How to sew on an old woman: the crime story of the kind man Bernie and his rich girlfriend (10 photos)

What was it - friendship or deceit and insidious betrayal?





Bernie Theide

Bernard Thide's mom died in a car accident when he was 2 of the year. Sitting behind the wheel, but miraculously surviving Tide Sr. for the rest of the life blamed itself for the death of his wife. He tried to drown the guilt with alcohol. AT As a result, Bernie's father drank himself to the grave and died when his son was 15 years old. Orphan Bernie knew what it was like to lose loved ones, and how to be left alone support is needed. Perhaps that is why he decided to connect life with funeral business and help people endure the bitterness of loss.



Little Bernie

Immediately after school, Tide got a job at a funeral home, where learned to skillfully make up the dead and organize funerals. AT the Texas town of Carthage, 27-year-old Bernie arrived as a director funeral home. It was 1985 outside. He spoke about the talent of the director in an interview with the owner of the funeral home Hawthorn Funeral Home:

He is very talented. He did everything. Make up the dead held a farewell ceremony, sang prayers. He knew how to comfort the family deceased. With any Bernie very quickly found contact.

Bernie Theede became Carthage's favorite. Good-natured mustachioed big guy, polite and pious, like Ned Flanders from The Simpsons, it seems was familiar with each of the 6.5 thousand inhabitants of the city. Out of work time he helped in the services in the church, sang in the choir, taught in Sunday school, staged plays with the youth at the local college, and himself in played them.





Funeral Home Hawthorn Funeral Home

At work, that is, at the funeral, he was always with relatives deceased. His concern and concern never looked ostentatious or formal. If he saw that a lonely widow or widower alone could not cope, he visited them under various pretexts (as a rule, he brought something tasty - Bernie was also a great cook) until he was I'm sure they'll be all right. In kindness and sincere intentions Bernie no one doubted. Here is how friends described it:

He is a very generous guy, the best friend for everyone, who is always will come to the rescue. Some in Carthage looked upon him as a god.



Marge Nugent

At the opposite end of the Texan love scale was Marge Nugent. Her hatred of the Carthaginians was as unquestioned as no doubt about Bernie's kindness. In addition, she was very rich, her husband made a fortune in oil production. The harmful old woman, it seems, did not love even her only son, with whom she quarreled many years ago and with haven't seen you since then.

Marge met Bernie at a funeral in 1990. He accompanied her husband Rod on her last journey. Tide, as always, was very caring. He helped Marge to the coffin of old Nugent, hid granny with his cloak in the cemetery and made a touching farewell speech. On the the next day he came to visit Marge, then visited her again, began to walk regularly, and as a result, the cold heart of the old woman melted. Marge and Bernie became best friends.



Bernie and Marge

It was a strange couple - a man in his prime under two meters tall and weighing about 120 kg and a dry grandmother for 40 years older than him. Bernie enjoyed going shopping with his girlfriend, discussed soap operas and listened to old records. Then they got together travel (expenses paid by Marge). He was glad to brighten up leisure lonely pensioner.

"It seemed to me that she had no friends at all, and I felt an irresistible desire to give her his friendship, "later recalled Bernie about meeting Marge.

Evil tongues said that Bernie had an unhealthy sexual interest, but these rumors were not confirmed, the relationship between Bernie and Marge were purely platonic. He treated her like a mother didn't remember at all. And for Marge, Burney apparently became the son she haven't seen for a long time.



Bernie and Marge

In 1993, Marge rewrote her will in favor of a young friend and made him the manager of the fortune inherited from her husband. Bernie stopped work at your favorite funeral home and became a de facto personal accountant his elderly friend. Three years later, he shot Marge in cold blood. garage.

After 1993, Marge began to treat Bernie like a slave. Reliable Bernie fell into a trap. Marge did not tolerate objections and demanded to give her all her free time and fulfill all her whims - she, after all, did him good. He repeatedly was going to break up with her, but did not dare, and instead shot her with guns. He carefully wrapped the corpse in a sheet, put it in the freezer and covered with food.



The same freezer

For nine months, Bernie covered up Marge's death. All this time he came up with various excuses (Marge went to her sister, she got sick, etc.) and spent the money of the deceased on various good deeds to correct her reputation. Finally, the police raided the house of Marge Nugent with her son. The police easily found the body, after which Bernie confessed to everything.

When Marge's death was heard in town, no one said, "Poor old lady." When word got out in town that Bernie had killed Marge, everyone said, "Poor Bernie." The murderer was tried in a neighboring town, where kindness was not a legend. In Carthage, the jury would definitely acquit Bernie, and in another city he was sentenced to life imprisonment freedom.



Jack Black as Bernie Theede in Richard Linklater's Bernie

In 2011, the premiere of the black comedy "Bernie" took place, based on the story of Bernie and Marge. The film sparked a new wave of interest in case of Bernie Theede. Lawyer Jody Cole initiated a retrial proceedings, since it was not previously taken into account that Marge was morally humiliated Bernie that as a teenager he was sexually abused by uncle's side and it affected his psyche.

In anticipation of a rehearing, Bernie settled into the director's house Richard Linklater, who suggested that the court bail him out.



Bernie at the second trial

In 2016, Bernie was again sentenced to life in prison. At the trial was presented an alternative point of view to the film. Granddaughters and son Marge it was claimed that a visually impaired old woman hired Bernie to read letters and newspapers. They allegedly were not in a close relationship, and Bernie deceived her and squandered her money. Marge allegedly communicated with relatives and was not at all sullen, mean, as shown in the film. However, there were confirmations Bernie's version. So, one of the relatives previously said that relatives breathed a sigh of relief after the death of Marge, who hated everyone.



Bernie and director Richard Linklater

In 2029, Bernie Theede will be able to apply for early release. He will then be 71 years old. The prison authorities whom Bernie is serving a sentence, speaks of him as an ideal prisoner. And in prison, Bernie is a friend to everyone, ready to help everyone, star amateur performances and the most pleasant voice in the choir. He has every chance get out early for good behavior.