The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took the lead in investigating at the request of Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie, who knew Philip Heidt well. In August 2008, the weekend before the murders, Robin, once again, was up at Craig's cabin. Craig Heidt never took the stand. Among the 2017 arrests 49 were made for violent crime charges. "You're two feet away, my goodness. Scott Conway Pinholster, 46, was an inmate at Hays State Prison in northwest Georgia at the time of his death. Asked if she was head over heels in love, Robin told Susan Spencer, "I was infatuated, not love.". Craig Heidt insisted the bruises came not from a shotgun, but from a freak fall -- a misstep in the shower that sent him headfirst over the toilet. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Fires. Cold Cases Missing Persons Daily Archive. "But if you're maneuvering around something or in a hurry or whatever, you can also suffer bruises more toward the outside of your arm," noted Spencer. Kaiser is being held in the Effingham County Jail. Websites CRASH as hundreds of thousands of families find out today Who said black and white pics were flattering! It was updated on July 14.]. "I wasn't comfortable with the relationship anymore," Robin testified. Effingham City Police arrested 34 year old Zachary D. Tegenkamp. He braced himself for what lay ahead. Based on those injuries and the pellets found at the scene, the medical examiner says the shooter used a 12-gauge shotgun; up close and personal. "They both like to hunt, outdoors things like that And Carey was the baby of the family.". A garbled phone call to Effingham County 911 about 3 a.m. a decade ago began the unwinding of what the world would eventually learn was a twisted tale of murder and lust. This can't be happening. The homicide investigation took a bizarre twist in March 2010 when the named suspect, Mr. Hollister, was arrested and charged with attempted murder of his wife, Rebecca Hollister. ", Asked what he believes Craig Heidt did that night, Muldrew told Spencer, "It's not really a matter of what I believe he did. He lied, says Muldrew, even when taking a lie detector test. Spencer asked Prosecutor Michael Muldrew. Spencer asked Carey's wife, Robin Heidt. We were family, nobody was perfectbut we grew up very close together," Chris explained. That night, Carey and Philip were murdered. Perhaps the prosecution's strongest physical evidence are the bruises on Craig's arms. Linda Heidt's injuries were such that it took six minutes for 911 operators to understand where help was needed. The verdict was guilty. You have permission to edit this article. Darnell Barner, 66, passed away Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at St. Joseph's Hospital. "It's the worst news you could get." Detectives arrived at a scene staged to look like a robbery, with smashed windows and strewn clothes. They just gave us an address on a page," Sheriff McDuffie told "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Susan Spencer. He had appealed his conviction, but it was upheld in 2013. "There was nothing of note taken; jewelry was still present. Spencer asked. Inside the forest palace 'Putin shares with his gymnast lover and their secret children': Luxury estate My nightmare neighbours kept throwing condoms and rubbish in our garden - I took epic revenge and they never Seat swapping on planes is a hot topic - but what ARE the do's and don'ts? Read further ahead to find out who Philip Martin Heidt and Carey Albert Heidt were. Initially the jury split, eight to four, not guilty. The married pair went to counseling, and soon, their entire family found out, leading to high heat and rising tensions. TV shows like "CSI" were cited as giving the public an unrealistic view of crime solving. Advertisement Stars Kate Snow Dennis Murphy He does not have a cold blooded heart. Crocker, the biological father of Mary and Elwyn Jr., faces multiple charges, including felony murder, concealing the death of another and cruelty to children in the first degree. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to How did Russia lose HALF of its 45,000 elite paratroopers in just seven months? She told her husband about the affair two weeks after it began. He and wife Robin had three kids of their own. "It was not smart. She sustained a gun wound but was able to alert the authorities. It's that bad. And fear drove concern in the public, as well. Philip's wife Linda Heidt was. No evidence placed Craig at the scene - yet he had no alibi and was found to have lied on police lie detectors, even flat-out denying his relationship with Robin. A garbled phone call to Effingham County 911 about 3 a.m. a decade ago began the unwinding of what the world would eventually learn was a twisted tale of murder and lust. "you know there is this chance that he could have done this.". The widow of an Effingham County man shot and killed along with his father in his father's home testified Friday to having an affair with her late husband's brother and said he denied having . But prosecutors think a jury will decide that's exactly what he is. Nine months after the Heidt family murders came bombshell news: Craig Heidt was about to marry Robin, his dead brother's wife. Photo: Effingham County Sheriff's Office. On August 25, 2008, Philip and Carey were shot and killed in their beds. "It's amazing that she did survive because, basically, it looks like she was left for dead," said Downs. "What questions did he fail?" "In every single critical bit of evidence, they want you to make a leap of faith," Bonds told the court in his closing argument. On May 22, 2009 nine months later Philip Craig Heidt, 41, son of Philip and Linda Heidt, brother of Carey Heidt, was arrested for the attack. "No, he wasn't prepared and Craig did not want me to tell Carey. 'But he did not tell me who it was with.'