Morgan Metzer: The True Story Behind Gaslit By My Husband

[00:00:01] Adam Cox: Imagine waking up in the middle of the night. . And realising someone is standing in your bedroom doorway.

[00:00:07] You dunno how they got in. You dunno what they want.

[00:00:09] You don't even know if you're going to survive the night

[00:00:13] so this man that's just, jumped on Morgan's bed, he hits her and pretty hard, he is punching her and he pistol whips her,

[00:00:21] Kyle Risi: God.

[00:00:22] Adam Cox: so what's barely conscious? The man zip ties her hands behind her back. And in that moment, Morgan can only be sure of one [00:00:30] thing. She's going to die.

[00:00:32] Morgan continues to be petrified but something doesn't sit right with Morgan, something felt very odd about the way the man had held her.

[00:00:41] Kyle Risi: Something about her felt familiar.

[00:00:43] Adam Cox: Yeah, it felt off. It didn't make sense in the moment, but now it's starting to click into place Morgan's thinking, has she just been attacked by her

[00:00:51]

[00:01:17] Adam Cox: Welcome to the Compendium, an Assembly of Fascinating things, a weekly variety podcast that gives you just enough information to stand your ground at any social gathering.

[00:01:26] Kyle Risi: That's right. We explore stories from the darker corners of [00:01:30] True crime, the hidden gems of history and the jaw dropping deeds of extraordinary people.

[00:01:35] Adam Cox: It's extraordinary people.

[00:01:36] Kyle Risi: It's extra

[00:01:37] Adam Cox: good grief.

[00:01:38] Kyle Risi: Don't cut that out. , let's see which Sadar freaks sit on.

[00:01:41] Adam Cox: I think

[00:01:41] Kyle Risi: there's no problem with me saying

[00:01:43] Adam Cox: that's a whole other word.

[00:01:45] Kyle Risi: You, you say fattening things. It's fascinating. Anyway,

[00:01:49] Adam Cox: this week, I'm Adam Cox, your ringmaster for this episode.

[00:01:53] Kyle Risi: and I'm Kyle Reese. the lead juggling equipment inventory controller.

[00:01:57] Adam Cox: There's three balls. How many, like how much do you [00:02:00] need to count

[00:02:00] Kyle Risi: three? Yeah, there is three balls because I'm here to count and make sure the inventory doesn't go missing.

[00:02:05] Basically, I'm responsible for tracking the whereabouts of all the juggling balls.

[00:02:10] Adam Cox: Yeah, there's three. Surely the juggler can keep track of this. Nope. We do not need you,

[00:02:15] Kyle Risi: . Well you see, normally the circus is very generous with their equipment budget. But due to some very poor planning and a sort of what's the word?

[00:02:22] menage. Mais of confusion between the juggling director Sue from accounts and the bearded lady.

[00:02:28] Adam Cox: Isn't that like a sexual [00:02:30] thing?

[00:02:30] Kyle Risi: Yeah, it's like a threesome, isn't it?

[00:02:31] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:02:32] Kyle Risi: The budgeting request basically was never submitted for that year 'cause he was preoccupied. Right? So there's no money. None. Which means that instead of being able to just buy new juggling balls when they go missing, which costs like 68 pounds, 75 p. They actually just spent thousands bringing me in instead to keep track of all the balls.

[00:02:49] Adam Cox: So you are the result of a threesome.

[00:02:51] Kyle Risi: No, I'm not their child.

[00:02:52] Adam Cox: No. But because they weren't focusing on the job at

[00:02:55] Kyle Risi: house. yes. yeah. Exactly.

[00:02:56] Adam Cox: Okay.

[00:02:57] Kyle Risi: Yeah. Anyway,

[00:02:59] Adam Cox: It's a good thing that [00:03:00] you don't do these roles as much as I do. The roles.

[00:03:02] Kyle Risi: Really? Why? And they're just so long-winded. Like you get to the point where you just think this is it.

[00:03:06] this is how I'm gonna die.

[00:03:07] Adam Cox: Pretty much. Yeah. You're gonna have to like wake up the rest of the audience.

[00:03:10] Kyle Risi: Listen, this is housekeeping guys. If you are new to the show and you want to support us, then the absolute best way to support the show. And enjoy exclusive perks is to join us over a Patreon because signing up is free and you get access to next week's episode, as always seven days early,

[00:03:27] Adam Cox: and for as little as $5 a month, you can become [00:03:30] a fellow freak of the show, which will unlock our entire back catalogue of all of our classic episodes.

[00:03:35] Kyle Risi: All of them baby. But Adam, let's be honest, right? The real reason to sign up as a certified freak and a big top tier member is that you get access to our exclusive compendium key chain. So we can always be dangling there, right? By your crutch,

[00:03:51] Adam Cox: Crotch.

[00:03:52] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:03:52] Adam Cox: I

[00:03:52] Kyle Risi: switch it up there a

[00:03:53] Adam Cox: little bit,

[00:03:54] Kyle Risi: you

[00:03:54] know?

[00:03:54] Adam Cox: You did it. Keeps it interesting. And lastly, guys, please follow us on your favourite podcast app and [00:04:00] Leave us a review because your support helps others find us and keeps these amazing stories coming.

[00:04:05] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm. An atom.

[00:04:06] I think that's a wrap for this week's housekeeping.

[00:04:08] Adam Cox: It is indeed. Because today, Kyle on the compendium.

[00:04:12] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:04:12] Adam Cox: We are diving into an assembly of deception control and showing up in the nick of time.

[00:04:18] Kyle Risi: Okay. Wow. I have had a taste of my own medicine and it is bitter.

[00:04:24] Adam Cox: What do you mean by that?

[00:04:25] Kyle Risi: I have no idea what this is about.

[00:04:26] No clue.

[00:04:28] Adam Cox: Yeah, it's pretty vague. Okay. [00:04:30] So imagine waking up in the middle of the night. Mm-hmm. And realising someone is standing in your bedroom doorway.

[00:04:35] Kyle Risi: It's usually you.

[00:04:37] Adam Cox: Okay. In this instance is not

[00:04:39] Kyle Risi: watching you sleep. Calms me down, Kyle.

[00:04:41] Adam Cox: Imagine I'm not in the house.

[00:04:42] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:04:43] Adam Cox: You dunno how they got in. Mm-hmm You dunno what they want.

[00:04:46] You don't even know if you're going to survive the night or even to see your children the very next day.

[00:04:52] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:04:52] Adam Cox: But thankfully you do after a horrendous ordeal. One that would make you feel hopeless and scared within [00:05:00] your own home and in the hours that follow. The worst part isn't what necessarily has just happened to you.

[00:05:05] It's what happens after the attack. ' cause this is one of our favourite kind of cases to unpack a survival story

[00:05:12] Kyle Risi: Wow. Okay. Interesting setup there, Adam.

[00:05:15] What is the story about?

[00:05:16] Adam Cox: today on the compendium, I'm going to tell you the story of Morgan Metzer, A story that shocked America, a master attacker, a carefully timed rescue, and a twist that was so unsettling.

[00:05:28] It was later adapted into a [00:05:30] lifetime movie.

[00:05:30] Kyle Risi: Oh, really? A lifetime movie.

[00:05:33] Adam Cox: I Okay. So are you ready for today's episode?

[00:05:36] Kyle Risi: Yes, I am. Adam, tell me more about Morgan Metzer.

[00:05:40] Adam Cox: So our story today starts in Canton, Georgia on New Year's Eve in 2020. Morgan Metzer is at home alone. Her 8-year-old twins are away for a few days with family and she's just spent the evening with her best friend Nicole, bringing in the new year. It was pretty low key. They've had a bit of wine and Morgan decides to tap out early.

[00:05:59] 'cause staying [00:06:00] up to midnight just felt a bit impossible.

[00:06:02] Kyle Risi: She's clearly in her thirties.

