Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Specials 20201227

That i had handled before. Did you attempt to give her any cpr . Nope. The obvious was obvious. Not exactly a grieving spouse. No, no emotion, whatsoever. Shes not breathing . No. She is clearly dead. Im glenn kirschner, and i work as a federal prosecutor in washington, d. C. For more than 20 years. I have learned that, in the nations capital, theres no telling where a murder case may lead you. You may have heard, on crime shows, prosecutors sit around and try to figure out how theyre going to prove means, motive, and opportunity. You know, we dont really talk that way. What we really do is find the true story behind every murder. And hold the killer accountable, no matter who it is s. This is capital crimes. The 911 call came early in the morning august 12th, 2011. D. C. Emergency, 911. How can i help you . On the line was a man named Albrecht Muth. I need the police to come quickly. I have just found my wife dead on the bathroom floor. Okay. Shes not breathing . No. She is clearly dead. Can you, please, send the police . Muths wife, viola draft, was 91 years old when she died. Veteran detective, bobby jackson, was one of the first to arrive at the scene. He was part of what the metropolitan Police Department called the natural squad. The homicide guy squads, they work murders. We investigate all the other deaths in the city, other than homicides. Suicides, industrial accidents, natural deaths, overdoses. So, when this gets called in as 91yearold woman whos dead in her bathroom in georgetown, what does that sound like to you . A natural. But detective jackson needed to gather all the facts starting with Albrecht Muths account of what happened. I started to ask him questions, basic questions. Whens the last time shes seen alive . He gave me the last time he saw her is around 4 00 p. M. , the previous day. After spending the evening with a friend, he came home at around 10 00 p. M. He also said he decided to sleep in the basement because of the stifling, august heat. Muth told the detective he realized something was wrong when he went upstairs, the next morning, and didnt see his wife. The morning newspaper was still on the stoop. He said he thought that was odd because the decedent would come down, get the paper in the morning, and go read it. He told the police that when he went to the upstairs bathroom, he saw something horrific. His wife of 20 years, lying dead, on the floor. He said he made the 911 call, immediately after. Muth then called viola daughters fran, who also lived in georgetown. What went through your head . I was in shock because i remember leaving the office, and telling the receptionist my mother just died. I have to go home. And muth said the police are here, please, come down. Fran, immediately, called her son ethan and asked him to come over as well. I was probably there, within five or six minutes of getting the call from my mother. What happened when you got there . Im trying to sort of make sense of it all. Because i want to know whats going on. There are people processing the room where she is. So, at that point, i know shes in the bathroom. And it sounds like she had fallen. But, ethan wondered, was his grandmothers death really an accident . Or was it tied to a dark, family secret . According to her daughter connie, viola live add dramatic life, right up till the end. Tell me a little about your mom. My mother was a very accomplished woman. And she always told us, for women, its nice to be beautiful. But thats not enough. You must develop your brain. You must develop your talents. Viola was born in germany, in 1920. She survived the severe hardships of world war ii. Dreaming of a life centered on writing and the arts. She had actually written a play, at the end of world war ii, that was produced over there. So, she was on her career path, at that time. But she met my father during a Job Interview as an interpreter. And i think thats when, sort of, the sparks flew. In 1947, viola married an americanmilitary officer, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Drath. In 1968, the family moved to washington, d. C. s most exclusive neighborhood, georgetown. For viola, it was the Perfect Place for her literary and social ambitions. She became kind of a player in political circles. She was a correspondent for a german newspaper. And she had begun writing, a bit, on foreign policy. So, she made many friends in the state department. And those were people who would come to dinner, in the early days. Violas newspaper articles attracted the attention of an 18yearold germanexchange student, Albrecht Muth. After albrecht told her he admired her work, they formed an unlikely friendship, despite their 44year age difference. He would come over to the house, and have tea with her in the afternoons. And my father thought it was all very amusing because this was this fairly, very young man, who spoke with a german accent. And he would play the piano. In 1986, after almost 40 years of marriage, her husband Francis Drath died of cancer. Viola was devastated and alone. And muth, now in his 20s, began to fill the void in her life. They talked, for hours, every night and had so much in common, being both germans and both interested in politics. And