13x05 - Double Cross
Posted: 01/19/24 08:05
Narrator: up next...
This is the story of my life
As a defenseless woman in the
Navy.
Narrator: ...a naval officer
Alleges a cover-up and threatens
To go public.
Very soon, I'll have enough
Evidence to send to the media,
And then something will be done.
Narrator: but before that can
Happen, she's m*rder*d -- some
Say by the man she named as her
r*pist.
And I started suspecting that
Something is amiss, that this
May be all a setup.
Narrator: can forensic
Science separate fact from
Fiction?
The videotape is startling.
It is scary.
She is foretelling her own
She is foretelling her own death.
Death.
Narrator: after a long,
Stressful day working as an
Air-traffic controller at one of
The largest naval jet bases in
The world, elise makdessi went
To dinner with her husband at an
Italian restaurant in
Virginia beach, virginia.
Eddie makdessi worked in the
Computer business.
He did a lot of contract
Work, and some of it was for the
U.s. Navy.
And that is when he met
Elise makdessi.
Narrator: sometime after :
P.m., When the couple returned
Home from dinner, someone was
Waiting for them.
When eddie regained
Consciousness, his hands were
Bound behind his back.
He saw his wife tied to the bed,
And a man raping and stabbing
Her.
Somehow, eddie managed to free
His hands, grab the handgun he
Kept in the nightstand, and shot
The assailant.
[ g*nsh*t ]
[ g*nsh*t ] then he called .
Then he called .
But the intruder wasn't dead.
The assailant leaped up,
Lunged towards him with the
Knife, and eddie shot the
Individual again.
Narrator: when paramedics
Arrived, elise was barely alive.
Her dress had been pulled up.
Her pantyhose had been ripped.
She had multiple s*ab wounds to
The chest, and her throat had
Been cut ear to ear.
She's trying to talk.
They absolutely believe she was
Trying to communicate, and could
Never get the words out.
Before anybody could really give
Her any significant help, she
Died on the way to the hospital.
Narrator: the assailant was
Identified by his driver's
License as -year-old
Quincy brown.
He was laying with his legs
Pinned underneath him, laying on
His back, and he had three
g*nsh*t wounds to the chest.
Narrator: brown was one of
Elise's co-workers at the oceana
Naval air base.
Quincy brown, military man,
Worked at the same command where
Elise worked.
So it wasn't a random crime.
Something happened to bring
Co-workers into the same room,
And neither one of them left
Alive.
Narrator: elise's husband,
Eddie, was treated for his head
Injury and released.
As incredible as eddie's story
Seemed, evidence at the scene
Appeared to support it.
The entranceway floor was
Littered with takeaway
Containers of leftover food from
The restaurant.
Electrical cords used to tie
Eddie's hands were on the
Bedroom floor.
Underneath the intruder's right
Hand was the knife used in
Elise's m*rder.
And eddie gave police a
Videotape that elise made before
Her death.
It contained some shocking
Allegations against her
Superiors in the navy --
Allegations that perhaps the
Navy didn't want to be made
Public.
Narrator: elise and
Eddie makdessi had been married
For only five years at the time
Of elise's m*rder.
They lived in an apartment off
The military base and had no
Children.
Elise enjoyed being in the
Navy.
She was looking forward to her
Future as an air-traffic
Controller.
Tough job, and especially for
Females.
And she would have been good at
It if she had had more time.
Narrator: quincy brown, the
Man found shot to death in the
Makdessis' bedroom, had no
History of v*olence.
Quincy had been in the navy
For over years.
He was married.
He had a child.
He did not have any kind of
Criminal background.
Narrator: quincy brown worked
With elise at the naval air
Base.
Everybody that we talked to
That knew quincy brown, that
Didn't go with his character at
All.
It seemed to be completely
Conflict of his character.
Narrator: but the facts were
Undeniable -- a r*pe test kit on
Elise makdessi showed signs of
Sexual intercourse, and the
Biological evidence matched
Quincy brown's dna.
A knife covered with elise's
Blood was found underneath
Brown's body.
But what drove brown to m*rder?
Eddie makdessi thought he knew
Why.
