

And that was really
kind of true to her nature.

She didn't apologize
for who she was.

And what you saw
was what you got.

I was sitting in my house
on the couch,

and I got a phone call
from a friend.

And she said, "There's this
stuff all on the news.

"There's a judge that has been
shot downtown.

"Something's going on.

This is all so crazy."

When I heard the news
about the judge being shot,

Charla was supposed to be
at my house, and she wasn't.

I said, "Well, has anyone
contacted Charla?"

And my friend said,
"I've been calling,

but she's not picking up."

I was very concerned about
what might happen next.

News traveled very quickly
that a judge had been shot.

Police department was
flooded with information.

But one of the things
that came to the forefront

of our attention was the call
from an individual

by the name of Dan Osborne,

who had called 911.

That morning, Dan Osborne was
at his friend

Darren Mack's residence
in Fleur de Lis.

[soft dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Mr. Osborne was

a high school friend
of Darren Mack's.

Mr. Osborne was in the process
of establishing an apartment

for himself in Reno
but during the interim time

had been living
with Darren Mack.

Darren Mack was
very well known

in the community of Reno.

His family had
long been established

as business owners.

They were very good
to the community.

They were a philanthropists.

He owned 51% of the Palace
Jewelry and Loan.

You owe it to yourself

to shop Palace Jewelry
and Loan.

[elegant music]

It was one
of the largest pawn shops,

jewelry stores
in downtown Reno.

So that business generated
quite a bit of income

for the Mack family.

Darren Mack became
obsessed with bodybuilding.

When he began bodybuilding,

he took that to the extreme
to the point

where he wanted to compete
at the Mr. Nevada competition

and ultimately succeeded
in that competition.

Mr. Osborne said Mr. Mack's
estranged wife, Charla Mack,

had shown up
to drop off their child,

their daughter named Erika,

that Dan Osborne went upstairs

to watch television
with the child.

Mr. Osborne described
hearing his dog,

in a very agitated state, barking.

[dog barking]

And then Darren Mack walked
through the living area

of the house very quickly

with a towel
draped over his hand.

And moments later,
his dog ran into the home

covered in blood.

He examined the animal
for injuries.

There were none.

He was concerned
for Charla's welfare

and his own welfare

and the welfare
of the child as well.

So he collected Erika,
and they left immediately.

[tense music]

As he thought about
the circumstances

that he had observed
at Darren's house

and that a judge had been shot

across town,
he quickly became concerned.

Investigators questioned
if a violent act

at the Mack residence
could have escalated

to the shooting downtown.

They were unnerved
by the next chilling detail.

Mr. Mack had been
actively practicing

or training
at distance rifle shooting.

♪ ♪

I got on the radio with
my partner, Detective Chalmers,

who was involved
in the activities downtown,

and he shared my concern.

Detective Jenkins and I would
frequently investigate crimes

together, and he taught me
a great amount

about investigating homicides.

Detective Jenkins
called me and asked me

to meet him
at Darren Mack's residence

at the Fleur de Lis townhomes.

As soon as we pulled up
in front of the townhome,

we knocked at the door
and got no answer.

When we walked to the front
of the residence

in front of the driveway,
our attention was drawn

to what appeared to be

substantial vertical
blood droplets

just outside
the closed garage door

of Mr. Mack's residence.

Mr. Osborne, he told me
that he knew the code

for the garage door opener.

He entered the code.

The garage door started
to slowly open.

And almost instantaneously,
we were able to see

the motionless body
of Charla Mack

lying in a large
congealed pool of blood.

Detective Jenkins was
able to reach the body

and check for signs of life,

which, unfortunately,
there were none.

One item appeared to be
a to-do list.

He was afraid of what
she was going to do to him.

There was
an exhaustive manhunt.

It became about money
and winning,

and this was a war.

[tense music]

There's this stuff
all on the news.

There's a body at Fleur de Lis.

The body's a woman.

I got back in my car to go
to Darren's house and--

and find out what was going on
when I got a phone call.

