13x04 - Political Thriller

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Narrator: up next, a state

Politician mysteriously dies

After her impeachment trial.

Experts don't know why.

I personally have not known a

Woman, years old, drop dead

Of a heart att*ck.

Narrator: a microscopic clue

Points towards foul play.

No one could account for this

Puncture wound in her left hip.

Narrator: were her political

Enemies to blame?

Or was it someone closer to

Home?

If you're asking me my

Opinion, he hated her.

The clean get cleaner, and

The clean get cleaner, and the dirty get dirtier.

The dirty get dirtier.

Narrator: kathy augustine was

One of the most colorful

Politicians in nevada state

Politics.

She was the state's first female

Controller.

And she was on president bush's

Short list to become the

Secretary of the treasury.

Whether you agreed with her

Politics or not, you could not

Doubt that this woman was a

Force of nature.

Narrator: but augustine's

Star fell as quickly as it rose.

Not guilty, madam president.

Narrator: in , her

Political enemies accused her of

Violating election laws, and her

Case was brought before the

State legislature.

I think that we can finally

Get a fair and nonpartisan trial

In the state senate.

Narrator: but the trial

Didn't go her way.

Kathy augustine was convicted of

Using state personnel and

Equipment for her campaign and

Was fined $,.

I think she felt the

Impeachment was a joke.

I think kathy considered leaving

Politics after the impeachment.

But she really wanted to clear

Her name.

She was one of the top five

Elected officials in the state.

Some people thought she was not

Very nice, and some people

Thought she was the greatest

Thing since cupcakes.

Narrator: two years later,

Kathy augustine ran again for

State treasurer.

But in the middle of that

Campaign, kathy fell ill.

Something's wrong with my

Wife.

She's not breathing.

She's not breathing at all?

Not breathing at all.

I need help.

Narrator: when paramedics

Arrived, kathy was barely alive.

They gave her two dr*gs to

Assist her, kind of jolt her

Back into business, and then

They loaded her into the

Ambulance and took her to the

Hospital.

Narrator: doctors suspected a

Heart att*ck and performed an

Angiogram, but it showed no

Blockages.

And her condition continued to

Deteriorate.

She was in a coma and

Completely unresponsive.

She was completely motionless

And on a respirator.

There really was no chance of

Her recovering and living.

Narrator: after three days,

The family had to make a

Difficult choice.

We made the decision to

Withdraw life support.

It was a tough decision, but it

Was a decision that was made a

Little easier by the fact that

Kathy had clearly expressed

That in her will.

Narrator: after kathy's

Death, her husband, chaz, was

Able to provide some important

Details.

He said he awoke early that

Morning, got up, did some

Chores, and, when he returned to

The bedroom, realized kathy was

Unresponsive.

Just checked her out, and she

Wasn't breathing.

She had no pulse, so I started

Cpr.

Narrator: chaz and other

Family members said that, in the

Days before her death, kathy

Seemed her usual self.

I saw kathy about two weeks

Before her death, and she

Appeared to be in very good

Spirits.

In fact, my wife and I commented

That we had never seen her so

Happy.

Narrator: unfortunately,

Kathy's autopsy provided few

Answers.

There was no significant

Hardening of the arteries, nor

Was there any evidence that a

Blood clot had clogged or

Occluded the arteries.

Nothing was found.

The medical examiners couldn't

Say cause of death, couldn't say

Manner of death, 'cause she had

No reason for her to die.

Could she have had a brain

Aneurysm?

The thing was the autopsy showed

Nothing that showed any

Conclusive evidence of a cause

Of death right off the top.

Narrator: so, what caused

Kathy augustine's death?

The family wanted answers.

Narrator: several days after

Kathy augustine d*ed, emergency

Workers were called to her house

Yet again.

This is our dispatch.

This is our dispatch. Okay.

Okay.

We got a call from a neighbor

That an ambulance was outside

Kathy's home and they were

Wheeling chaz away.