He said his wife made a
Videotape before her m*rder, and
Videotape before her m*rder, and he gave it to the authorities.
He gave it to the authorities.
The videotape elise makdessi
Made is more perplexing to me
Than anything I've run into in
Years of covering crime.
It is startling.
It is scary.
You see a woman who is speaking
From the grave.
Narrator: elise described a
Tale of horror.
She alleged sexual abuse covered
Up at the highest levels of the
Up at the highest levels of the navy.
Navy.
It's a confession of sorts.
Like a diary -- it's almost a
Video diary of all these
Terrible things happening to
Terrible things happening to her.
Her.
Narrator: police used a court
Order to get elise's journal.
Quincy brown had been named
In her journal as one of those
Attackers.
Narrator: elise listed all
Five men who she claimed r*ped
Her while on duty.
At this point, we knew we
Needed to get the naval criminal
Investigative service, ncis,
Involved, because obviously now
We had two of their members
Dead.
Narrator: the ncis questioned
The four other men elise accused
In her journal.
They all denied the allegations.
She had accused four of the
Best guys I've ever known, the
Best guys I've ever worked with,
Family men, really decent,
Respectable guys.
Narrator: nancy simpson was
Elise's friend, as well as one
Of her supervisors.
I knew that it was a bunch of
Crap.
Elise never told me that she had
Been sexually harassed at work.
If that had happened, she
Certainly would have told me.
It would have never been
Covered up.
Narrator: but eddie makdessi
Was outraged.
To him, the evidence was clear.
Eddie believes that
Quincy brown went there to shut
Her up and to make her stop
Talking about what was going on
At the base.
Eddie's also said that quincy
Was part of a larger conspiracy,
Involving higher navy forces, to
Keep her quiet.
Narrator: as proof, eddie
Pointed out that elise had
Recently been demoted at the
Navy base, eddie claims, in
Retaliation for her
Sexual-harassment claims.
Eddie says they really slowed
Down her training, reassigned
Her because of it.
He said that she was the victim
Not only of the harassers, but
Of the same superiors that she
Had confided in.
Narrator: then investigators
Noticed small inconsistencies in
Eddie's story.
According to quincy brown's
Cellphone records, he called the
Makdessis' apartment at : on
The night of the murders, which
Was after eddie claimed they
Were assaulted at the door of
Their apartment.
The call lasted minutes and
Seconds.
It's out of the ordinary that
Somebody's gonna call and then
Come over and r*pe someone and
k*ll them.
Narrator: the knife found
Under quincy brown's hand, the
One used to k*ll elise makdessi,
Didn't contain brown's
Fingerprints, and his shirt
Didn't have elise's blood.
Quincy gets none of elise's
Blood on his body.
How in the world could he have
Done this and not had any of
Elise's blood on him?
Narrator: and on the night
Before her m*rder,
Elise makdessi bought the g*n
Used to k*ll quincy brown in a
Sporting-goods store in
Virginia.
Then I started suspecting
That something is amiss.
This may be all a setup.
Narrator: but who wanted both
Elise makdessi and quincy brown
Dead?
And why?
Narrator: in this video
Journal made shortly before her
Death, elise makdessi claimed
She had been r*ped and sexually
Assaulted by five co-workers at
The oceana naval air base.
On the tape, she claimed she'd
Reported these incidents to her
Superiors and had been ignored,
Superiors and had been ignored, so she threatened to go public.
So she threatened to go public.
But the navy denied
Elise makdessi ever filed one
Single claim, let alone five.
I was her superior.
And my immediate superior was a
Very tough female, tougher than
Me.
There was no word of this.
Nothing was ever reported to any
Of us, and either one of us
Would have acted immediately.
Narrator: one of the men
Elise named in her journal was
Quincy brown, the man found shot
To death in her apartment.
Elise's husband, eddie, claimed
Brown knocked him unconscious
And m*rder*d elise to stop her
From going public with these
Allegations.
Investigators weren't so sure.
To find the truth, investigators
Started with the only hard
Evidence they had -- the crime
Scene.
We wanted fresh eyes,
Somebody to really tell us
Something that we weren't able
To see.