when muth made her the center of attention, she she did revel in it and loved it. But violas daughters werent exactly happy when her relationship went to the next level. Did you know that they were on the path to being married, notwithstanding a 44year age difference . My sister and i both said to her, just have him move in. Enjoy him. Have him as a companion or a rom mate. That would be fine. But she didnt listen to that, at all. Viola and albrechts wedding was a major, social event that got a splashy announcement in the washington post. Among their wellwishers was president george h. W. Bush. It was an unconventional marriage, but both got what they wanted. Viola had a charming kbcompanio for her busy life and albrecht had access to some of the most influential people in d. C. It came to an abrupt end with viola draths sudden death. And he found evidence her death was anything but natural. I started documenting the scene. Then, i went upstairs. She was laying, supine, on the bathroom floor. And i noticed that the bathroom was in disarray. There was makeup scattered all over the floor. It looked like there had been a shade pulled off the wall. I start to examine the body. I touch the bottom of her feet. She was cold to the touch. It appeared that rigor mortis had set in. I worked my way up to the head. It looked like she might have some trauma around her neck, and possibly some hemorrhaging in her eyes. What is that a sign of, in your experience . The brain losing oxygen. You see it, most the time, in people that hang themselves. And other times, when somebody chokes you to death. The body. The blind torn down. The makeup strewn all over. What what are your instincts telling you . Well, something happened. And it, right then and there, didnt look like a natural. I can understand if she had cardiac arrest, maybe she spilled the makeup. How did the blind get torn down . Mpd notified me about the suspicious death in georgetown, as soon as detective jackson called it in. You know, one of the bestkept secrets about being a homicide prosecutor in washington, d. C. Is we get to partner up with the metropolitan detectives, virtually from jump. And when i set foot in the house on q street, i see a wellappointed, upscale, georgetown home. I saw pictures of muth and viola with general patreas. I see a certificate naming him as a Brigadier General in the iraqi army. I see uniforms in his closet. And i am asking myself, who in the world is Albrecht Muth . The day after violas death, muth agreed to vo lup taluntary questioning by homicide detectives. What muth didnt know is they already believed viola had been murdered, and he was a prime suspect. Now, yesterday, can you tell me how you found your wife and whens the last time you saw her . I last saw my wife the afternoon of thursday. You go you go to the bathroom, what did you see . My wife on the floor. Did you attempt to give her any cpr . Nope. The obvious was obvious. For almost an hour, detectives listen to muths story. And then, they sprang their trap. Medical examiner performed the autopsy today. And the result . Clearly, the medical Examiners Office believes that it is a murder. Okay. The medical examiner discovered that viola had suffered multiple, severe injuries. She had a fractured neck, fractured ribs, a bruised scalp, and a torn fingernail. The injuries were consistent with a violent struggle. Violas death was ruled a homicide. Sir, im im very positive. The detectives had deliberately surprised muth with the autopsy results to see how he would react. So, not exactly a grieving spouse. No. No emotion, whatsoever. Although violas husband seemed like an obvious suspect, he didnt look all that concerned about being charged. And i began to wonder, what had really been going on inside that upscale, georgetown home . When i first caught the case, i had no idea that it was about to consume the next four years of my life, as a prosecutor. Ears of my life, as a prosecutor. S your Home Insurance, heres one thatll really take you back. Its customized Home Insurance from Liberty Mutual only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Tums ver bell rings la stick when heartburn hits fight back fast. With tums chewy bites. Beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites you can adjust yourowest priccomfort on both sides. Your sleep number setting. Can it help me fall asleep faster . Yes, by gently warming your feet. 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Thats the issue at hand because the only two people that reside in the house is you and her. Correct. And you see do you have a time of death . So, he doesnt seem to be asking, who could have done this . All he wants to know is the time of death. Well, he is trying to get an alibi. Crimescene investigators had found no evidence of forced entry at the house. So, the detectives asked muth how an intruder could have gotten inside. So, clearly, youre youre agreeing with us that theres no no body could have possibly come into the house. So so, thats why under normal circumstances, i can assure you somebody mustve well, but how could they come in if im not a cop. Do you have a coffee, by any chance . Ordinarily, when homicide suspects are interrogated by homicide detectives. Theyre, you know, denying the