[00:06:03] Adam Cox: Yeah. So she decides to call it a night to head home. She gets home and locks up, arming her security system.

[00:06:10] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:06:10] Adam Cox: Once secure, she gets ready for bed and falls asleep.

[00:06:13] ready to wake up in 2021.

[00:06:15] Kyle Risi: A new woman, new year, new me, got all my,news resolution sorted.

[00:06:20] Adam Cox: All the classics, all those January, things you need to do.

[00:06:22] Kyle Risi: So after perhaps dozing or being half asleep, she's startled awake by fireworks, celebrating the new year. She's [00:06:30] bleary-eyed and it's dark. So she's in that sort of half dream state where your brain is still figuring out what is going on. She begins to head back to sleep. She spots something, a shadow? Or is it just the trick of the dark?

[00:06:43] Yeah, like, 'cause the fireworks going off, sometimes they there's flashes of they shine through the window, cast a shadow that can sometimes feel like it's moving.

[00:06:50] Adam Cox: Exactly. And are her eyes just still adjusting? Like I say, she's half asleep.

[00:06:54] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:06:54] Adam Cox: But then things snap into focus and she sees it quite clearly.

[00:06:58] There's a figure [00:07:00] standing in her doorway.

[00:07:01] Kyle Risi: Who is it?

[00:07:02] Adam Cox: They are all in black, equipped with a mask and gloves and Morgan is terrified. Wow. Someone has been able to sneak into her house while she is alone without setting off her alarm. And before she can even sit up properly, the figure is on the bed quite quickly.

[00:07:18] She realises it's a man.

[00:07:20] Kyle Risi: On the bet

[00:07:21] Adam Cox: so this man that's just, jumped on her bed, he hits her and pretty hard, he is punching her and he pistol whips her, even [00:07:30] choking her until she's close to losing consciousness. Shit. So why the hell is she being attacked like this? And by who and why in the middle of the night

[00:07:39] Kyle Risi: and on New Year's Eve.

[00:07:40] Adam Cox: So what's barely conscious? The man zip ties her hands behind her back. And in that moment, Morgan can only be sure of one thing. She's going to die.

[00:07:49] Kyle Risi: God.

[00:07:50] Adam Cox: The man sexually assaults her while she is tied up and she is helpless and can't do a thing about it to protect herself. The man also barely [00:08:00] speaks, but when he does, his voice is unusual.

[00:08:03] Let's just say that. It's like he's disguising it, it's low and gravelly.

[00:08:08] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:08:08] Adam Cox: He's almost like he's putting on a character. And the first thing I thought of. Sounds like Batman in terms of when Christian Bale disguises his voice of Batman because

[00:08:16] Kyle Risi: Yeah. It's putting on like the Gruffness.

[00:08:18] Adam Cox: Yeah. Because otherwise people will recognise he's Bruce Wayne.

[00:08:21] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:08:22] Adam Cox: So is this guy doing this so that Morgan doesn't recognise who it is?

[00:08:27] Kyle Risi: gotta be like, if you don't wanna be spotted, [00:08:30] right?

[00:08:30] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:08:30] So regardless whether the guy is putting on, a voice or whatever, it's still terrifying to Morgan. She's going through this horrific ordeal of being attacked and to make things only worse, this doesn't feel like a random intruder, like we alluded to.

[00:08:44] The man is asking questions like. Where she kept her valuables, like jewellery and cash as he's pulling out drawers and sifting through her wardrobe.

[00:08:52] But at one point he says something that strikes a chord with her because , it's deeply personal details about her private life that a [00:09:00] stranger shouldn't have known.

[00:09:01] So quite clearly, this man has targeted Morgan.

[00:09:04] Kyle Risi: By what? what does he say?

[00:09:05] Adam Cox: he references her recent divorce and even seemed to threaten her ex-husband, telling her, you're going to miss your husband. Oh. And despite everything that had happened between them, Morgan still cared about her ex rod. In the middle of the attack she pleaded for his safety, saying, don't hurt my husband.

[00:09:21] I love him very much. And as she begged, the man shifted focus. He demanded her mobile phone and password to unlock it. And of [00:09:30] course she gives Both of them to him. Mm-hmm. Albeit she doesn't know why anything to comply,

[00:09:34] Kyle Risi: of course she's not gonna exactly say no. Especially if you've been ziptied.

[00:09:38] Adam Cox: Yeah. and I guess, if there's any glimmer that she might survive, she's gonna cooperate.

[00:09:43] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:09:43] Adam Cox: Then she hears a sound from her phone, a lock disengaging, and that's the sound of her house security system being used against her. He unlocks the door to her house remotely from her security app on her phone.

[00:09:56] Kyle Risi: Uhhuh. So how did he know that she would have one of those though? Like how often do you [00:10:00] have a remote security app on your phone?

[00:10:03] Adam Cox: Exactly. this person knows or must know something about Morgan to be able to do that.

[00:10:08] Kyle Risi: Sure. .

[00:10:09] Adam Cox: Either way. It's something she couldn't quite put her finger on

[00:10:11] Kyle Risi: for sure. Yeah. There's definitely a clue there as to who this man is or how he might know this woman. He's clearly been speaking to someone that might know her.

[00:10:20] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:10:21] Now, once the main sort of attack is over with, he puts a pillowcase over Morgan's head, and of course Morgan continues to be [00:10:30] petrified and the man guides her by the arm instantly. Something doesn't sit right with Morgan, something felt very odd about the way the man had held her.

[00:10:38] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:10:39] Adam Cox: She's guided outside onto the porch and then the man orders her not to move.

[00:10:44] Not until she hears two honks of her car horn.

[00:10:46] Kyle Risi: That's weird.

[00:10:48] Adam Cox: I'm guessing,

[00:10:48] Kyle Risi: is it a clown car?

[00:10:51] Adam Cox: I'm assuming it means he's driving off.

[00:10:53] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:10:54] Adam Cox: That's

[00:10:54] what I'm getting from that now. Now you're now you can go basically. Okay, so then what happens? So [00:11:00] Morgan's lying on her porch. She's naked, bound. She's still got this pillowcase over her head and she's terrified. She's trying to slow her breathing, trying not to panic because she's convinced this guy, he's still out there, he's watching and he's testing her. She's waiting for this car horn, but nothing comes.

[00:11:17] and she doesn't let out a scream kind of for fear, but also because there isn't really much point because her neighbours weren't close at all. She's living quite secluded.

[00:11:26] Kyle Risi: And even if you did hear that, like it is New Year's Eve as well, right?

[00:11:29] Adam Cox: It's [00:11:30] the Yes. Would

[00:11:30] Kyle Risi: you just think it's a bunch of kids?

[00:11:31] Adam Cox: It's the middle of the night. Are people still awake at that point? Maybe?

[00:11:35] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm. How terrifying.

[00:11:36] Adam Cox: So she's laying there, she's waiting nervously. And what felt like maybe just a few minutes actually was around about 40 minutes. That is when she hears footsteps. A creek that someone is moving through the house and in her mind there's only one explanation.

[00:11:52] The guy, he's come back to finish things off.

[00:11:54] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:11:54] Adam Cox: Instead, she hears a voice, she recognises a man calling her name and he says, oh [00:12:00] honey, what's happened? And it's honey, it's her ex-husband Rod.

[00:12:04] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:12:05] Adam Cox: She's absolutely relieved and so pleased to see him. And

[00:12:09] Kyle Risi: that's a bit of a coincidence that he's just arrived at her house on New Year's Eve

[00:12:13] Adam Cox: does seem a bit strange, right?

[00:12:14] Kyle Risi: . So it's weird that he's, uh, showed up. On New Year's Eve in the middle of the night

[00:12:18] Adam Cox: suspicious.

[00:12:20] Kyle Risi: Yeah, it is. Does he normally do this?