Narrator: virginia beach
Police contacted ross gardner, a
Nationally recognized
Crime-scene analyst.
This was a very complex crime
Scene, and it wasn't until we
Got a lot of the dna information
Back that we were able to make
Sense of it.
But certain aspects of the
Crime-scene analysis certainly
Supported eddie's statement.
Narrator: but then gardner
Looked more closely at the
Crime-scene photos and noticed
That they contradicted eddie's
Story.
The autopsy showed that the
First shot penetrated quincy's
Heart.
This creates arterial spurts,
High-pressure ejections of blood
From the body -- and they are
Easily identified.
Because the blood is ejecting
Out in a stream, it breaks up
Into larger masses.
And so what we see in an
Arterial spurt are very large
Elliptical-shaped stains.
Narrator: eddie said when he
Saw his wife being att*cked, he
Grabbed the g*n from the
Nightstand and shot quincy brown
As he rushed towards him.
[ g*nshots ]
Yet, the blood-spatter evidence
And the crime-scene photos
Showed that quincy brown was
Facing in the opposite
Direction.
There is no evidence
Whatsoever that suggests that
Quincy was ever standing when
That wound was ejecting blood,
Or that he was ever facing back
Towards the nightstand.
The void in the arterial spurts
On the carpet tell us that
Quincy was in this kneeling
Position at the time of the
First shot, and that his
Physical position never altered,
Other than to lay back.
Narrator: investigators now
Had a theory that eddie makdessi
Was involved in an elaborate
Scheme.
First, he convinced his wife to
Make the videotape and written
Journal accusing her five
Co-workers of r*pe and sexual
as*ault.
Their plan was to file a lawsuit
Against the navy.
Eddie makdessi told several
People that this sexual
Harassment with his wife in the
Navy would be bigger than
Tailhook...
Referring to another civil suit
In which someone collected a lot
Of money from the navy.
Narrator: and elise was a
Willing participant in the
Scheme.
It was obvious that they had
A plan in action.
It would appear that there
May have been some partnership
Between eddie and elise as far
As setting this thing up.
Narrator: they planned to
Prove their case by luring one
Of the men she named in her
Journal, quincy brown, to their
Apartment to have unprotected
Sex with her, and then claim it
Was yet another r*pe.
Only this time, they'd have dna
Evidence to prove it.
Quincy did not force his way
Into that apartment.
He came there willingly.
He had sex with elise willingly.
Narrator: investigators
Believe eddie planned to k*ll
Quincy after the sexual act was
Complete in order to silence
Him.
It's not clear whether elise was
Aware of this or not.
Elise and eddie bought the
g*n in hampton, virginia, the
Night before this event
Occurred.
I don't know if elise had
Planned that quincy would die.
I don't know.
Narrator: but why did eddie
k*ll his wife?
Eddie makdessi had taken out
A half a million dollar
Life-insurance policy on his
Wife.
This was less than days prior
To the incident.
That's a lot of money to have
In a life-insurance policy for a
Sailor who has no family
Fortune, is not earning but a
Low rate in the navy, not making
Much money.
Narrator: this plus an
Additional $, from her
Navy life insurance was a
Significant payout.
Of the seven deadly sins,
Greed is my favorite.
And this man loved his money,
And he was willing to sacrifice
Innocent people for $,.
So he could live the good life.
Narrator: and he could pin
Her m*rder on quincy brown.
He's a cold-blooded k*ller.
Narrator: ironically, elise
Helped plan, organize, and carry
Out her own m*rder.
The only thing that changed
Is elise was double-crossed and
She was k*lled in the process as
Well.
Narrator: eddie's plan was
Almost too perfect.
Narrator: based on the
Forensic evidence, prosecutors
Believe that eddie makdessi was
Responsible for the murders of
Both his wife, elise, and
Quincy brown.
They believe this whole thing
Started as a sexual-harassment
Scam against the navy.
Elise makdessi made a videotape
And written journal claiming
That five men sexually assaulted
And r*ped her while on duty at
The naval air base where she
Worked.