I had a friend
on the SWAT team.

And he said, "It's Charla."

♪ ♪

I remember standing
in my doorway

just feeling like my knees
were going to give out.

[somber music]

I just wish so badly
that I would have

been with her that morning,

that I could have died for her.

♪ ♪

I don't know--
I don't understand

why I got to live
and she died, you know?

A parent shouldn't
outlive their child ever.

We located seven
distinct stab wounds

to her body,
the most severe being

on the left side of her neck
that severed her trachea.

As chatter continued
on the police scanner

in the search for the shooter
of Judge Weller,

detectives pushed
into this new crime scene,

questioning how the two
attacks could be related.

In Darren Mack's closet
was the empty sheath

for a concealable
double-edged knife.

We believed
that that instrument

was likely the murder weapon.

We located a rental agreement
for a 2006 Ford Explorer.

And we found
...243-caliber ammunition

strewn about the home.

One item that stood out

were what appeared to be
some handwritten notes

often referred to
as a to-do list.

There's some specific
references to vehicles.

It says, "Put her vehicle
in the garage"

and then "parking garage."

[tense music]

And then, finally,
"End problem."

♪ ♪

From an evidentiary standpoint,

it seemed that there was,
in fact,

a nexus
between Charla's murder

and the shooting
of Judge Weller.

Investigators needed to know

how the shootings
were connected

and rushed to speak
to Judge Weller

as he struggled
in critical condition.

My name is Charles Weller.

I was in my chambers

when the window
in my office shattered.

[gunshot]

♪ ♪

I was shot here.

And I lay in a hallway bleeding

as deputies administered
first aid.

It was terrible.

We were aided tremendously
by the fact

that, although
seriously injured,

Judge Weller was able
to provide information

almost immediately
to law enforcement

whether or not he knew
Darren Mack.

At that time,
more damning evidence

of Mr. Mack's involvement
came to light.

I was the judge to whom

the Mack divorce case
was assigned.

This is the case of Charla Mack
versus Darren Mack.

The information
from Judge Weller

was that this was

a very acrimonious
divorce proceeding.

It became about
money and winning.

That's not people that are
trying to resolve something.

Those are people
that are battling.

And this was a war.

[somber music]

I had never seen him so happy,

and Charla equally seemed to be
in love with Darren.

They would always go
on big trips and vacations,

just a lot of privileges
of wealth.

But things start unraveling,
none of that really matters.

♪ ♪

It really upset her
that he'd want to stay out

till, like, 4:00
in the morning,

wanting to go out
to strip clubs.

And so it was just
drama, drama, drama.

After ten years of marriage,
Charla Mack filed for divorce,

and the couple separated

as Darren moved
into his own townhome.

During the divorce,
it was ugly.

My client is broke.

She's been--finances have been
used against her

for over a year now.

She's had to borrow 36,000
just to survive.

He lies over and over
and over again on this thing.

He gets so angry
and so revved up

that I just don't feel
comfortable right now.

[tense music]

I regret being forced
to make a decision here.

I can only pick one side
or the other,

and one of you has to lose.

And so here goes.

Judge Weller ordered
Mr. Mack to pay,

in total, almost $1 million.

That included a lump sum
of over $400,000

that Charla was to purchase
a home and a car with,

and then there was alimony
support on top of that

in excess of $10,000 a month.

He was used to being
successful and powerful

and in control.

And in this situation,
he was none of those things.

I was informed
by someone I knew

in a fathers' rights
organization

that Darren Mack was posting
terrible allegations about me

and about family court.

Judge Weller started
wielding his iron mallet

and started threatening me
with jail.

There's many, many, many
like myself

that have been fallen prey
to his tyranny

and his abuse.

It made me feel threatened.

When I became
a family court judge,

I wanted parties to feel
as comfortable as possible.

And so with my first meeting
with litigants,

I held that meeting in chambers
rather than the courtroom.

As a result, Mr. Mack knew
where my chambers were.

♪ ♪

Darren had called

days before he was supposed
to write her a big check.