crime. Theyre offering alibis. Theyre requesting a lawyer. Muth requests a cup of coffee. I needed to know more about muth and his relationship with viola. Her family was happy to share what they knew. So, when you first met muth, what kind of an impression did he make . It was unusual. He was wearing an eye patch. He was at my mothers house and we came, specifically, to meet him. Said, well, you know, its nice to meet you. What happened to your eye . Oh, i was a mercenary in south america. I was involved in very active fighting, and i i lost my eye. The next time we saw him, he was fine. He wore glasses. He could see. Ma said, oh, muthy, hes so has such an imagination. Hes so creative. And we just thought he was extremely odd. But, you know, if he was amusing and entertaining to her, okay. Viola seemed to relish having her corky husband at her side at posh, georgetown events. Washington post reporter, keith alexander, has been reporting on d. C. s elite, social scene for over ten years. What do you remember about her social circles . Like, what she was involved in here in d. C. And uptown . She was interacting with president s. With president pus. She interacted with Supreme Court justices. She knew he was a little eccentric but she enjoyed that he had this love of life, if you will. As we investigated muths personal history, some bizarre facts came to light. His office files contained correspondence written to and from an aristocrat who turned out to be an elaborate, fake persona, created by muth, himself. He said he inherited the title from an uncle in india. And he had stationery made. Beautiful stationery. I dont know, a crest or something. And americans are in love with royalty. Were kind of fascinated by that. So, people in washington love this. Oh, hes a count. We we must meet him. We must go do dinner at their house. Muth set out to acquire some of the power and influence he craved. His first effort was creating a foundati foundation he called the Eminent Persons Group. This was an organization, that was designed to stem the traffic of weapons to developing nations. Which, you know, when you hear about that, it sounds like that might be kind of a good thing to do. Who wouldnt want to be a member, right . Who wouldnt want to be a member . And once you get a couple of people onboard, and you show other people that you have these people onboard, they become interested. Muths Eminent Persons Group was surprisingly successful. Billionaire financier, george soros, contributed money. The group included vips, like robert mcth robert mcnamara. How does somebody in d. C. Get away with that . His wife. Remember, viola drath is very well respected. And i think part of that is people respected him not so much for who he was but who he was with. And they were like, well, he seems a little eccentric but hes with viola drath. He must be okay. Over time, the Eminent Persons Group seemed to unravel. Muth was skilled at putting things together. But he wasnt all that skilled at Holding Things together. The people that muth had originally persuaded to be part of the epg began to sense that he wasnt really what he claimed to be. And i would come to learn, over the course of the investigation, those people were right. Ive seen a lot of interrogations, over the years. But watching muth, i could almost see the wheels turning in his head. She has ruled it a murder. But, even i was astonished at how brilliantly muth used the system against itself in a fiendish bid to escape justice. Fiendish bid to escape justice dont settle for silver 7 moisturizers 3 vitamins 24 hours hydration gold bond champion your skin burke stomer happy anniversary. Gold bond customer for what . burke every year youre with us, you get fifty dollars toward your home deductible. 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Who says you cant have it all . That selling carsarvana, 100 online wouldnt work. But we went to work. Building an experience that lets you shop over 17,000 cars from home. Creating a coast to Coast Network to deliver your car as soon as tomorrow. Recruiting an army of customer advocates to make your experience incredible. And putting you in control of the whole thing with powerful technology. Thats why weve become the nations Fastest Growing retailer. Because our customers love it. See for yourself, at carvana. Com. Nothing i had learned about Albrecht Muth added up. There was no sign of forced entry, and he didnt have an alibi. Yet, he showed no concern, at all, about being the prime suspect in a homicide. Do you have coffee, by any chance . I wanted to be sure we had airtight evidence before arresting him. So, we let him walk after being interviewed by the detectives. In the meantime, georgetown was buzzing with rumors about viola draths death and the fact that a killer was on the loose in their affluent neighborhood. It was a madefortv crime that the local media ate right up. Did you anything to do with her death, sir . Please, go away. Did you have anything to do with her death, sir . Im closing the door on you. Goodbye. Thank you. The day after her death, the police told violas family she had been murdered. They were shattered, but they had little doubt about who might have done it. What was your first thought when you heard this was a homicide . Then, it all kind of made sense. Yeah. I i mean, would he be capable of doing Something Like this . One would want to say no. But, on the other hand, yes, of course. They had many fights. It was mostly verbal and she would kick him out of the office and the locks would get changed. And did there come a time when it became physical. It did. Ethan got a horrifying call from his grandmother. She said something happened. She didnt elaborate on the phone. I lived a few blocks away, so i got over as fast as i could. She was upset. There was a chair that had been broken. She had remnants of like food in her hair. She said that they were talking. An argument had ensued. It had escalated, quite a bit, resulting in him breaking a chair in an attempt to hit her with it. That vicious assault was a turning point. Viola kicked him out of the house in georgetown. And for two years, muth disappeared from violas life. Muth, later, explained he spent those two years assisting u. S. Forces fighting in iraq. Muth had made his way into relationships with certain, u. S. Military members. And he would talk about how he was working special operations. He was commanding troops. And he would blast emails out to his friends at the pentagon. Telling them he was off on a mission in iraq. And some people believed him. Of course, he would never put names in those emails. Or the kind of information that folks could use to disprove muths claims. He was pretty skilled at the art of misdirection. Reporter in 2008, two years after viola had kicked muth out of her home, she invited fran over for lunch and some unwelcome news. I could tell that she was feeling me out. How i would feel if she took him back. We would do everything we could to keep distance between the two of them. She, ultimately, would sort of back down from that position. And he would be back, without us knowing. And she took him back. Thats all i can say. Of course, muth hadnt been in iraq for those two years. My team later learned, he was in florida, working as a moteldesk clerk. But his new persona of foreignmilitary adventurer, flourished after viola took him back. When muth returned to georgetown from florida, he came back as Brigadier General Albrecht Muth of the iraqi army. Complete with appointment certificates and military uniforms. He would actually run a ceremony, at arlington cemetery, every year, to honor fallen, iraqi soldiers. This was a ceremony attended by military dignitaries, and none of them ever seemed to call out muth for being something he wasnt. Reporter after his return to georgetown, muths personal behavior took an even darker turn. Martins tavern is a famous watering hole in georgetown. Its a place where muth, himself, often hung out, got drunk, and held court. Jason, good seeing you again, my friend. How you been . Very well. Reporter jason lived for a while as a border in viola and albrechts home. He saw their relationship, up close. And witnessed just how dangerous muth became, with even the slightest provocation. Was very eerie to be back in the space because this is where i learned that that when he started drinking, his demeanor would change. And he would get more animated and and angry. What did you see, particularly between he and viola . He would get sloppier. He always wanted to have a very controlled environment. His interactions with viola when he was drinking. Hed be very argumentative. Violas family also said that muth became a different person when he was drinking. Its, like, jekyll and hyde. I mean, belligerents the best word for it. Instantly, he is bumping into things, knocking things over. Slurred speech. Just, completely at a loss. For someone who acted in such a regimented fashion, this would like completely unravel him. Violas death seemed to confirm ethans worst fears about muths violent temper. Did you have concern that maybe they are looking at this as a natural death . I did. It was in the back of my mind. Knowing him. Knowing something of their history that, at least, had to be put out into the light. As soon as he arrived at the crime scene, ethan made sure detective jackson knew muth had a history of abusing viola. Ethan comes running over, and says that there was some type of domestic between the two of them. I wanted to make sure that he was aware that there had been a couple of instances where, you know, restraining orders had been put into play. That he had disappeared at periods of time. That she felt threatened by him more than once. Muths history of Domestic Violence against viola was the final piece of the probablecause puzzle. I met with the homicide detectives. Together, we decided we had enough evidence to apply for an arrest warrant for Albrecht Muth. What became pretty important were those prior acts of Domestic Violence that muth perpetrated, against viola. We dumped all of that in the arrest warrant to try to convince the judge that, even though we didnt have an eyewitness, we had enough to make out probable cause that muth had killed viola. Right after he was booked, the homicide detectives interrogated muth, again. And this time, they took off the gloves and went right at him. You murdered her i did not murder my wife. You murdered your wife. You youre youre a sadistic person. You murdered your wife. I did not murder my