Despite her claims on the tape,
The navy says she never filed
Any charges against these men.
Sexual harassment, sexual
as*ault, and r*pe.
Narrator: but eddie and elise
Needed forensic evidence, so
They invited one of the men she
Named in her journal,
Quincy brown, over to their
Apartment for a sexual
Threesome.
Elise would have claimed that
Quincy had r*ped her, and
Therefore, they would have been
Able to pursue their
Sexual-harassment claim.
Narrator: on the night of the
Crime, there was no as*ault
Outside their apartment.
When they returned home from
Dinner, quincy brown called
Their apartment at :, most
Likely to confirm their date.
[ Telephone rings ]
Hello?
Are we still on for tonight?
He said he'll be here in
Minutes.
Okay, let's get ready.
Narrator: investigators
Believe eddie set the scene by
Tying elise to the bed.
To quincy brown, it would appear
To be a bondage fantasy for the
Evening.
To the police, it would look
Like a violent as*ault.
[ Knock on door ]
When quincy arrived, he had a
Condom in his pocket.
Perhaps he was encouraged not to
Use it, although no one really
Knows.
Go ahead on in.
I'm just gonna kick back and
Watch.
Narrator: after the sexual
Encounter, eddie pulled his
First double-cross of the
Evening on quincy brown.
Okay, I think you're
Finished.
Break into my house, knock me
Out, you r*ped my wife...
Narrator: they blame him for
Breaking into the apartment and
Raping elise.
[ g*nshots ]
It's unclear whether elise knew
If quincy would die.
Cut me loose now, honey.
Narrator: but she obviously
Didn't know eddie would
Double-cross her, too.
Eddie staged the scene to make
It look like a break-in,
as*ault, and a r*pe-m*rder
Perpetrated by quincy brown.
And eddie collects $, in
Life insurance.
And maybe he walks away with
A sexual-harassment case also.
Narrator: he almost got away
With it, too.
But in the end, he left too many
Clues.
It was obvious that
Eddie makdessi was lying to me
About what happened, and how
Things had happened in that
Bedroom.
He told us this happened,
This happened, this happened.
And multiple claims by
Eddie makdessi were refuted by
The forensic evidence.
Narrator: but when it came
Time to arrest eddie makdessi,
He had fled to russia.
The problem we're having is
That he's now a russian citizen,
And we don't have an extradition
Treaty, so we can't get him out
Of russia.
Narrator: for almost a
Decade, eddie makdessi was on
The run.
Reporter mike mather decided to
Track him down, despite everyone
Telling him it was useless.
The state department at the
Time told me, virginia beach
Police told me, the embassy told
Me, "you're wasting your time.
He's never coming back here."
So I said, "let's go find out."
Sent him an e-mail.
He agreed to meet with me.
Flew to moscow.
Narrator: apparently,
Mike mather caught makdessi at
Just the right time.
He clearly didn't like living in
Russia.
How can I say this?
They took my money, they beat me
Up, they put me in jail because
They thought I was an american
Spy, and here I was, without
American documents to prove that
I'm an american.
Narrator: makdessi chose to
Return to the united states and
Face trial, thinking that
Elise's videotaped allegations
Would provide the reasonable
Doubt he needed for acquittal.
I want to do that because I
Know I can prove I'm innocent.
I know that what has happened to
Me and all this that happened to
Me, the american people should
Know about.
Narrator: years after the
Double homicide, eddie makdessi
Went on trial.
The forensic evidence was
Overwhelming.
We, the jury, find the
Defendant guilty of first-degree
m*rder of quincy b. Brown,
Guilty of first-degree m*rder of
Elise m. Makdessi.
Narrator: makdessi was
Sentenced to two consecutive
Life terms.
In cross, we explained very,
Very well how the blood-spatter
Evidence contradicted what eddie
Said.
It wasn't he said, she said.
It was he said, and everyone
Else was dead.
It's never left me that eddie
Did that, and I've never
Questioned that he was capable
Of it.
Not even for a second.
Without the forensic
Evidence, without ross gardner
And the blood-spatter analysis
Of the crime scene to be able to
Disprove eddie's statement --
Because all we had was eddie's
Statement and the crime scene.