He asked to talk to her

when she was
dropping off Erika.

She didn't understand
because they'd already been

to court with Judge Weller.

Everything was settled.

Darren begged her.

He said, you know,
"You've got to come.

"It's really important.

I've got to talk to you."

They presented to me

that their interactions
were dangerous.

And so I ordered
that when they made

their weekly exchanges,

the person
dropping off the child

would stay in the car

while the child walked
from car to home.

I issued that order so that
the parties would be safe.

She said, "I don't know
what he really wants,

"and I am scared
to death to do it.

I just have a bad feeling."

But she did it.

I really believe
that money was the main issue.

Mr. Mack really did not want
to lose his money.

He really did not want
to give it to Charla.

Judge Weller was
that vehicle for Charla Mack

to receive the money
from Darren Mack,

and he held that Judge Weller
personally and as the system

was responsible
for that loss of finance.

Included in the ammunition
that we located

in Mr. Mack's residence
matched the caliber

of the projectile
that struck Judge Weller.

So about 2:00 in the morning,

an arrest warrant was
authorized for Darren Mack

for the murder of Charla Mack.

He was on the loose,
so I was concerned.

Normal life stopped.

And local law enforcement
provided security

at the hospital
for me and my family.

We had good, strong evidence
that his cell phone had been

turned on and was pinging
onto Interstate 80

and westbound out of Reno

before we lost contact
with it.

So the indication was
that Mack had,

in fact, fled to California.

And past that, we had no idea
where he might have gone.

Darren Mack was
the sole suspect

in the shooting
of Judge Weller

and the murder
of his estranged wife, Charla.

But no one could find him.

I wanted to believe
that he didn't do this,

that there was some
reasonable explanation.

But he disappeared
and was at large.

After the shooting,

there was

an exhaustive manhunt

involving local, state,

federal law enforcement
agencies to locate Mr. Mack.

[dramatic music]

The media was covering
the attack in Reno,

and his picture was included.

Darren Mack,
he's 45 years old, 5'11",

close to 200 pounds,

driving a silver 2006
Ford Explorer.

If you have seen Mack
or his car, call the police.

We received a telephone call
from a ticket agent

at the Sacramento airport.

Mr. Mack had been there
at her counter.

And when she asked
for identification,

he refused and left
without getting a ticket.

Exhaustive efforts
were made to search

the Sacramento airport.

It was likely that he had left
the airport in his car.

It was on the news
all the time.

Nobody knew where he was.

It had all of the trappings

that made it attractive
for the national

and even
the international media.

It was "Dateline"
and "48 Hours"

and in the news
and the newspaper.

It was constant.

While investigators searched
for Darren Mack,

his eight-year-old daughter,
Erika, was placed in the care

of Darren's mother, Joan.

His mother, Joan,
she'd already gotten

temporary custody
by social services.

And so I was terrified
that he would sneak in

and try to grab Erika.

As long as Mr. Mack
remained a fugitive,

there was
reasonable apprehension

that things might not end well,

that Mr. Mack would
use violence

to avoid responsibility,

to perhaps harm himself.

I was afraid for his life.

I wanted him to come back
and be responsible

because the Darren I knew
would be responsible.

So we enlisted
members of the community,

friends of Mr. Mack's,
to make public appeals

asking Mr. Mack
to surrender himself.

And I'm begging him
that if he hears this,

if he's listening to this,
to please contact us.

He knows he could trust us.

We will do anything
to help him.

We want to save his life.

We were inundated with tips.

But one tip in specific
really stood out to us was,

an airline pilot had
flown from Mexico

back to the United States,
seen the media coverage,

and felt confident
he had seen Mr. Mack

at a resort in Mexico.

The FBI
and Mexican authorities

worked in connection
to establish checkpoints

in and around
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,

searching hotels and buses
in an attempt

to track down Darren Mack.

He must have felt the walls
closing in around him.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

Darren made
telephone communications

with the Washoe County
district attorney at the time.