wife. Youre a monster. Thank you for the compliment. Youre a 140pound monster. Thank you for the compliment. For a man just charged with a homicide, Albrecht Muth appeared remarkably unfazed. Tomorrow, i will be completely looney. Youre already looney. Tomorrow, i will be certifiable. It didnt register, at the time. But muth had Just Announced how he planned to beat the charges, and possibly get away, scotfree. D possibly get away, scotfree. Well played. vo add some thrill to your wish list. At the season of audi sales event. Get exceptional offers now. Than Rheumatoid Arthritis. When considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz. A pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. Xeljanz can help relieve joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and helps stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. 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A federal judge pushed the execution date for Lisa Montgomery back, until president elect Joe Bidens Administration takes over. He says the doj unlawfully rescheduled it, after her attorneys were diagnosed with covid19. Montgomery was convicted of murder, in 2004. And kidnapping, in 2007. A spokesperson for biden has told the Associated Press he opposes the death penalty, now and in the future. Now, back to capital crimes. Just four days after 91yearold viola drath was found dead in her georgetown home, her husband, Albrecht Muth, was arrested and charged with murder. Motive was, perhaps, the most interesting aspect of this case. Why, in the world, did he choose to end her life in august of 2011, at age 91 . Violas daughters had a pretty good idea about why muth would want to kill their mother. They told me that, in the weeks leading up to her death, muth had become obsessed with violas money and her estate. There was a flurry of emails about all the things he wanted to take with him out of the house. My sister was very angry, and she said to him, why are you bringing all this up now . Mom is alive and well. Were not going to talk about this now. Do you know if your mom had a will . Yes, she did. And did she leave anything to him . No, she did not. She disinherited him. She disinherited him . Yes. A few months before her death, viola took the dramatic step of removing albrecht from her will. And just one week before the murder, she slashed his monthly allowance, leaving him with virtually no income. Yet, just two hours after violas family had arrived to identify her body, muth stunned them with an astonishing claim. He comes down with a piece of paper, and it was a note that he was purporting was written by her, entitling him money. Declaring that he get x amount of dollars. This is on, like, a plain piece of paper. You know, no lawyer name on it or anything. But the weird thing is mothers signature was like down in the corner. Not a signature line . No, no, and it was, like, askew. On september 9th, 2011, Albrecht Muth arrived for his first pretrial hearing. Reporter, keith alexander, was in the courtroom covering the hearing for the washington post. What were your memories about that First Court Appearance for Albrecht Muth . This is the first time we get a glimpse of this person, and we get to see the demeanor of the suspect. And whats interesting is that he was very combative with the judge. From the very start, muth seemed determined to take control of the proceedings. He said im general Albrecht Muth. Loud. Just his voice, i remember echoing in the courtroom. And he had you will address me as such, to the judge. I remember that, it was fascinating. Not only did he keep insisting he was an iraqi general, muth took it to a whole, new level. The United States is in open violation of my rights under the Geneva Convention. I am and remain a serving officer in a foreign army and, as such, am entitled to direct access to the International Committee of gee knhave. Establishing rules about how prisoners of war are to be treated, muth was demanding its legal protections. First time i ever heard the Geneva Convention invoked in any of the murder cases that i cover. In hindsight, that should show you what we are about to head into. Remember, muth wasnt arrested immediately. It was several days later, he was arrested. So, he had time to prepare for what he was about to go into. And i think he got into his character, and really honed in on what he was going to do. He was going to make sure that we remembered him. He stayed in character. But muths military posturing was just the opening act. His next announcement astonished everyone, and set the stage for months of legal conflict. The medical team at d. C. Jail requested me to advise the court that, effective sunset on sunday, i shall be on an unlimited fast. Im sorry, can you repeat that, please . Effective sunday, sunset, i shall be on an unlimited fast, religious. Thats all, your honor. His courtroom antics had their intended effect. On february 14th, 2012, muth was transferred to st. Elizabeths hospital for psychiatric evaluation. After months of observation, psychiatrists declared that muth was suffering from a delusional disorder and that he was not mentally competent to stand trial. I start to believe that muth may actually be conning mentalhealth experts that he is delusional and