[00:12:21] Adam Cox: I mean, who does turn up in the middle of the night at 1:00 AM

[00:12:24] Kyle Risi: not what will I do

[00:12:26] Adam Cox: then? You have something in common, which we need to circle back to. Yeah.

[00:12:28] Kyle Risi: Well I live here, it's my [00:12:30] house. You

[00:12:31] Adam Cox: So she's absolutely relieved and pleased to see him and Rod freeze her and removes the pillowcase from her head.

[00:12:38] She can now start to feel safe. Finally. So we're gonna have a brief pause. What do you think is going on?

[00:12:44] Kyle Risi: Okay. I think absolutely . 100%. Rod has got something to do with this.

[00:12:49] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:12:50] Kyle Risi: I wouldn't be surprised if it was even Rod. Because himself, he's disguised his voice so clearly he didn't want her to know.

[00:12:58] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:12:58] Kyle Risi: So I wouldn't put that [00:13:00] past him. The fact that he asks personal questions specifically about Rod. Mm-hmm. And the marriage, suggests that clearly this person who did this knew Rod, but also curiously, something more intimate is that he knew about the house alarm.

[00:13:16] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:13:16] Kyle Risi: Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Opening up the phone, knowing how to turn it off. if you handed me your phone, you said, oh, can you just like sign into PayPal? I'd be like, where do I go?

[00:13:26] Adam Cox: I know I freeze.

[00:13:27] Kyle Risi: Yeah. This is going into [00:13:30] someone's security alarm, like these apps, there's so many of them.

[00:13:33] Adam Cox: Yeah. if you ask me just to open up the camera on your phone, I'd be like, I don't understand why

[00:13:36] you

[00:13:36] Adam Cox: go.

[00:13:36] Kyle Risi: Exactly. Just the difference between different operating systems, right?

[00:13:39] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:13:39] Kyle Risi: Yeah, this is Rod.

[00:13:40] Adam Cox: Alright, well let's find out, a little bit about Morgan and Rod's relationship.

[00:13:45] Kyle Risi: Yes. Which he clearly loves him very much.

[00:13:46] Adam Cox: rod and Morgan had known each other for most of their lives. They met when Morgan was just 14 and Rod was 17.

[00:13:53] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:13:53] Adam Cox: It was creepy. yeah, I did think about that to be honest, I thought ' cause it seems like they, got into a relationship quite early on. [00:14:00] Mm-hmm. I dunno if it was at the age of 14 and 17.

[00:14:02] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:14:03] Adam Cox: But even still, it's very young.

[00:14:04] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:14:05] Adam Cox: I guess it's the kind of teenage relationship that, things feel very intense and all consuming. Morgan had said it moved very quickly, almost surprisingly fast, and he used to call her princess and in those early years she felt adored. And after she graduated high school, they moved in together.

[00:14:22] They weren't just dating, they were building a future and they were growing up side by side, figuring out adulthood together. They married in 2009 when [00:14:30] Morgan was just 21. Mm-hmm. So very young. but then they had already had shared years of history and it felt natural like the next step.

[00:14:36] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:14:37] Adam Cox: A few years later, they become parents to twins, a boy and a girl raising young children then starts to, change everything.

[00:14:43] The world becomes more about school runs, routines, birthday parties more

[00:14:47] Kyle Risi: stressful.

[00:14:48] Adam Cox: Exactly. Yeah. And so the constant

[00:14:50] Kyle Risi: strain, on the relationship, I'm assuming

[00:14:52] Adam Cox: that's kind of it. There's this whole, family life that they have to deal with. And so whilst from the outside it looked like things were solid, [00:15:00] they had this kind of loving family, this long history

[00:15:02] as the years passed though, things shifted and the relationshipwasn't the same. It wasn't as if like things just ended in one dramatic moment. It was more gradual.

[00:15:11] Kyle Risi: Yeah, sure. No, I get it.

[00:15:13] Adam Cox: So by 2020, Morgan made the decision to file for divorce and it wasn't explosive. It wasn't overnight, like I say,

[00:15:19] Kyle Risi: kind of amicable.

[00:15:20] But if this is Rod, he's clearly a bit but hurt about this depending on how long it's been since obviously she filed for divorce, which I'm sure you're gonna tell me now.

[00:15:28] Adam Cox: I will tell [00:15:30] you it was in fact literally a few months ago.

[00:15:33] Kyle Risi: Okay,

[00:15:33] Adam Cox: that's when it was finalised.

[00:15:34] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:15:35] Adam Cox: so

[00:15:35] Kyle Risi: Rod is a little bit but hurt.

[00:15:37] Adam Cox: Yeah. I dunno when exactly things, when they like officially separated, but they still left it on good terms because they shared kids with each other, and they were still looking out for one another.

[00:15:47] But equally, yeah, the marriage is over. It's still sad.

[00:15:50] Kyle Risi: Interesting. Was this Morgan then? Did Morgan stage this? Maybe,

[00:15:54] Adam Cox: why would she do that?

[00:15:55] Kyle Risi: To get Rod back? Maybe she's the one who's still in love. Hey, remember. [00:16:00] Remember Sherri Papini?

[00:16:01] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:02] Kyle Risi: Yeah. she staged her own kidnapping, remember?

[00:16:04] Adam Cox: That's right. She

[00:16:05] Kyle Risi: did that. Why did she do it for a bit of attention and stuff and to also I don't know, save me that kind of thing.

[00:16:10] Do you know what I mean?

[00:16:11] Adam Cox: Yeah. Okay, so now you're flipped. You're like, actually was it Rod? Is it Morgan? Is this a whole lie? What's going on? I.

[00:16:17] Kyle Risi: Listen, , it's clearly Rod who's done this.

[00:16:20] Adam Cox: But at that moment in time, rod was the knight in shining armour that night.

[00:16:25] So let's kind of go back to the night specifically. Mm-hmm. it's the immediate aftermath [00:16:30] Morgan and has just been found by Rod. He calls 9 1 1 and he explains the back door is open, Morgan's outside, she's been bound or tied up. You can hear her crying in the background asking him not to leave her alone.

[00:16:42] So she is distraught and she is so glad that Rod is there.

[00:16:45] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:16:46] Adam Cox: So for the responding officers, the first thing they have to do is get a grasp on the situation, find out what's happened, and resolve the chaos. They establish a timeline and they separate the two witnesses, IE Morgan and Rod to document everything. [00:17:00] And that's just routine because

[00:17:01] Kyle Risi: at this point she's a victim, not a witness.

[00:17:04] So why They're not taken to her hospital or anything?

[00:17:07] Adam Cox: I think they're going to do that, but I think they're first trying to establish what's happened. ' cause in cases like this, usually a, it's a former partner . Mm-hmm. it's standard procedure to make sure they're separate.

[00:17:17] Kyle Risi: Yeah. we've done too many true crime, episodes to know that. Yeah. When the police do not separate or quarantine the crime scene, things go to shit. So it sounds like at this moment of [00:17:30] time, thumbs up. They're doing a good job.

[00:17:31] Adam Cox: Yeah. they're going by the book.

[00:17:32] Yeah. So the detectives, they speak to Morgan privately and away from, I guess the noise in the hub of what's going on.

[00:17:38] She begins describing what didn't feel like this random attack.

[00:17:42] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:17:42] Adam Cox: The attacker knew personal details and he referenced her recent divorce, used her security app without hesitation when he demanded to have her phone. Mm-hmm. And then there was something else. The way he moved her.

[00:17:53] Remember I said the way that, she was moved by the attacker from her bedroom.

[00:17:57] Kyle Risi: Something about her felt familiar.

[00:17:59] Adam Cox: Yeah, it [00:18:00] felt off. But there's a specific grip. The way that the guy had, held her and moved her. It didn't make sense in the moment, but now it's starting to click into place.

[00:18:09] Kyle Risi: Was it like gentle or was it like a familiar way that someone would grab you? .

[00:18:15] Adam Cox: This wasn't a violent grip, I guess this is just someone moving her.