He wanted, in my opinion,
to try and sweeten the deal,

if you will, for his return.

Included in Mr. Mack's
demands to surrender,

he demanded
to speak to the media

and talk about
what he perceived

were the injustices
of the family court system

and Judge Weller.

He also wanted to have
a jail cell

with certain books
and access to the internet.

I think he was trying
to use his status

as a fugitive to give him
a greater audience.

He also wanted
the death penalty.

I believe that he saw himself
as a martyr

for the fathers who are
in the family court system.

On June 21, 2006,

after nearly ten days
on the run,

Darren Mack agreed
to surrender himself

to authorities
at the consulate

at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Even though he claimed that
he wanted to turn himself in,

set up a turnover,
Mr. Mack didn't show.

He failed to surrender
as promised.

Desperate people
sometimes say things

and then change their mind.

If he does
call me back again,

we're going to have
a little discussion

about his credibility

and just where we go
from there.

♪ ♪

It was so stressful
for all those involved.

There were three families--
his family

and Charla's family
and Judge Weller's family--

who are living this nightmare
while all this tactical stuff

was going on in the background

and really couldn't even
begin, in my view, to grieve

because of this maelstrom being
created to serve Darren Mack.

We're here to provide
an update and information

on the arrest of Darren Mack.

Darren Roy Mack
was apprehended

in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,

one day after he failed
to meet a commitment he made

to the Washoe County
district attorney

and to the Reno Police
Department to turn himself in.

It had been a very long
week and a half.

I literally could not take
a shower

without my phone ringing
two or three times.

I was very relieved to know

that he was taken
into custody.

♪ ♪

I was pleased
when he was apprehended.

Law enforcement told us
that we were free to go home.

I was driving
when I found out.

I got a phone call saying,
"They got him."

[camera shutter clicks]

I pulled over.

I pulled over and cried.

It was a lot, a lot of emotion

and a lot of,
"So now what do we do?

[dramatic sting]

Mr. Mack's extradition
process was streamlined

by his defense attorneys.

When taken into custody,
Darren Mack still had

a substantial amount of money.

$40,000 in cash.

I remember thinking,
Mr. Mack complained

that he didn't have
enough money to make

temporary support to Charla
of $10,000 a month,

and yet, on a moment's notice,
put together 40 grand in cash

pretty easily
to take it to Mexico.

In addition,
Mr. Mack had the benefit

of the finest legal defense
in the country.

I mean, he hired two of the
preeminent defense attorneys,

certainly in the state
of Nevada

and probably on the West Coast,

Scott Freeman
and David Chesnoff.

I'm sure their fee exceeded
a million dollars.

I was most curious to see what
the defense was going to be.

Mr. Mack was charged
with Charla's murder

and the attempted murder
of Judge Weller

and pled not guilty.

I wasn't surprised
when he first entered pleas

of not guilty.

I knew, at the outset,
he would angle

for the best deal he could get.

Based on all
of the physical evidence,

Mr. Mack's legal representation
had very few viable defenses.

We got his shoes that had
blood spatter on them

that came back to Charla.

Evidence of his physical
presence at the crime scene

was so overwhelming
that I don't know

what other options realistically

Mr. Mack had to pursue.

Self-defense is at least
a viable legal defense.

It's ludicrous to me.

The only fear
that he had of her

was her taking his money.

In order to find
impartial jurors,

the trial was moved
to Las Vegas.

And on October 24, 2007,
all eyes were on Darren Mack

as the state delivered
its case

in the murder of Charla Mack

and in the shooting
of Judge Weller.

What made
the Mack divorce different,

if there was a difference, was
the amount of money involved.

The prosecution detailed
in their opening statement

that what motivated this murder
was Mr. Mack's displeasure

with the money
that he was going to be

forced to pay in the divorce.

One of the main points
of contention

during the divorce
was Darren Mack's income.

He owned 51%
of Palace Jewelry and Loan.

Midway through the divorce,
he transferred

ownership back to his mother.

He claimed to be making $44,000
a month prior to the divorce.