This is the story of my life
As a defenseless woman in the
Navy.
Narrator: ...a naval officer
Alleges a cover-up and threatens
To go public.
Very soon, I'll have enough
Evidence to send to the media,
And then something will be done.
Narrator: but before that can
Happen, she's m*rder*d -- some
Say by the man she named as her
r*pist.
And I started suspecting that
Something is amiss, that this
May be all a setup.
Narrator: can forensic
Science separate fact from
Fiction?
The videotape is startling.
It is scary.
She is foretelling her own
She is foretelling her own death.
Death.
Narrator: after a long,
Stressful day working as an
Air-traffic controller at one of
The largest naval jet bases in
The world, elise makdessi went
To dinner with her husband at an
Italian restaurant in
Virginia beach, virginia.
Eddie makdessi worked in the
Computer business.
He did a lot of contract
Work, and some of it was for the
U.s. Navy.
And that is when he met
Elise makdessi.
Narrator: sometime after :
P.m., When the couple returned
Home from dinner, someone was
Waiting for them.
When eddie regained
Consciousness, his hands were
Bound behind his back.
He saw his wife tied to the bed,
And a man raping and stabbing
Her.
Somehow, eddie managed to free
His hands, grab the handgun he
Kept in the nightstand, and shot
The assailant.
[ g*nsh*t ]
[ g*nsh*t ] then he called .
Then he called .
But the intruder wasn't dead.
The assailant leaped up,
Lunged towards him with the
Knife, and eddie shot the
Individual again.
Narrator: when paramedics
Arrived, elise was barely alive.
Her dress had been pulled up.
Her pantyhose had been ripped.
She had multiple s*ab wounds to
The chest, and her throat had
Been cut ear to ear.
She's trying to talk.
They absolutely believe she was
Trying to communicate, and could
Never get the words out.
Before anybody could really give
Her any significant help, she
Died on the way to the hospital.
Narrator: the assailant was
Identified by his driver's
License as -year-old
Quincy brown.
He was laying with his legs
Pinned underneath him, laying on
His back, and he had three
g*nsh*t wounds to the chest.
Narrator: brown was one of
Elise's co-workers at the oceana
Naval air base.
Quincy brown, military man,
Worked at the same command where
Elise worked.
So it wasn't a random crime.
Something happened to bring
Co-workers into the same room,
And neither one of them left
Alive.
Narrator: elise's husband,
Eddie, was treated for his head
Injury and released.
As incredible as eddie's story
Seemed, evidence at the scene
Appeared to support it.
The entranceway floor was
Littered with takeaway
Containers of leftover food from
The restaurant.
Electrical cords used to tie
Eddie's hands were on the
Bedroom floor.
Underneath the intruder's right
Hand was the knife used in
Elise's m*rder.
And eddie gave police a
Videotape that elise made before
Her death.
It contained some shocking
Allegations against her
Superiors in the navy --
Allegations that perhaps the
Navy didn't want to be made
Public.
Narrator: elise and
Eddie makdessi had been married
For only five years at the time
Of elise's m*rder.
They lived in an apartment off
The military base and had no
Children.
Elise enjoyed being in the
Navy.
She was looking forward to her
Future as an air-traffic
Controller.
Tough job, and especially for
Females.
And she would have been good at
It if she had had more time.
Narrator: quincy brown, the
Man found shot to death in the
Makdessis' bedroom, had no
History of v*olence.
Quincy had been in the navy
For over years.
He was married.
He had a child.
He did not have any kind of
Criminal background.
Narrator: quincy brown worked
With elise at the naval air
Base.
Everybody that we talked to
That knew quincy brown, that
Didn't go with his character at
All.
It seemed to be completely
Conflict of his character.
Narrator: but the facts were
Undeniable -- a r*pe test kit on
Elise makdessi showed signs of
Sexual intercourse, and the
Biological evidence matched
Quincy brown's dna.
A knife covered with elise's
Blood was found underneath
Brown's body.
But what drove brown to m*rder?
Eddie makdessi thought he knew
Why.