[00:18:18] Kyle Risi: Yeah. And if this is an attacker, you would expect to be more aggressive .

[00:18:22] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:18:22] Kyle Risi: Do you know what I mean? But it sounds like someone was gently shifting you rather than yanking you.

[00:18:27] Adam Cox: I think that's it. And so that grip [00:18:30] reminded her the way that Rod would get her outta bed when she was pregnant.

[00:18:34] Kyle Risi: Okay. Interesting. And at this moment in time, the alarm bell is not going off for Morgan.

[00:18:40] Adam Cox: No. So Morgan's thinking, has she just been attacked by her ex-husband?

[00:18:45] Kyle Risi: Oh, she's thinking that,

[00:18:46] Adam Cox: yeah.

[00:18:47] She isn't afraid to name him straight away to the police when she's alone. She didn't know for sure and there's always a chance that she's wrong. But something in her gut told her it could be him.

[00:18:57] Kyle Risi: That's so strange because you said that when [00:19:00] he showed up. Again, new Year's Eve unexpectedly, one o'clock in the morning.

[00:19:04] She seemed very happy that he was there, but in then at that moment in time, maybe she hadn't reflected on it, so she wasn't quite sure

[00:19:10] Adam Cox: exactly. In the moment you are probably petrified and you just hear a familiar voice.

[00:19:14] Kyle Risi: I'm not alone, basically, is what you're thinking.

[00:19:16] Adam Cox: Yeah. And she didn't know for sure.

[00:19:19] She didn't get a look at the guy. She couldn't prove that it was Rod.

[00:19:22] Kyle Risi: and she's obviously outside as well. She's got that pillowcase on her head. do you remember we went to Prime Evil that Halloween experience where you can go in, you can get SGO through [00:19:30] all the different T haunted houses and stuff.

[00:19:31] Mm-hmm. And one of those things was we had to walk along that, path up that hill in the woods with pillowcases on our heads while being guided by a tiny little string.

[00:19:42] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:19:42] Kyle Risi: That's petrifying.

[00:19:43] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm. Yeah.and that is for, a fun fair ride where we know it's, fake essentially.

[00:19:47] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:19:48] Adam Cox: This is someone that's just been brutally attacked.

[00:19:50] And then the other thing was, the attacker had said you're going to miss your husband quite specifically, and in the middle of the assault without really knowing why Morgan [00:20:00] pleaded with him. She begged him not to hurt Rod. She told him she loved him. And of course he's the father of their children.

[00:20:06] It was an instinct reaction, but reflecting back, she remembers something changing. In that moment, the tone in the room almost shifted, is like the energy softened just slightly. Not like there's this kindness or this remorse, but a subtle difference in the atmosphere where she felt like, okay, maybe there is a chance I could survive.

[00:20:24] Mm-hmm. And that shift had stayed with her.

[00:20:27] and then of course, as you've already said, why the [00:20:30] hell was Rod at her house in the middle of the night?

[00:20:33] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. Why was he there? New Year's Eve, go get drunk.

[00:20:37] Adam Cox: yeah. And coincidentally, why was he able to find her in her like hour of need after one of the most traumatic events of her life?

[00:20:45] Kyle Risi: Sure. A classic case may be that he was, but her. About the divorce, wanted her back and thought maybe if I act like the hero, I can win her back. But what a way to do it, eh?

[00:20:55] Adam Cox: Yeah. And so the police are very suspicious as well.

[00:20:58] and Rod doesn't really [00:21:00] have an explanation. he does try,to explain why he was there ? But it's so unbelievable.

[00:21:06] Kyle Risi: What does he say?

[00:21:07] Adam Cox: He claims he was getting ready for bed when someone knocked on his window.

[00:21:11] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:11] Adam Cox: And said, mark through the window. And instantly he was like, what? What was that?

[00:21:16] And so he then calls Morgan.

[00:21:17] Doesn't, doesn't get through. And so he is like, well, the only thing I can do is go round to our house.

[00:21:22] Kyle Risi: Sure. Okay. Interesting. I might buy that, I'm not sure.

[00:21:26] Adam Cox: I feel like it's pretty much a stretch, Would you,

[00:21:29] Kyle Risi: it is a [00:21:30] stretch, but we've all had those moments where I go like a mere cat and go, Adam's in trouble.

[00:21:35] Adam Cox: I, yeah. That's what he's trying to make out. there's almost this instinct or this kind of

[00:21:39] Kyle Risi: that they're connected, that the star cross lovers

[00:21:41] Adam Cox: this. Yeah. This weird sense that something was up. Okay. And yes, we've heard of stories where that happens in the past or whatever, but this just feels a little bit too convenient for someone just whispering through your window.

[00:21:53] Kyle Risi: For sure. He's faked this.

[00:21:55] Adam Cox: He's faked this.

[00:21:56] Kyle Risi: Yeah. He's fake this.

[00:21:57] Adam Cox: yeah, it looks that way, he says it spooked him and he couldn't get [00:22:00] back to sleep. And so that's when he decided just to drive over. So he only lives about 12 minutes from her house, and lo and behold, he finds a tied up. And when the police do arrive, the police notice some weird vibe from Rod.

[00:22:12] It's like he's very intense. He's all hostile. In fact, he's he's angry at the police for not playing their part fast enough. And he's like, effing and jing, and like, you're gonna have to solve this. Which of course is what they're gonna do if you just give them a chance.

[00:22:25] Kyle Risi: Yeah, exactly.

[00:22:26] Adam Cox: and the police are like, whoa, easy tiger.

[00:22:28] because Rod's reaction just felt [00:22:30] too over the top.

[00:22:31] So what the hell is going on? So we know Morgan and Rod had separated, but they were still on relatively good terms. Was Rod really behind this attack?

[00:22:41] And what would've provoked him to do that in the first place? So if we take a closer look at their marriage, as we know, they were childhood sweethearts. They get married and for a while things look, pretty good. But about eight months into their marriage, tragedy had actually struck Rod's younger brother Kevin died after battling [00:23:00] leukaemia.

[00:23:00] Mm-hmm.. And he was only 19 years old. And that devastated Rod Morgan said he was grief stricken and the loss had changed him. And she just did what any wife would do, tried to hold things together, support him, she became the steady one essentially. When they later found out that they were expecting a son, they named him Kevin in honour of Rod's brother.

[00:23:19] Oh, that's

[00:23:19] Kyle Risi: sweet. Yeah.

[00:23:20] Adam Cox: But then heartbreak followed again ' cause sadly their baby boy Was born early and only lived 18 days due to a congenital heart defect. Mm-hmm. So Morgan [00:23:30] later described that stretch of time, as a blur because they just had grief after grief. And despite being a unit, this was a really tough time for both of them.

[00:23:38] And so a few months later she became pregnant again. And this time for the twins, they're born healthy in 2012 and things felt like they were getting back on track. But as the twins approached their first birthday, Rodda just lost his job. He worked primarily as a day trader, which is a career which naturally has these highs and lows.

[00:23:56] Yeah.

[00:23:56] Kyle Risi: Stressful as well. Man.

[00:23:57] Adam Cox: I would hate to be one.

[00:23:58] Kyle Risi: No, I'd hate it so much.

[00:23:59] Adam Cox: I [00:24:00] like the highs.

[00:24:01] Kyle Risi: Yeah,

[00:24:01] Adam Cox: I like the lows.

[00:24:01] Kyle Risi: Just too many lows.

[00:24:03] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:24:03] Kyle Risi: And you've gotta time everything.

[00:24:04] Adam Cox: Yeah. Sell, sell, sell. Bye bye. Bye Bye.

[00:24:07] Kyle Risi: Bye bye. Yeah. Sell, sell, sell again. No, you shouldn't have bought.

[00:24:10] Adam Cox: I mean, we get sad when Bitcoin goes down.