And then midway
through the divorce,

he filed papers saying
he was simply an employee

making a $5,000 a month salary.

Judge Weller could see
very clearly

through the games
Darren Mack was playing

that he was trying
to hide income.

He believed the system
was unconstitutional.

Judge Weller was being
unfair to him.

The defendant's frustration
and anger grew.

Darren Mack had a problem.

He found a solution
to his problem.

Darren Mack ambushed
his soon-to-be ex-wife

with a knife.

And her death was neither
sudden nor painless.

It was personal.

It becomes clear
in the opening statements

that the defense is going
to run a defense on two paths,

because, remember,
there were two crime scenes

and two victims.

To the killing of Charla
and in support

of this self-defense theory
came a claim

of Charla's
violent tendencies,

that she had been
physically violent.

Darren was not aware
of the dark side of Charla

prior to marriage.

He also was not aware
of her ability

to be physically violent

and physically abusive
towards Darren.

The hardest part
was listening

to Darren's defense attorneys

talk about how horrible
Charla was.

You know, I mean,
she wasn't an angel,

but she definitely wasn't
what they depicted her to be.

Mr. Mack claimed
that he had been

the victim of many incidents
as a domestic battery,

and especially in one incident
that Charla Mack,

in a fit of rage,
had kicked him

and broken his finger
at a karate practice.

Darren and Charla
were very passionate.

They loved and fought.

And nobody pushes your buttons
like your spouse.

And she was not immune to that.

She gave as good as she got.

She would call me
and tell me how--

the different ways
that she talked back to him,

mocking him at times.

And I think
that she just infuriated him.

During the investigation,
we learned

that Darren Mack had been
accused of violence

in their relationship.

Law enforcement was called
to the Mack mansion

where both parties alleged
domestic abuse.

Charla did call me
and tell me he choked her,

and she was really scared.

She was sobbing on the phone.

Charla Mack was
a very small woman.

Darren Mack was a large
bodybuilding male.

But he claimed that Charla Mack
had been the primary aggressor

and that he was the victim.

You see,
ladies and gentlemen,

Charla has a pattern
of behavior.

Some call it borderline
personality disorder.

She could be kind
and giving in public.

She could be violent
and abusive at home.

It was too much
for Darren to take.

The defense claimed
that Darren started

carrying a gun on his person

when he had interactions
with Mrs. Mack.

He was claiming
he was afraid

of what she was going to do
to him.

The defense said that Charla
had been so horrific

that it just wore on Darren

and wore on Darren
like a rubber band.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

This was our Montessori
school's auction.

We were a little bit of
the Three Musketeers, you know?

And honestly, I felt like
we were just getting started.

So I wanted to be
at the trial every day.

I know you couldn't go.

It was quite the event
just to sit there every day

and listen to all these things,
all these lies, all these--

Did you hear things
that were disturbing

that you didn't know?

I didn't hear a lot
I didn't know,

but I heard a lot
I didn't believe.

On October 24, 2007,
Darren Mack's attorneys

presented in their
opening statements

what they claim happened

on the morning
of June 12, 2006.

Charla was supposed to bring
Erika over at about 9:00,

but Charla also wanted
to discuss

settling the divorce.

Darren's attorneys would say

that Darren brought a knife
and a gun

to this meeting with Charla.

Darren said
she walked up to him

and slapped him
across the face and said,

"Darren, give me my money."

"Darren, drop the appeal,"
says Charla.

'Make your mother pay me.

You know you owe me
what I deserve."

As they're having
an argument,

she hits him on the head,

causing the gun
to fall out of his pants.

Charla looks at the gun,
pulls the hammer back,

smiles, and fires.

But it misfires.

Darren thinks he's been shot.
He's not.

Charla starts to cock
the hammer again.

Darren knew
he was going to die.

So he's forced
to stab her to death.

He acted in self-defense.

But an autopsy was performed
on Charla Mack's body,

and she had several
defensive injuries--

a stab wound to her calf,
very consistent

with somebody
who's on the ground,

kicking at her attacker.