Narrator: chaz higgs left a

su1c1de not saying he couldn't

Live without his wife, kathy.

He blamed her political enemies

For her death.

She was fighting for her

She was fighting for her life...

Life...

...so we can hold hands in the

Sunshine.

Narrator: fortunately, chaz

Received medical attention in

Time, and he survived.

The next day, kathy's funeral

Went ahead as planned.

Friends and foes alike were

There.

It was a heartbreaking

Ceremony.

These people loved her, and they

Missed her, and they mourned

Her.

But hanging over that whole

Funeral were so many questions

About why she had d*ed.

Narrator: kathy augustine and

Chaz higgs had been married for

Only three years, and for kathy,

It was her fourth marriage.

Her previous husband,

Charles augustine, was an

Airline pilot.

He'd suffered a stroke and was

Hospitalized, and chaz higgs was

His nurse.

That's when kathy and chaz met.

They were seen together in

The hospital, having meals

Together in the hospital

Cafeteria.

A relative of charles augustine

Was quoted as saying he thought

That was odd that kathy and the

Nurse were spending so much time

Together.

Narrator: charles augustine

d*ed in the hospital.

Kathy married chaz just three

Weeks later.

It was a relationship that

Evolved very quickly and

Certainly took all of kathy's

Friends and family members off

Guard.

My wife and I were sort of

Gagging, you know.

It just seemed very naive.

And of course, we didn't express

That to her.

I mean, we wished her well and

Hoped for the best.

But clearly, I think we've all

Learned a lesson from that.

Narrator: kathy was the

Beneficiary of

Charles augustine's $ million

Life-insurance policy.

Investigators learned that kathy

And charles were talking about a

Divorce before he suffered the

Stroke.

It's unclear whether kathy would

Have remained the beneficiary

Had the two divorced.

Investigators now wondered if

Charles augustine had been a

Victim of foul play.

But their immediate concern

Right now was the investigation

Of kathy's death.

Very early in my career, a

Very seasoned homicide detective

Shared with me something that's

Always kind of stayed with me,

And he said that, during the

Course of a good investigation,

The clean get cleaner, and the

Dirty get dirtier.

Narrator: the medical

Examiner told police she saw

Something suspicious during

Kathy augustine's autopsy...

Two small bruises on kathy's

Left buttock.

There was at least one

Injection, if not two probable

Injection or needle-puncture

Sites identified in an unusual

Location for therapy.

And the puncture sites were not

Ever accounted for with the

Record of medical therapy.

Narrator: investigators now

Wondered if someone had m*rder*d

Kathy augustine.

Narrator: as police

Investigated the death of

Kathy augustine, they had to

Consider the possibility that

Her husband, chaz higgs, a

Registered nurse, was somehow

Involved.

Chaz told everyone who would

Listen that their three-year

Marriage was a happy one.

Coworkers, however, disputed

That.

He used to say some nasty

Things about his wife.

A nurse would see that he's busy

Doing something, walk over, and

Say, "is there anything I can do

To help?"

And his response usually was,

"Yeah, get rid of my wife."

Narrator: a search of chaz's

Computer revealed some

Surprising e-mails, which proved

Chaz was having affairs.

Chaz higgs wrote to a woman,

A coworker, and said, "I'm doing

Everything I can to make this --

Blank -- crazy, and it's

Working.

I want to be with you.

I don't want to be with her.

You have my heart."

Narrator: investigators were

Also suspicious when they

Listened to his entire call.

Something's wrong with my

Wife.

She's not breathing.

I don't know what happened to

I don't know what happened to her.

Her.

Yeah, go right ahead.

All right.

He does not sound like the

Panic-stricken, grieving husband

Who is surprised to find his

Otherwise-healthy wife

Unconscious, unresponsive, and

Near death.

Narrator: and ambulance

Workers said chaz didn't look

Very concerned, either.

One of the things that the

Paramedics reported was

Mr. Higgs' being seated in the

Passenger seat of the ambulance,

Reading the newspaper, as his

Wife was being rushed to the

Hospital.