[00:24:12] Kyle Risi: I don't. I'm hard as a rock. No. Oh, it's fallen. 50,000.

[00:24:18] Adam Cox: It's fine.

[00:24:18] Kyle Risi: I me a scratch.

[00:24:20] Adam Cox: So this downturn had hit him hard and it caused Rod to spiral. however, at the same time something else was happening.

[00:24:28] Morgan's interior design, [00:24:30] business, shiplap and sugar

[00:24:33] Kyle Risi: shiplap. Where is shiplap? Is that like

[00:24:35] Adam Cox: shiplap?

[00:24:35] Kyle Risi: Shiplap?

[00:24:36] Adam Cox: I dunno what that is.

[00:24:38] Kyle Risi: So she says here, shiplap is like cladding. Oh, outside cladding

[00:24:42] Adam Cox: and sugar.

[00:24:43] Kyle Risi: And sugar

[00:24:44] Adam Cox: and sweets. We do cladding and sweetss. What do you want?

[00:24:46] Kyle Risi: She needs to sort out her brand. It's all muddled up.

[00:24:50] Adam Cox: anyway, it was doing well, it was taking off Kyle so much. So it started as a passion project and, but then she had to hire her best friend to help run it.

[00:24:58] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:59] Adam Cox: So from the [00:25:00] outside, it looked like success.

[00:25:01] but success doesn't always land the same way for both people. ' cause as Morgan's career was gaining momentum

[00:25:07] Kyle Risi: mm-hmm.

[00:25:07] Adam Cox: Rods has faulted and the balance in the relationship had shifted.

[00:25:10] Kyle Risi: Oh, okay.

[00:25:12] Adam Cox: One time they were away with friends. They were staying at a lake cabin and they get into an argument and out of nowhere, rod began to beat Morgan, beat her, beat her

[00:25:22] Kyle Risi: in front of their friends.

[00:25:23] Adam Cox: Well, I'm guessing behind a closed door.

[00:25:25] Kyle Risi: That's still horrendous.

[00:25:26] Adam Cox: Okay. He's a total dick. She couldn't believe that it was happening. It has never [00:25:30] happened before. And she immediately called her dad and asked him to please come and get her. And he did. Of course, any dad would.

[00:25:36] Kyle Risi: Sure. And that's interesting. 'cause if this has never happened before, it's not excusable at all that he is done this, i feel so sorry for Morgan, and so if he's never done this before, and I'm assuming there hasn't really been any warning signs, something's been grating at him.

[00:25:50] And I think you're alluding to the fact that this power dynamic between them like she is now, the more stable one, the breadwinner almost the more successful one of the two .

[00:25:58] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:25:58] he can't handle it.

[00:25:59] Kyle Risi: He [00:26:00] clearly he can't handle it.

[00:26:00] Adam Cox: Yeah. But the thing is, It doesn't look good for Ryan in this moment.

[00:26:04] His father-in-law is on his way to obviously pick up his daughter.

[00:26:07] Kyle Risi: He's in trouble,

[00:26:08] Adam Cox: but Rod had a plan already 'cause no father would take the accusation lightly. Rod spun it on Morgan saying she was responsible for her own injuries. He claimed that she became so enraged and outta control during their argument that she was flailing around like crazy to the point that she actually injured herself.

[00:26:27] Kyle Risi: Really? Okay.

[00:26:28] Adam Cox: So Rod convinced [00:26:30] Morgan and her family that she was crazy so out of control that the only reason why he physically restrained her was just to get control of the situation.

[00:26:38] And with everyone around her believing this version of events,

[00:26:42] Kyle Risi: oh, people believed him.

[00:26:43] Adam Cox: Yeah. Mor.

[00:26:44] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:26:44] Adam Cox: Morgan couldn't help but question her own reality.

[00:26:47] Kyle Risi: So he's gaslit everyone basically.

[00:26:49] Adam Cox: Exactly. And she's like, did I do this to myself? Was she as unstable as Rod was making out

[00:26:56] Kyle Risi: Uhhuh? Uhhuh?

[00:26:56] Adam Cox: So Rod managed to convince her that she was the root cause of every [00:27:00] single argument that they had, which Morgan had started to accept.

[00:27:04] Mm-hmm. And yet she was being gaslit. And as time went on, Morgan recognised that Rod's manipulation was leading to sexual abuse. So he refused to take no for an answer, and he was extremely forceful. It was something she just didn't see initially. And she said the real turning point came when at one point he even threw himself down the stairs and then turned around to the kids and said, look what mommy did to me.

[00:27:29] Kyle Risi: [00:27:30] Wow.

[00:27:30] Adam Cox: So he's become a psychopath.

[00:27:32] Kyle Risi: He has. But Adam, do you know what? I'm trying to reserve judgement here because I know what you're like and there's gonna be a twist in the story.

[00:27:39] And I'm thinking that now Morgan did this to get him sent away.

[00:27:45] Adam Cox: Okay. Interesting.

[00:27:46] Well,

[00:27:47] Kyle Risi: she did this because he was gaslighting her. 'cause the thing is though, when someone successfully gaslights you, you do feel powerless, especially when it damages your credibility with other people. Right? Your

[00:27:58] Adam Cox: family,

[00:27:59] Kyle Risi: your family, [00:28:00] the people that you would think would trust you the most.

[00:28:02] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:28:03] Kyle Risi: That's devastating. And so I think in a desperate move, do you wanna hear my theory

[00:28:09] Adam Cox: go on then

[00:28:09] Kyle Risi: in a desperate move after all of this? Obviously they were in the process, getting divorced. Maybe she couldn't really shake him off. I don't know. Anyway, I think maybe she planned this and she's going to make it seem like it's him so she can get him sent away.

[00:28:24] Yeah. Yeah, that's it. That's my plan.

[00:28:26] Adam Cox: Okay.

[00:28:27] Kyle Risi: that is what my theory is.

[00:28:28] Adam Cox: All right.

[00:28:29] Kyle Risi: Am I right?

[00:28:29] Adam Cox: [00:28:30] let's find out, shall we?

[00:28:31] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:28:31] Adam Cox: Because in 2020, Morgan made the decision to file for divorce, and then the divorce was finalised in December. So obviously, like I said, it's not that long until the events of New Year's Eve.

[00:28:42] Kyle Risi: Sure. It's recent history. it's recent times.

[00:28:45] Adam Cox: So during her interview with the detectives, Morgan mentioned something that had happened just days before the attack.

[00:28:50] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:28:50] Adam Cox: Earlier that week, rod contacted her unexpectedly and told her that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

[00:28:57] Kyle Risi: Ooh.

[00:28:57] Adam Cox: According to him, she was the only person he had [00:29:00] told, and hearing that Morgan did, what many people would do, 'cause whatever had happened between them, he was still the father of her children. They had shared most of their lives together, and she wasn't indifferent to him. She still had some level of care or attachment to him.

[00:29:14] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:29:15] Adam Cox: He showed her medical paperwork, corroborating what he had said.

[00:29:19] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:29:19] Adam Cox: And wanting to be supportive. She allowed him to stay at her house. He had slept on the couch.

[00:29:24] That was the rule, but then it was only supposed to be for one night. But then that one night turned into two nights and [00:29:30] then several nights and throughout the week, rod remained in the home. And during that time, he repeatedly asked Morgan to reconsider the divorce. He told her that they could fix things and that he could provide for her, and that she wouldn't have to worry about working anymore.

[00:29:44] Kyle Risi: Oh, interesting. Okay. So now

[00:29:46] Adam Cox: you changed your opinion.

[00:29:48] Kyle Risi: I think it's Rod. He's trying to win it back.

[00:29:50] Adam Cox: But Morgan was firm. The marriage was over by the morning of New Year's Eve

[00:29:54] Kyle Risi: over OVAH. Rod, it's over.

[00:29:57] Adam Cox: They're not in East Enders.