. Robin now agrees the choice for Craig to move in with her family was not a wise one. "I was asleep and, um, I heard knocking on the door. McDuffie did, however, within three days of the deaths let the public know it was believed they had no reason to be afraid -- in other words, the Heidts were the target. "Him leaving and he said, 'I'm gonna go stay with mom and dad tonight,'" said Robin. Evidence at the two-week trial showed Craig Heidt was having an affair with Carey Heidt's wife, Robin. So the GBI just kept watching Craig Heidt and Robin. I did not see anyone in there. Active in the Chamber of Commerce, Philip Heidt was described as a very private man who loved his family dearly. "People just -- sometimes these things happen and people get divorced. When quizzed by officers, Robin admitted she was having an affair with her brother-in-law. Take the kids. "Most people that saw it literally laughed at this reenactment he did. A reenactment is not a good idea' But if you look at what Craig was thinking at the time he did that, he was trying to assist them in their investigationhe was cooperating with them," said Bonds. "It was very much a mess.". The shock of a double murder in Effingham of two prominent businessmen caused great distress in the community and became the basis of rumor and gossip that ran through the county like wildfire. Florence County South Carolina Most Wanted. Murder was the motive.". "I'm sure at the time he wrote the letter he hoped that this might somehow resolve itself so that the family hadn't torn apart," said Prosecutor Michael Muldrew. Sager said police had no record of response to domestic incidents involving the Smiths. it was silly.". By noon the day of the murders, Robin Heidt had admitted to investigators that the shocking rumors were true: Yes, she was having an affair with her brother-in-law, Craig. She knew he was lying to her, she says, especially when he said that he and Carey had patched things up before the shootings. The court ruled that both Robin Heidt Cave and Linda Heidt share joint custody of the children. Jerry Smith had a criminal record in Effingham County that included two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and one conviction for misdemeanor battery that had been pled down from an original felony charge of aggravated battery. 'I told him that I had feelings for him that were more than, you know, brother- and sister-in-law feelings and he said that he shared the same feelings,' she said. Philip had tracked them down, enlisting a friend with a helicopter to take photos to get hard evidence of Robin's infidelity. Murdered: Carey Heidt, pictured with his wife Robin, was shot by his brother as he slept at his parents' home, Family affair: Carey Heidt, left, was shot dead by his brother Craig, right, as he allegedly wanted to assume his life. Craig had an eye on his share of his father's estate and a $3.5 million life insurance policy on Carey Heidt's life. Again, Sharon reported numerous calls from an allegedly drunk Jerry the night of Aug. 18 into the morning hours of Aug. 19 in which he told her she would regret filing for divorce. ", "It did not," she replied. Despite being labeled as the black sheep of the Heidt family who enjoyed an out-of-bounds lifestyle, Philip Craig Heidt had supposedly managed to build a stable life for himself while living in a cozy cabin on a hunting club near Oliver. With Sager are Detective Aaron Lange, left, and Police Chief Mike Schutzbach, right. Lee County police asked if the burnt car had a bullet hole in the door. An arraignment hearing . 1.448. "I told him that I had feelings for him that were more than, you know, brother- and sister-in-law feelings and he said that he shared the same feelings," she told Spencer. It focuses on unveiling the mystery behind the death(s), the impact the case had on the community and the kind of media attention it generated. They next turned their attention to the Heidt's real estate dealings. As Linda Heidt slowly recovered, they all wondered the same thing: Could the only surviving witness of the crime identify the killer? "This is their most popular shotgun.". To the close-knit community of Effingham County, Georgia, childhood sweethearts Carey and Robin Heidt had the perfect lives - successful careers, a doting family and three blond-haired children. There's no DNA. Effingham County Sheriff's deputies found JR and his sister Mary Crocker, who was about two years younger, buried behind their trailer, some 30 miles from Savannah. But his mother Linda, who still bears facial scarring from the attack, has stood by her son. A prostitute at the time of her death, Nora had been stabbed multiple times and some of her clothing, along with her handbag, was missing. "They're all three pretty different, yeah. And I know that God's forgiven me," Robin replied. But privately a jury heard something else. Matt Sager said police responded to a 911 call that shots were being fired at the home. In the years that followed, the couple gladly welcomed three children into their lives while Carey got a job in real estate development with his father, and Robin worked as a paraprofessional. . A judge sentenced him to two life terms in prison, along with an added 85 years. There was money left out," Howard explained. Widow: Robin Heidt has spoken out for the first time since her lover - also her brother-in-law - shot dead her husband. Asked if she could you identify the person, Linda told Spencer, "I didn't see a face or anything. Carey was understandably upset, but he decided that he wanted to work things out instead of walking away. In the early hours of August 25, 2008, leading real estate developer Philip Heidt and his son, Carey Heidt, were shot to death in their beds. In November 2011, Robin Heidt remarried and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, with her new husband and her three children. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. So those bruises were significant," said Howard. Spencer commented to Robin. Never mind that brother-in-law thing and never mind her three children who at that time were 10, 7 and 3 years old. "I told him that Carey had left and he asked me where he had gone and I said that he'd gone to, uh, his parents and he said, 'OK,'" said Robin. NBCs Dateline: Mystery in Effingham County is an episode that explores a case of lust and greed that shook the state of Georgia to its core. "Yeah, um, we were really good friends in the beginning and realized that I was in love with Careyand not long after high school we got married. I said, 'I need a yes or no. Family was number one for both men. He claimed he had fallen out of the shower and fallen over a toilet. NBC's 'Dateline: Mystery in Effingham County' is an episode that explores the double homicide of prominent Georgian real estate developers and father and son, Philip Martin Heidt and Carey Albert Heidt, along with its baffling aftermath. All three bodies were undergoing autopsies Monday in Springfield, but no results were available Monday evening. 'When I looked at him, I just felt disgust,' she said. The Effingham County native was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Blitchton. Only hours into the Heidt murder investigation - as Linda Heidt fought for her life - the whispers began: Rumors that this seemingly perfect Southern family was anything but. Compared to neighboring county Bond and county Boone . The fact that the men had also changed their wills to limit the pairs monetary inheritance in the days leading up to the offense, they added, also played a crucial part.