I don't care how tough you

Are, if your wife's in the back

End of that ambulance and you

Don't know why and you're not

Certain she's gonna survive, I

Don't think you can read the

Macy's ads.

Narrator: one of

Kathy augustine's friends told

Police kathy called her the

Night before she d*ed.

She said her three-year marriage

To chaz higgs was over.

Chaz higgs asked for a

Divorce the night before he

Found his wife dead in their bed

In reno.

Narrator: kathy's estate was

Worth over $ million.

Investigators also learned that

Chaz higgs made an incriminating

Statement to a coworker the

Night kathy was planning to end

Their marriage.

She was a nurse who worked

With chaz higgs, and she said

That, on the night before

Kathy augustine fell ill, that

Chaz had said, "if you really

Want to k*ll someone, give them

A sh*t of succs.

They can't trace it

Post-mortem."

To this nurse, succs was a

Substance called

Succinylcholine.

Succinylcholine is a drug that

Is used to paralyze people.

It's a paralytic drug.

It's typically used when an

Individual is under anesthesia

For an operation in order to

Paralyze their muscles.

Narrator: succinylcholine is

Usually given in very small

Doses.

It's fast-acting and leaves the

Body quickly.

It has a half-life -- which

Means the time it takes for half

Of the drug to disappear -- of

About one minute.

Narrator: in large doses,

It's fatal.

And as a critical-care nurse,

It's a drug chaz higgs would

Have had access to.

But investigators were worried.

If chaz higgs used

Succinylcholine, there would be

No way to prove it, since the

Drug leaves the body so quickly.

I was concerned that he might

Actually get away with m*rder.

Narrator: but investigators

Remained hopeful that, if higgs

Did commit m*rder, that he left

Some trace.

Persons who break the law,

Fortunately for me, are not

Always, you know, the brightest

Bulbs in the chandelier.

Crooks make mistakes.

If they were smarter, they

Wouldn't get caught nearly as

Often.

Narrator: then a week after

Kathy's death, police got a

Break.

A nurse who worked in the

Hospital's emergency room called

Police with some important

Information.

She said, when kathy was first

Admitted to the hospital, she

And a coworker didn't believe

Kathy was having a heart att*ck.

Instead, they suspected she had

Been poisoned.

So, they immediately took

Samples of kathy's blood and

Urine and had them frozen.

If kathy had been poisoned with

Succinylcholine, freezing these

Samples might give investigators

The evidence they needed.

The succinylcholine survives

Longer in the urine because

There are not enzymes in the

Urine that break it down like

There are in the blood sample.

Narrator: investigators acted

Quickly.

There's only two labs that

I'm aware of in the country that

Can test for succinylcholine.

Narrator: one of them is the

Fbi lab in virginia.

It was there that kathy's urine

Sample was subjected to liquid

Chromatography mass

Spectrometry.

The analysis was a target

Analysis.

The instruments were set up

Specifically to look for

Succinylcholine.

Narrator: kathy's urine

Tested positive for trace

Amounts of succinylcholine.

Had the samples not been frozen

Immediately, it would have been

Useless.

Chaz higgs was arrested and

Charged with his wife's m*rder.

In searching his car, they

Found a stack of x cards.

The very top card told all of

The uses and dosages for

Succinylcholine.

Narrator: investigators now

Wondered if kathy's previous

Husband, charles augustine, had

Been m*rder*d, too.

Narrator: kathy augustine's

Death was now ruled a homicide.

Her husband, chaz higgs, was

Arrested and charged with her

m*rder.

He denied taking

Succinylcholine from work, but

His access to the drug and his

Public statements about his wife

Made him the likely suspect.

Everything pointed to

Succinylcholine.

Chaz higgs had access to it,

That chaz higgs was angry with

His wife, that chaz higgs had

Mentioned using that particular

Drug on someone in order to k*ll

Them hours before her body

Was found.

Narrator: prosecutors believe

Chaz woke up before kathy on the

Morning of the m*rder.