[00:29:58] Kyle Risi: That wasn't Es that [00:30:00] was my Australian accent.

[00:30:01] Adam Cox: Oh wow.

[00:30:02] Kyle Risi: That's so rude. rude.

[00:30:05] Adam Cox: I think people in Australia will have something to

[00:30:07] Kyle Risi: say.

[00:30:07] No. They'll be like, wow. What a brilliant Kathleen Kim impression.

[00:30:10] Adam Cox: That is your inspiration. So by the morning of New Year's Eve, she had reached a breaking point. she had told him he needed to have told his parents about the diagnosis that she couldn't be his only source of support. And she told him he could no longer stay at her house.

[00:30:26] So he left. Mm-hmm. But the messages didn't stop that day [00:30:30] because he continued texting, apologising, persuading, promising to change, promising to earn more money, promising stability. And eventually Morgan told him she'd be spending New Year's at her parents' house and staying the night. And that she turned her phone off 'cause she just needed space.

[00:30:45] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:30:46] Adam Cox: So straight away this puts a chink and Rod's reason for being there. Why did he not think to go to her parents' house, for example?

[00:30:53] Kyle Risi: Yes,

[00:30:53] Adam Cox: if that is what she had told him. he knew to go straight to her house to randomly save the day because he heard some [00:31:00] voice whisper her name and knocked on his window. So Rod is adamant that he had only gone to the house out of concern. He said he became worried when he couldn't reach Morgan and wanted to check on her wellbeing= while still at the scene, he voluntarily handed over his phone to investigators as detectives. Began a preliminary review of his phone. Mm-hmm. I guess to check if he did indeed try to call Morgan before coming over. Sure. They locate a hidden folder.

[00:31:26] Kyle Risi: Ooh.

[00:31:26] Adam Cox: And inside were nude photographs of [00:31:30] Morgan.

[00:31:30] Based on what investigators have observed, it did not appear that Morgan knew that those images had been taken.

[00:31:35] oh.

[00:31:36] Kyle Risi: It's like he is covertly taken the photographs.

[00:31:39] Adam Cox: That's what it looks like.

[00:31:40] Kyle Risi: Yeah. In what,

[00:31:40] like is he spying on her? Has he got a camera set up somewhere?

[00:31:44] Adam Cox: I dunno the details exactly. But these aren't ones that she's posed for, let's

[00:31:48] Kyle Risi: put

[00:31:48] Adam Cox: it that way.

[00:31:48] Kyle Risi: No. And if your partner sends you a naughty photo, you don't put it into a secret folder.

[00:31:54] Adam Cox: You put it as your screensaver.

[00:31:55] Kyle Risi: Exactly.

[00:31:56] You go, Hey mom, can you just check their text message and then boom.

[00:31:59] Adam Cox: I was like, [00:32:00] oh, sorry. Look what I'm tapping.

[00:32:01] Kyle Risi: Yeah. and your mom was like, that's my boy.

[00:32:05] Adam Cox: Yeah. That's not what's happened here.

[00:32:06] Kyle Risi: No.

[00:32:06] Adam Cox: Also on his phone, they find saved screenshots of a private text conversation between Morgan and another man. Now, individually, those things might not prove anything about the attack.

[00:32:17] Kyle Risi: Well, he's clearly spying on her. That's what it proves

[00:32:19] Adam Cox: exactly. it paints a picture of monitoring, of fixation of someone who's paying very close attention to whatever Morgan was doing.

[00:32:27] Kyle Risi: Yes.

[00:32:27] Adam Cox: All of this was unfolding while Rod was sat [00:32:30] on the porch. And so with enough suspicion over him, they make the decision to detain him, and he's placed in handcuffs on the front porch and taken into custody that evening.

[00:32:39] Kyle Risi: Wow. Okay. So that was quick going.

[00:32:41] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:32:41] Kyle Risi: quicker than your explanation of all of this.

[00:32:44] Adam Cox: Hey.but yeah, it's like I find it crazy that he feels like he could get away with this and thought that he would pull the wall over so it many people, his eyes.

[00:32:52] Kyle Risi: Yeah, but Adam, just listen to me. I'm even more confused than ever.

[00:32:55] Adam Cox: And so Rod is taken into custody but they couldn't exactly prove that it was him at this [00:33:00] stage, but they just needed more time.

[00:33:02] They needed to secure a search warrant ' cause they were concerned if he was released, he could go back home and destroy any other evidence. Sure. Because we already know that some, there's some dodgy shit on his phone.

[00:33:12] Kyle Risi: So we know how this works. They need a reason to detain him. They're gonna find some stolen goods in his car or something.

[00:33:17] Adam Cox: One thing they needed to prove was that Rod was at the house at the time of the attack. But of course, when they look at the security footage, there is no evidence of any attacker, let alone Rod being at the house at the

[00:33:28] Kyle Risi: time. You mean no evidence of [00:33:30] attacker approaching the house?

[00:33:31] Adam Cox: That's right. Yes.

[00:33:32] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm. that means just one thing, right?

[00:33:34] Adam Cox: What?

[00:33:34] Kyle Risi: That he was in the house the whole time and so while she was like celebrating and getting ready for bed and whatever, and getting ready for, to tuck down for the night he was in the house, and he may have been in the house all afternoon

[00:33:47] Adam Cox: possibly. That's a good point because the security footage only captures Rod when he comes to save. Quotes Morgan.

[00:33:55] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:33:56] Adam Cox: So that bit is captured. But if you remember during the [00:34:00] attack, the attacker asked for Morgan's phone.

[00:34:02] Kyle Risi: Yes.

[00:34:03] Adam Cox: And what she thought he was doing was disabling some of the security alarms.

[00:34:06] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:34:07] Adam Cox: But what he might've been doing was raising the footage of him coming up to the house. That's

[00:34:11] Kyle Risi: very clever.

[00:34:12] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm. So that proved a problem for the police. They couldn't prove that,at that point, at its rod. So there's this niggling issue of how the attacker got into the house in the first place.

[00:34:22] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:34:23] Adam Cox: After all, Morgan had set the alarm before she went to bed.

[00:34:26] Kyle Risi: Okay. And, sorry, just a quick question there in regards to that footage. [00:34:30] So is there a clearly a gap in the footage or is it one of those ring doorbells whereby it only records once it detects motion?

[00:34:37] Adam Cox: I'm not sure

[00:34:38] Kyle Risi: Because if someone had triggered it and it started recording, then yes, you've got that.

[00:34:42] And if they've deleted it, then there's just no record of it. You don't know if anyone's approached a house or not. Do you know what I mean? Does that make sense?

[00:34:48] Adam Cox: I think so. Either way. there's cameras, that are surveilling the whole property.

[00:34:52] Kyle Risi: I

[00:34:52] Adam Cox: see. Yes. And whether they're triggered on motion or whatever, they would know if someone has entered the house, they would've picked that up.

[00:34:59] Kyle Risi: [00:35:00] I just dunno, Adam

[00:35:01] Adam Cox: like I say, the house was secure. Morgan had set all the alarms before she went to bed, and all the windows and doors were shut. So any person breaking in would've set off that alarm way before they got to Morgan's bedroom. So while scouting the house looking out for clues, investigators quickly determined that the attacker had entered through a basement window and almost immediately they noticed something unusual.

[00:35:24] The window sensor had been tampered with. It had been adjusted in a way that prevented the alarm from sounding [00:35:30] when the window was opened.

[00:35:31] Kyle Risi: Okay. So someone must have done that beforehand, knowing that if they want to come back into the house, that the alarm wouldn't trip.

[00:35:39] Adam Cox: Yes.

[00:35:39] Kyle Risi: Again, it points all to Rod.

[00:35:41] Adam Cox: Exactly. 'cause he had been staying there just that week, hadn't he?

[00:35:44] Kyle Risi: Yes.

[00:35:44] Adam Cox: And that gives him the perfect time to have done that. And obviously he'd planned this to come back that evening.