She also had defensive wounds
to her hands

and to her forearms
as she was trying

to parry off
those stabbing blows.

With the physical evidence
on their side,

prosecutors made their case
against Darren Mack

for the shooting
of Judge Weller.

After he actually
followed through

with killing Charla Mack,

I believe
that he fully intended

to drive to the parking garage
to try to kill Judge Weller.

During the trial,

they showed
video footage of Darren

driving a rental car
into the parking garage

across from the courthouse.

Behind me is
the Mills Lane Justice Center.

The surveillance footage
was very important.

Darren Mack arrived here
at about 10:42 in the morning.

He obtained a ticket
at the gate,

drove up to the fifth floor,
and then backed the vehicle in

so the rear of the vehicle
was facing

the Mills Lane Justice Center.

At about 11:05 a.m.
is when we began getting

reports of the shooting.

And at about 11:06,
surveillance cameras show

the rear hatch
of the Explorer being closed

and the Explorer leaving
the parking garage.

Who fired the bullet?

Well, if there's
a common denominator

between Charla Mack
and Judge Weller,

it's the defendant,
Darren Mack.

The judicial system,
the third branch

of the American government,
is larger than the interests

of any one individual.

And so no violent person,
no judge

should ever think
that they have

the ability to change
the operation

of the judicial system.

We're servants
of the judicial system.

There is no defense
to the shooting, right?

There's no imminent need.

There's no,
"Some other dude did it."

There's no other real defense
to the shooting

other than
he didn't have the intent.

And you get that
one of two ways--

he either didn't formulate
or he couldn't formulate it

because he was "temporarily"
out of his mind.

At the time of the shooting
of Judge Weller,

you will find
that Darren Mack was suffering

from delusional disorder.

The defense claimed that he,
as a result of the attack

that he faced with Charla Mack,
had a moment of insanity

when he went
and shot Judge Weller.

Everything is happening
basically on automatic pilot,

which is consistent
with somebody

suffering from the delusions

that Darren Mack was
suffering from

at the time that he went
and shot Judge Weller.

I thought
his defense was clever

because it would allow them
to attack

both, from a self-defense
perspective, the murder

and to have a defense
to the shooting.

But there was
a mountain of evidence,

including a to-do list
in the defendant's own hand,

that corroborated the sequence
of events that had occurred

on the day of the crimes.

So this was a very difficult
case to defend.

And there is only so much
even the best attorneys

in the world can do
under our system.

[tense music]

I received a telephone call

that the defense had approached
the prosecution

with a possible plea deal.

If we drop the deadly
weapon enhancement,

Mr. Mack was willing to plead
to first-degree murder,

as well as attempted murder
with the use of a deadly weapon

on Judge Weller,
which would save Mr. Mack

about 20 years' worth
of sentence.

I was gobsmacked
Monday morning

when they announced
that a deal had been struck

and that he was going to enter
a plea of guilty.

I was gobsmacked.

He changed his not guilty
plea to a guilty plea

and didn't present any defense
in the courtroom.

All right, as to count one,
murder of the first degree,

it's my understanding,
Mr. Mack,

that on June 12th of 2006,

you willfully, feloniously,
and without authority of law

stabbed into the body
of Charla Mack,

causing her death.

- Is that correct?
- That's correct.

And as to count two,
it's my understanding

that willfully, unlawfully,
and without authority of law,

you shot Judge Weller
with a firearm.

That's correct.

I was just in shock.

He had gone from being
this reasonable, calm,

collected, successful person

to someone
who would kill somebody.

Unfortunately,
that November 5th day

was not the end
of the Mack trial.

Fairly soon after he struck
that plea deal,

he fired Mr. Chesnoff
and Mr. Freeman.

He claimed
his defense attorneys had

overborne his will,
basically pestered him,

and he was unable to freely,
knowingly, and intelligently

enter a plea of guilty.

Hired a new attorney,
William Routsis,

and sought to withdraw
his plea.