He said his wife made a
Videotape before her m*rder, and
Videotape before her m*rder, and he gave it to the authorities.
He gave it to the authorities.
The videotape elise makdessi
Made is more perplexing to me
Than anything I've run into in
Years of covering crime.
It is startling.
It is scary.
You see a woman who is speaking
From the grave.
Narrator: elise described a
Tale of horror.
She alleged sexual abuse covered
Up at the highest levels of the
Up at the highest levels of the navy.
Navy.
It's a confession of sorts.
Like a diary -- it's almost a
Video diary of all these
Terrible things happening to
Terrible things happening to her.
Her.
Narrator: police used a court
Order to get elise's journal.
Quincy brown had been named
In her journal as one of those
Attackers.
Narrator: elise listed all
Five men who she claimed r*ped
Her while on duty.
At this point, we knew we
Needed to get the naval criminal
Investigative service, ncis,
Involved, because obviously now
We had two of their members
Dead.
Narrator: the ncis questioned
The four other men elise accused
In her journal.
They all denied the allegations.
She had accused four of the
Best guys I've ever known, the
Best guys I've ever worked with,
Family men, really decent,
Respectable guys.
Narrator: nancy simpson was
Elise's friend, as well as one
Of her supervisors.
I knew that it was a bunch of
Crap.
Elise never told me that she had
Been sexually harassed at work.
If that had happened, she
Certainly would have told me.
It would have never been
Covered up.
Narrator: but eddie makdessi
Was outraged.
To him, the evidence was clear.
Eddie believes that
Quincy brown went there to shut
Her up and to make her stop
Talking about what was going on
At the base.
Eddie's also said that quincy
Was part of a larger conspiracy,
Involving higher navy forces, to
Keep her quiet.
Narrator: as proof, eddie
Pointed out that elise had
Recently been demoted at the
Navy base, eddie claims, in
Retaliation for her
Sexual-harassment claims.
Eddie says they really slowed
Down her training, reassigned
Her because of it.
He said that she was the victim
Not only of the harassers, but
Of the same superiors that she
Had confided in.
Narrator: then investigators
Noticed small inconsistencies in
Eddie's story.
According to quincy brown's
Cellphone records, he called the
Makdessis' apartment at : on
The night of the murders, which
Was after eddie claimed they
Were assaulted at the door of
Their apartment.
The call lasted minutes and
Seconds.
It's out of the ordinary that
Somebody's gonna call and then
Come over and r*pe someone and
k*ll them.
Narrator: the knife found
Under quincy brown's hand, the
One used to k*ll elise makdessi,
Didn't contain brown's
Fingerprints, and his shirt
Didn't have elise's blood.
Quincy gets none of elise's
Blood on his body.
How in the world could he have
Done this and not had any of
Elise's blood on him?
Narrator: and on the night
Before her m*rder,
Elise makdessi bought the g*n
Used to k*ll quincy brown in a
Sporting-goods store in
Virginia.
Then I started suspecting
That something is amiss.
This may be all a setup.
Narrator: but who wanted both
Elise makdessi and quincy brown
Dead?
And why?
Narrator: in this video
Journal made shortly before her
Death, elise makdessi claimed
She had been r*ped and sexually
Assaulted by five co-workers at
The oceana naval air base.
On the tape, she claimed she'd
Reported these incidents to her
Superiors and had been ignored,
Superiors and had been ignored, so she threatened to go public.
So she threatened to go public.
But the navy denied
Elise makdessi ever filed one
Single claim, let alone five.
I was her superior.
And my immediate superior was a
Very tough female, tougher than
Me.
There was no word of this.
Nothing was ever reported to any
Of us, and either one of us
Would have acted immediately.
Narrator: one of the men
Elise named in her journal was
Quincy brown, the man found shot
To death in her apartment.
Elise's husband, eddie, claimed
Brown knocked him unconscious
And m*rder*d elise to stop her
From going public with these
Allegations.
Investigators weren't so sure.
To find the truth, investigators
Started with the only hard
Evidence they had -- the crime
Scene.
We wanted fresh eyes,
Somebody to really tell us
Something that we weren't able
To see.