[00:35:50] The following day, detectives obtained a search warrant for Rod's vehicle and his apartment, and inside his apartment they find a clear plastic bag containing black [00:36:00] zip ties.

[00:36:01] Morgan had described her attacker arriving with prelude zip ties. Prepared with pre

[00:36:05] Kyle Risi: lube?

[00:36:05] Adam Cox: Yeah. They were prepared in advance so they could be quickly

[00:36:07] Kyle Risi: Oh, pre looped. Yeah. I thought you said is that pre lube?

[00:36:11] Adam Cox: pre looped.

[00:36:12] Kyle Risi: Pre looped zip ties

[00:36:14] Adam Cox: so they can be quickly put on someone's wrist and tied. Sure.

[00:36:16] Kyle Risi: Smart. Especially in the dark.

[00:36:18] Adam Cox: And among the zip ties recovered from Rod's apartment was one that had been partially cut.

[00:36:22] It had been trimmed in a way, consistent with how the restraints on Morgan had been altered.

[00:36:26] Kyle Risi: So he's gone back home and then decided to come back, is [00:36:30] basically what

[00:36:31] Adam Cox: happened. That's what it looks like, yeah.

[00:36:32] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:36:32] Adam Cox: So this is no longer just a theory, there's now physical evidence because the two pieces of zip ties match.

[00:36:38] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:36:39] Adam Cox: Plus they didn't just find zip ties. They find, a sequence that's purchased records at a hardware store, plus surveillance of Rod at the checkout counter less than 24 hours before the attack, buying the exact same black zip ties used on Morgan. Then detectives refuse surveillance from his apartment complex and around the timeframe that aligns with the assault.

[00:36:59] They see [00:37:00] him returning to the building, moving quickly, slightly dishevelled, and minutes later he leaves again, but this time he's changed his clothes.

[00:37:07] Kyle Risi: Stephanie Rod.

[00:37:09] Adam Cox: The more detectives dig, the clearer the picture becomes. They discover online searches of how to change the sound of your voice.

[00:37:16] Kyle Risi: Okay.

[00:37:17] Adam Cox: How long it takes to choke someone, unconscious.

[00:37:19] Kyle Risi: Oh,

[00:37:20] Adam Cox: how to crack an iPhone passcode,

[00:37:22] Kyle Risi: Uhhuh,

[00:37:22] Adam Cox: how to fake a cancer diagnosis. And because if you haven't guessed already, the pancreatic cancer story, that wasn't real.

[00:37:29] Kyle Risi: Okay. [00:37:30] Interesting. So definitely this was definitely Rod.

[00:37:32] Adam Cox: Definitely Rod. Rod had fabricated it all. Fake email accounts, fake medical documents, fake bills, all designed to generate sympathy to get close again, to stay in Morgan's home.

[00:37:43] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:37:44] Adam Cox: And staying in her home gave him something Critical access. Yes.

[00:37:47] Access to her security system. Mm-hmm. Access to our routines and access to the basement window sensor. That was later manipulated?

[00:37:53] Kyle Risi: Yes. Okay. Interesting. Okay, so there's not a mystery.

[00:37:56] Adam Cox: Not a mystery now, which means it wasn't random. And now if you [00:38:00] step back and look at the full picture, Morgan tells him she's not taking him back. She says she's spending New Year's Eve away,

[00:38:05] she turns her phone off to get space that night. She's attacked by someone who knows intimate details of her life, who uses her own security system against her, who raises the camera footage, who takes her phone, who binds her with a zip tie, purchased the day before, and then just so happens to arrive in the early hours as the concerned ex-husband, the hero.

[00:38:25] And that's the part that detectives fixate on because this wasn't just violence, it was a [00:38:30] narrative if the plan had worked perfectly. Mm-hmm. Rod became the man who saved his ex-wife from a terrifying intruder. He earns his sympathy and he gets his wife back.

[00:38:39] Kyle Risi: Sure. It's classic, right? This is classic behaviour.

[00:38:43] Adam Cox: But the thing is though, it's crazy how Rod thinks that he could get away with it. Then I don't think he gives Morgan enough credit, clearly, because she sees it.

[00:38:51] Kyle Risi: That's true.

[00:38:52] Adam Cox: Straight through it.

[00:38:53] Kyle Risi: She's like, um,

[00:38:55] Adam Cox: rod.

[00:38:55] Kyle Risi: Yeah, he gets Rod. So yeah.

[00:38:59] He's an [00:39:00] idiot for thinking he's gonna get away with this.

[00:39:01] Adam Cox: Absolutely. Morgan is a smart young woman . he's a piece of shit.

[00:39:04] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:39:05] Adam Cox: So Rod faced so many charges. Get this,

[00:39:08] Battery, family violence, sexual battery, aggravated battery home invasion, kidnapping. Two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, first degree burglary. Armed robbery. Mm-hmm. And possession of firearms during the commission of a crime.

[00:39:23] Kyle Risi: Wow. . There's a lot of batteries in there. I didn't realise there was so many different types of battery.

[00:39:27] Adam Cox: Yeah. So that is a lot to [00:39:30] commit. One night.

[00:39:31] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:39:31] Adam Cox: So with the odds against him, he pleads guilty and takes a deal rather than risk facing a jury trial. Good. So

[00:39:37] Kyle Risi: he is not an idiot.

[00:39:38] Adam Cox: I think he is.

[00:39:39] Kyle Risi: no, he is an idiot for commit this crime, but he is not an idiot for like,yeah, I'm not gonna get away with this. I've been busted.

[00:39:44] Adam Cox: Yeah. He realises he's got no chance. Right.And I'm not entirely sure what he was found guilty of, of all those charges. I think a good chunk of them.

[00:39:51] But look, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 45 years of probation, which is a total of 70 years to be held [00:40:00] accountable for what he had done.

[00:40:01] Yeah.

[00:40:01] Adam Cox: To Morgan.

[00:40:02] And of course, let's remember, this is not just the night of the attack. All the abuse that she had endured by him whilst they were married, whether it was physical. Or, mental. it was horrible. And so this is finally vindication for Morgan.

[00:40:16] 'cause during sentencing, Morgan addresses him directly. She speaks with clarity. She talks about the years of erosion, the manipulation, the isolation, and the physical and sexual abuse, and the constant reframing of her own [00:40:30] memories. And she reclaimed something that had been chipped away for years authority over her own story.

[00:40:36] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:40:36] Adam Cox: And that's what makes this a survival story. Not because she endured the attack, but because she endured this long psychological dismantling that came before it. And she still trusted her instincts when it mattered most.

[00:40:48] Kyle Risi: Yeah. And that's an interesting word that you use, like the erosion.

[00:40:52] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:40:52] Kyle Risi: Her erosion. That's quite a powerful way to describe it.

[00:40:56] Adam Cox: Well,

[00:40:56] Kyle Risi: yeah, that's what it is over time, right? It is. Especially when it's still abuse and [00:41:00] sometimes it can be so slow. You don't really recognise that as happening until you look back in hindsight.

[00:41:07] Sometimes you don't necessarily realise like what it was mm-hmm. Until you really reflect and put the pieces together.

[00:41:14] Adam Cox: Yeah. Like he is, he's chipped away at her over a long period of time and I think regardless of all that, like she is doubted herself.

[00:41:22] She's questioned herself. Mm-hmm. But actually when it really mattered she's still trusted her instincts and knew it was him .

[00:41:28] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:41:29] Adam Cox: Thankfully, she's [00:41:30] come out the other side of this

[00:41:31] Kyle Risi: and it's the result of what it is here is yeah, he's done something horrific. But it's a result of a weak man.

[00:41:37] Mm-hmm. He's weak. He couldn't handle she had outgrown him almost

[00:41:41] Adam Cox: she was becoming a successful entrepreneur.

[00:41:44] Kyle Risi: yeah.