He filled a syringe with the

Succinylcholine he had probably

Stolen from work and injected

Her as she slept.

He called to report finding

His wife unconscious.

To his surprise, emergency

Technicians revived her and took

Her to the hospital.

There, two nurses immediately

Suspected some sort of

Poisoning.

They took blood and urine

Samples and froze them for later

Analysis.

Had that not been done, the

Outcome may have been very

Different.

We're very fortunate in our

Community that those medical

Professionals had the foresight

To guard that sample, to

Preserve it properly.

It was quickly frozen and made

Available for forensic testing.

And those things all played to

Our favor.

Narrator: and the motive?

If you're asking me my

Opinion as to what the motive

Was, he hated her.

You know, I've seen kids

k*lled over tennis shoes, over

$ Or $.

I've seen spouses k*ll each

Other over the most moronic of

Arguments.

For a spouse to k*ll another

Spouse, it doesn't have to be a

Good motive, but I think clearly

The evidence showed that chaz

Did not want to be with kathy.

Narrator: a year after

Kathy's m*rder, chaz went on

Trial.

The day before he was to take

The stand, he attempted su1c1de

Yet again.

I think it was another

Selfish attempt for him to

Miscorrect attention away from

What he had done and to try and

Garner sympathy from the jury.

Narrator: when he recovered,

He testified in his own defense.

Because I didn't do it.

I wouldn't do that.

He was just as cold on the

Stand as he had been sitting in

His chair.

Bandages on his wrists didn't

Make him any more likeable to

The jury.

Narrator: another prosecution

Witness used chaz's own words

Against him.

He said to me -- I actually

Remember it 'cause it was so

Vivid -- that, "if I didn't have

A daughter in las vegas, I would

k*ll my wife and throw her down

A mine shaft."

Narrator: after a -day

Trial, chaz higgs faced the

Jury.

We, the jury, in the

Above-entitled matter, find the

Defendant, chaz higgs, guilty of

First-degree m*rder.

Narrator: chaz higgs was

Sentenced to life in prison.

He'll be eligible for parole

After years.

Investigators have questioned

Whether higgs had anything to do

With the death of kathy's

Previous husband,

Charles augustine.

Chaz higgs first met the

Augustines when

Charles augustine suffered a

Stroke.

Higgs was one of his nurses at

The hospital.

That's how he first met kathy.

According to investigators,

Kathy and charles had been

Talking about a divorce before

His stroke, so perhaps it wasn't

Inappropriate for her to strike

Up a friendship with chaz higgs.

When charles augustine d*ed in

The hospital, as his wife, kathy

Was the beneficiary of his

$ Million life-insurance

Policy.

Three weeks later, she married

Chaz higgs.

In , charles augustine's

Body was exhumed and tested for

Succinylcholine.

They did find the metabolite

Of succinylcholine,

Succinylmonocholine.

Narrator: a metabolite means

It's a by-product of

Succinylcholine.

If you don't look for it, you

Don't find it.

And that's not a condescending

Answer.

That is the truth.

Narrator: there has never

Been a documented case of

Succinylmonocholine produced as

A result of embalming fluid.

However, in charles augustine's

Case, there were no records of

Which embalming fluids were

Used.

So, this possibility, however

Remote, could not be eliminated.

Therefore, the medical examiner

Did not change the manner of his

Death to homicide.

I'm sure that there will

Always be some well-placed

Suspicions surrounding

Mr. Augustine's death.

Narrator: for now, chaz higgs

Is in prison because two

Emergency-room nurses made a

Split-second decision that

Foiled his well-laid plans.

But for the high-tech testing

Methods and the forensics

Technology available, I think

This case would have been a

Mystery forever.

This whole case was based on

Forensic evidence, and had it

Not been for the hard work of

The fbi and for the diligence of

The detectives involved and for

The sharp eyes and ears of the

Medical professionals, he may

Have gotten away with it.

All I know is what the

Evidence showed that jury, and

The evidence showed that jury