I really think
that he's narcissistic

and thinks he's smarter
than Freeman and Chesnoff.

He's a little bit delusional
about how life is.

He reminds me of a little kid
having a tantrum.

He doesn't like the outcome.

"Fire all those people.

We're going to try again."

And he wanted
to get on the stand

to tell the world his story.

I've remained quiet
through this whole thing,

and now I would like
to come forward and speak

because there's some
very important things

I would like to share.

On January 16, 2008,
Darren Mack took the stand

to decide
whether he would be allowed

to withdraw his guilty plea.

Please raise
your right hand.

Thank you.
Please have a seat.

It's generally not
a good idea

for a guilty defendant
to take the stand.

But he felt he needed to make

some kind of statement
to the court.

Charla had threatened my life
numerous, numerous times,

as well as attacking me.

What happened was--is,

after she was trying
to kill me,

we both went to the ground.

She then got stabbed.

And you got to understand
the state of mind.

It was an instinct.

But the thing you don't--

a lot of people
don't recognize--

I lost a wife too.

And even though
that this happened,

I still love Charla.

I just couldn't live with her,
and I was afraid of her.

Mr. Mack's narcissistic
mindset really showed through

in that hearing
when he took the stand

and talked about
being the victim.

It was just unfathomable to me

to listen to his perceptions
of the process.

At the conclusion
of that hearing,

Judge Herndon ruled
that Mr. Mack

knowingly and voluntarily
entered his plea

and denied his motion
to withdraw his guilty plea.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

It's time set
for the court to address

the sentencing of Mr. Mack.

This case, in my mind,
obviously cries out

for incarceration,
and the defendant

is going to be incarcerated
for a very long time.

Mr. Mack was sentenced
to the maximum

on first-degree murder
of life with the possibility

of parole after 20 years.

That sentence is
to be served consecutive

to the attempted murder charge
of Judge Weller.

So in total, under Nevada law,

Mr. Mack would have to do
a minimum of 36 years

before he could actually walk
the streets

as a free man again.

After Judge Herndon gave him
the maximum sentence,

Darren was in shackles.

And he's walking
by all the people

that he had known in his life
and his children

and his mother, and this is
the end of his life

as he'll ever know it.

♪ ♪

And it brought me
a sense of peace.

In addition
to the criminal charges,

the estate
of Charla Mack initiated

a wrongful death suit
in civil court

against Mr. Mack.

When I say
what I do matters to me,

the reason I went
to law school

was cases like this.

Really, the theme is that,
by killing Charla,

Darren stole what should
have been the happiness

and the fairy tale
of this child's life from her

because he took
not only her mother

but, of course, himself
by that act.

Ultimately,
her estate prevailed,

and there was a judgment
of approximately $590 million

against Mr. Mack

for the wrongful death
of his wife.

I was glad of the reward.

A little girl lost her mother.

She's growing up
without parents.

She deserved every penny.

There was also
a final order struck

between family members
related to the care,

custody, and control of Erika.

And the result is
that Erika then lived

primarily with Soorya Townley.

♪ ♪

This is not a unique story.

This is just a story that
I personally knew the people.

And it's still tragic.

And it's still heartbreaking.

You think about
a lot of us, hopefully,

we'll have the luxury
of being surrounded by people

who love us when we die.

And she didn't get that luxury
of dying with love.

She died in pain and terror.

And that haunts me.

And it's very, very difficult
to let go.

♪ ♪

Justice is
a very difficult word.

I believe that law and order
was served justly.

But I suspect
that the Charla Mack family

and Judge Weller may not
see it that way.

To the Charla Mack family
or to Judge Weller,

justice would be
bringing their loved ones back

and to removing that day
from their lives.

The criminal justice system
doesn't have

the ability to do that.

I've been a judge
for 17 years

since this event occurred.

I've raised my children.
They're successful.

I try to have
as normal a life as I can.

You think you have eternity
to be together,

and then you realize,
you know...

[chuckles]

Hold on to your children.