Narrator: virginia beach
Police contacted ross gardner, a
Nationally recognized
Crime-scene analyst.
This was a very complex crime
Scene, and it wasn't until we
Got a lot of the dna information
Back that we were able to make
Sense of it.
But certain aspects of the
Crime-scene analysis certainly
Supported eddie's statement.
Narrator: but then gardner
Looked more closely at the
Crime-scene photos and noticed
That they contradicted eddie's
Story.
The autopsy showed that the
First shot penetrated quincy's
Heart.
This creates arterial spurts,
High-pressure ejections of blood
From the body -- and they are
Easily identified.
Because the blood is ejecting
Out in a stream, it breaks up
Into larger masses.
And so what we see in an
Arterial spurt are very large
Elliptical-shaped stains.
Narrator: eddie said when he
Saw his wife being att*cked, he
Grabbed the g*n from the
Nightstand and shot quincy brown
As he rushed towards him.
[ g*nshots ]
Yet, the blood-spatter evidence
And the crime-scene photos
Showed that quincy brown was
Facing in the opposite
Direction.
There is no evidence
Whatsoever that suggests that
Quincy was ever standing when
That wound was ejecting blood,
Or that he was ever facing back
Towards the nightstand.
The void in the arterial spurts
On the carpet tell us that
Quincy was in this kneeling
Position at the time of the
First shot, and that his
Physical position never altered,
Other than to lay back.
Narrator: investigators now
Had a theory that eddie makdessi
Was involved in an elaborate
Scheme.
First, he convinced his wife to
Make the videotape and written
Journal accusing her five
Co-workers of r*pe and sexual
as*ault.
Their plan was to file a lawsuit
Against the navy.
Eddie makdessi told several
People that this sexual
Harassment with his wife in the
Navy would be bigger than
Tailhook...
Referring to another civil suit
In which someone collected a lot
Of money from the navy.
Narrator: and elise was a
Willing participant in the
Scheme.
It was obvious that they had
A plan in action.
It would appear that there
May have been some partnership
Between eddie and elise as far
As setting this thing up.
Narrator: they planned to
Prove their case by luring one
Of the men she named in her
Journal, quincy brown, to their
Apartment to have unprotected
Sex with her, and then claim it
Was yet another r*pe.
Only this time, they'd have dna
Evidence to prove it.
Quincy did not force his way
Into that apartment.
He came there willingly.
He had sex with elise willingly.
Narrator: investigators
Believe eddie planned to k*ll
Quincy after the sexual act was
Complete in order to silence
Him.
It's not clear whether elise was
Aware of this or not.
Elise and eddie bought the
g*n in hampton, virginia, the
Night before this event
Occurred.
I don't know if elise had
Planned that quincy would die.
I don't know.
Narrator: but why did eddie
k*ll his wife?
Eddie makdessi had taken out
A half a million dollar
Life-insurance policy on his
Wife.
This was less than days prior
To the incident.
That's a lot of money to have
In a life-insurance policy for a
Sailor who has no family
Fortune, is not earning but a
Low rate in the navy, not making
Much money.
Narrator: this plus an
Additional $, from her
Navy life insurance was a
Significant payout.
Of the seven deadly sins,
Greed is my favorite.
And this man loved his money,
And he was willing to sacrifice
Innocent people for $,.
So he could live the good life.
Narrator: and he could pin
Her m*rder on quincy brown.
He's a cold-blooded k*ller.
Narrator: ironically, elise
Helped plan, organize, and carry
Out her own m*rder.
The only thing that changed
Is elise was double-crossed and
She was k*lled in the process as
Well.
Narrator: eddie's plan was
Almost too perfect.
Narrator: based on the
Forensic evidence, prosecutors
Believe that eddie makdessi was
Responsible for the murders of
Both his wife, elise, and
Quincy brown.
They believe this whole thing
Started as a sexual-harassment
Scam against the navy.
Elise makdessi made a videotape
And written journal claiming
That five men sexually assaulted
And r*ped her while on duty at
The naval air base where she
Worked.
Despite her claims on the tape,
The navy says she never filed
Any charges against these men.