[00:41:45] Adam Cox: And he couldn't take that,

[00:41:46] Kyle Risi: and she was seeking that independence and stuff, yeah. And it's just something that he couldn't handle. And as she drifted it off and as she became more successful Yeah. He just, he was being left behind. Yeah. And he couldn't handle it.

[00:41:58] Adam Cox: Like you say, he is a weak man.[00:42:00]

[00:42:00] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:42:00] Adam Cox: As for where things stand today, rod Metzer is serving his 25 year prison sentence within the Georgia Department of Corrections. There's been no public reports of a successful appeal or reduction of that sentence, which is good.

[00:42:12] Kyle Risi: Sure.

[00:42:13] Adam Cox: After the attack, Morgan made a clear decision regarding her children. She did not allow them to have any contact with their father while they were minors.

[00:42:21] She told them in age appropriate terms that their father had hurt her, but that he still loved them. And she said publicly that when they turn [00:42:30] 18, the decision to contact their father will be theirs. Until then, she true a firm boundary.

[00:42:36] Kyle Risi: Wow. Interesting. What a grownup, mature approach that she's taken.

[00:42:41] I don't know how it's working out in practise because I'd find that very difficult to do. I'd be like, yeah, you can say that. your father loves you very much, but then and I'm like, but he's a bad guy.

[00:42:51] Do you know what I mean?

[00:42:51] Adam Cox: Yeah. I mean, she's trying to do a good motherly thing,

[00:42:55] Kyle Risi: quite neutral if she raises her kids.

[00:42:56] In any decent way they'll [00:43:00] realise when they get to 18, that actually, they'll know the details, right?

[00:43:03] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:43:03] Kyle Risi: They won't want to contact this piece of shit.

[00:43:05] Adam Cox: No, exactly. So Morgan, she's given several interviews and agreed for Lifetime to make a dramatised film about her story.

[00:43:12] It was released in 2024 and called Gaslit by my husband, the Morgan Metzer story. And this dramatised film brought national attention to her case, focusing not only on the New Year's Eve attack, but also the psychological control that preceded it. And so Morgan wants to send [00:43:30] this as a warning to other vulnerable women.

[00:43:32] Rod was a man who believed he could hurt her. Then rewrite the script and step into the spotlight as the rescuer. And if there's one takeaway Morgan has said that she hopes other people understand it's this. It's really one massive red flag.

[00:43:45] Kyle Risi: Yeah.

[00:43:46] Adam Cox: It's the,

[00:43:46] Kyle Risi: it's subtle,

[00:43:47] Adam Cox: it's the accumulation of small ones, the comments that make you second guess yourself.

[00:43:51] Kyle Risi: Mm-hmm.

[00:43:52] Adam Cox: The version of events that slowly replace your own. And the moments where you think, maybe I'm overeacting , maybe it's my fault, maybe I'm remembering it [00:44:00] wrong. And the reason stories like this matter isn't to sensationalise the attack, it's to underline the pattern. And that is the survival story of Morgan Metzer and her husband who tried to gaslight her.

[00:44:11] Kyle Risi: Wow. Do you know what, like the fact that her lifetime movie that's coming out, Gaslight by my husband. the entire story of the way you told it perfectly sums up like the concept of Gaslight by my husband. Because it is subtle. It's so subtle.

[00:44:25] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:25] Kyle Risi: Does that make sense? This guy's a bad guy, right? It's like you said, the [00:44:30] erosion of her entire being slowly over time, that prevents you from in the moment going, shit, what's just happened, right?

[00:44:36] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:44:36] Kyle Risi: You're just almost just excuse it. Mm-hmm. Until you actually take a step back in hindsight and go, actually hang on. Piece this together. Piece that together. What the fuck's happening.

[00:44:44] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:44:45] Kyle Risi: And that's what he's been doing.

[00:44:46] Adam Cox: Yeah. And I don't think she's necessarily like this big advocate.

[00:44:50] I don't think she's doing like all these talks and going around, but it's interesting. She did agree to have her story be told and all traumatised. In a way to still help people and get that [00:45:00] message out there.

[00:45:00] Kyle Risi: Sure. And what a wonderful opportunity to be given, right?

[00:45:03] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:45:03] Kyle Risi: sadly This type of abuse happens all the time,

[00:45:05] and to be given the opportunity to tell your story, but then also to be able to have the opportunity to help people potentially, or to bring awareness to it.

[00:45:12] Adam Cox: Yeah.

[00:45:13] Kyle Risi: Pause, stop, reflect, look, is this happening to you?

[00:45:17] Adam Cox: Mm-hmm.

[00:45:17] Kyle Risi: Yeah. And if it is, then great. You get an opportunity to help people.

[00:45:20] Adam Cox: Yeah. And she has suffered and it's it's, I'm just pleased that she's made it through with kind of an integrity intact.

[00:45:28] Kyle Risi: Yeah, for sure.

[00:45:29] Adam Cox: . [00:45:30] And Kyle, should we do some shout outs?

[00:45:32] Kyle Risi: I would love to do some shout outs, but I'm saving them.

[00:45:35] Adam Cox: Oh,

[00:45:35] Kyle Risi: yeah. Why? Because Adam, I've been whittling away.

[00:45:39] Adam Cox: Whittling.

[00:45:40] Kyle Risi: Whittling. Is it whittling? It's whittling. It is whittling today.

[00:45:43] Adam Cox: Yep. No whittling is having a we.

[00:45:45] Kyle Risi: That's true. I've been whittling away on my computer. It's now steaming up. So normally at this little section of the show, we normally pay homage to our wonderful freaks out there.

[00:45:58] But. We're

[00:45:59] Adam Cox: not [00:46:00] gonna,

[00:46:00] Kyle Risi: we're not gonna, no, we're not. No. We've been, working on our brand new websites whereby, because, I don't wanna be giving out job roles, I want you guys to select the job roles. So we've got a brand new website. If you head over to the compendium podcast.com and click on two jobs, we have an entire library of circus jobs for you guys to browse through.

[00:46:22] Select the one that resonates with you the most. the one that you feel that you can do,

[00:46:27] Adam Cox: the one that you've always dreamed of doing that

[00:46:29] Kyle Risi: role. your [00:46:30] dream job is there. Go ahead, apply for the role and when you apply for the role, submit your photograph, fill in your details,

[00:46:36] and we will read the best ones out on the show. But also, if you submit a photo, You automatically be added to our teams' page as well, Where you can be showcased alongside all of our other freaks of the show. So make sure you do that. It's brand new, so when you do go to the website, there'll only be a couple people on there, but very soon we'll fill that up.

[00:46:54] Adam Cox: Yeah. Alright, . Should we run the outro?

[00:46:56] Kyle Risi: Let's finally do the outro, I think, Adam,

[00:46:58] Adam Cox: and that brings us to the end of [00:47:00] another fascinating fray into the compendium and assembly of fascinating things.

[00:47:04] Kyle Risi: If today's episode sparks your curiosity, then please do us a favour and follow us on your favourite podcast nap. It truly makes a world of difference and helps other people find the show

[00:47:13] Adam Cox: and for our dedicated freaks out there, don't forget. Next week's episode is already waiting for you on our Patreon.

[00:47:18] Completely free to access.

[00:47:20] Kyle Risi: And Adam,, if you want even more, then you can join us Certified Freaks Tier and unlock our entire archive and dive into exclusive content. And get a sneak peek of [00:47:30] what's coming next.

[00:47:30] We would love you guys to be part of our growing community.

[00:47:34] Adam Cox: We drop new episodes every Tuesday, so until then, sometimes the most dangerous person in the room isn't the one in the black with a mask. It's the one everyone assumes is the hero.

[00:47:44] Kyle Risi: Ooh, it's true.

[00:47:46] Adam Cox: See you next week.

[00:47:47] Kyle Risi: See you next week. [00:48:00]