Sexual harassment, sexual
as*ault, and r*pe.
Narrator: but eddie and elise
Needed forensic evidence, so
They invited one of the men she
Named in her journal,
Quincy brown, over to their
Apartment for a sexual
Threesome.
Elise would have claimed that
Quincy had r*ped her, and
Therefore, they would have been
Able to pursue their
Sexual-harassment claim.
Narrator: on the night of the
Crime, there was no as*ault
Outside their apartment.
When they returned home from
Dinner, quincy brown called
Their apartment at :, most
Likely to confirm their date.
[ Telephone rings ]
Hello?
Are we still on for tonight?
He said he'll be here in
Minutes.
Okay, let's get ready.
Narrator: investigators
Believe eddie set the scene by
Tying elise to the bed.
To quincy brown, it would appear
To be a bondage fantasy for the
Evening.
To the police, it would look
Like a violent as*ault.
[ Knock on door ]
When quincy arrived, he had a
Condom in his pocket.
Perhaps he was encouraged not to
Use it, although no one really
Knows.
Go ahead on in.
I'm just gonna kick back and
Watch.
Narrator: after the sexual
Encounter, eddie pulled his
First double-cross of the
Evening on quincy brown.
Okay, I think you're
Finished.
Break into my house, knock me
Out, you r*ped my wife...
Narrator: they blame him for
Breaking into the apartment and
Raping elise.
[ g*nshots ]
It's unclear whether elise knew
If quincy would die.
Cut me loose now, honey.
Narrator: but she obviously
Didn't know eddie would
Double-cross her, too.
Eddie staged the scene to make
It look like a break-in,
as*ault, and a r*pe-m*rder
Perpetrated by quincy brown.
And eddie collects $, in
Life insurance.
And maybe he walks away with
A sexual-harassment case also.
Narrator: he almost got away
With it, too.
But in the end, he left too many
Clues.
It was obvious that
Eddie makdessi was lying to me
About what happened, and how
Things had happened in that
Bedroom.
He told us this happened,
This happened, this happened.
And multiple claims by
Eddie makdessi were refuted by
The forensic evidence.
Narrator: but when it came
Time to arrest eddie makdessi,
He had fled to russia.
The problem we're having is
That he's now a russian citizen,
And we don't have an extradition
Treaty, so we can't get him out
Of russia.
Narrator: for almost a
Decade, eddie makdessi was on
The run.
Reporter mike mather decided to
Track him down, despite everyone
Telling him it was useless.
The state department at the
Time told me, virginia beach
Police told me, the embassy told
Me, "you're wasting your time.
He's never coming back here."
So I said, "let's go find out."
Sent him an e-mail.
He agreed to meet with me.
Flew to moscow.
Narrator: apparently,
Mike mather caught makdessi at
Just the right time.
He clearly didn't like living in
Russia.
How can I say this?
They took my money, they beat me
Up, they put me in jail because
They thought I was an american
Spy, and here I was, without
American documents to prove that
I'm an american.
Narrator: makdessi chose to
Return to the united states and
Face trial, thinking that
Elise's videotaped allegations
Would provide the reasonable
Doubt he needed for acquittal.
I want to do that because I
Know I can prove I'm innocent.
I know that what has happened to
Me and all this that happened to
Me, the american people should
Know about.
Narrator: years after the
Double homicide, eddie makdessi
Went on trial.
The forensic evidence was
Overwhelming.
We, the jury, find the
Defendant guilty of first-degree
m*rder of quincy b. Brown,
Guilty of first-degree m*rder of
Elise m. Makdessi.
Narrator: makdessi was
Sentenced to two consecutive
Life terms.
In cross, we explained very,
Very well how the blood-spatter
Evidence contradicted what eddie
Said.
It wasn't he said, she said.
It was he said, and everyone
Else was dead.
It's never left me that eddie
Did that, and I've never
Questioned that he was capable
Of it.
Not even for a second.
Without the forensic
Evidence, without ross gardner
And the blood-spatter analysis
Of the crime scene to be able to
Disprove eddie's statement --
Because all we had was eddie's
Statement and the crime scene.