cannot be held accountable by the criminaljustice system. At this point, i am actually worried that muth may get away with killing his wife, viola drath. His wife, viola drath. They are the most complete mini multivitamin. So you can focus on punching above your weight. No matter how high you set the bar. Try centrum minis. Life doesnt stop for a cold. [man] honey. [woman] honey thats why theres new dayquil severe honey. Its maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honeylicious taste. Dayquil honey. The daytime coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, power through your day medicine. The only thing a disaster cant destroy is hope. Donate now at redcross. Org and if we win, we get to tell you how Liberty Mutual customizes Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Isnt that what you just did . Service stand back, im gonna show ya how doug and limu roll, ya you know you got to live it if you wanna wi. [ music stops ] time out only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Albrecht muth was facing seconddegree murder charges for killing his wife, viola drath. But his bizarre, courtroom behavior had landed him in a psychiatric hospital. Apparently, giving this accomplished con man a golden opportunity to escape the charges, entirely. John norris was a public defender with d. C. Superior court. Although he wasnt involved in the case, he explained what muths ultimate strategy appeared to be. So, john, if a defendant is declared not competent, what happens to a homicide defendant in d. C. . In such a situation, they would be civilly committed to st. Elizabeths hospital, while they were continuing to be evaluated and treated. All, with an eye toward their dangerousness to the community. So, if muth went about trying to persuade the docs at st. Elizabeths that hes really not a danger to society, he could be right back out in the community . I dont know that it would happen quickly but, yes, the process could lead to his ultimate release. Ordinarily, i work at the docs at st. Elizabeths day in and day out. But in this case, i couldnt help but believe they were off the mark. I didnt believe muth was delusional. I already knew muth had told the detectives he was going to fake Mental Illness during the earlier interrogation. Tomorrow, i will be completely looney. But muths former lodger, jason kaine, had the equivalent of a smoking gun. He decided that he wanted to like sit me down and school me on his ways. And he was laying out what kind of things . How he, you know, went about these influence operations, and got prominent people to talk him up. How he how he how he lied and used kind of false documents to get more people involved in organization. And it was just so surreal that i was like i want to remember this. Like, no one will ever believe me. And i had a voice recorder on my iphone. So, i just put it on record and put it back in my pocket. It is at that time, in 1996, that i create the persona of count albie. You will be aware that count albi is a complete invention and fabrication. Really . Of course. No such person exists. And you simply do that by virtue that, in america, everything is possible. Because, in america, you just go to the courts and say this is my name. So, count albi is created. And, of course, 90 of the people are none the wiser. Did you see some of this stuff work for him . Yeah, absolutely. It was scary how gullible some seniorgovernment officials can be. He repeated that quite a bit. That, if you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. And it seemed like we could refute muths stubborn insistence he was an iraqi general just as easily. Hes got military uniforms. The chief of police is dealing with him before he gets arrested, as if he is a military dignitary. But then, we find the printshop receipt. Muth had ordered his own iraqi general appointment certificate printed up. The same one that he then hung on the wall of his library, which he offered as proof that he was an iraqi general. We thought, okay, weve got him, dead to rights. The man is a poser. Yet, despite all the contrary evidence, muth had still managed to convince a team of psychiatrists he had a delusional disorder. So, once it becomes clear that the experts at st. Elizabeths are going to stick with muth being not competent to stand trial. Its then a decision i have to make. Do i go out and try to hire mentalhealth professionals to evaluate muth, on behalf of the prosecution . And try to undercut the findings by the the docs at st. Es . I decide to do just that. Mitch is a highlyrespected forensic psychologist. He examined Albrecht Muth on behalf of the prosecution. So, when you came into the mix, muth had already been declared incompetent, right . The diagnosis changed significantly to that of a major, Mental Illness. A personality disorder that is a kissing cousin to another major, Mental Illness, schizophrenia. After interviewing muth for 15 hours over the course of six days, mitch came to a very different conclusion. So, whats your first take . My first take was that here is an areadite and arrogant individual, and was extraordinarily eccentric. He wrote, while he was in d. C. Jail, a fivevolume novelette manifesto called triumph of illusion, judgment at washington. He wrote exceptionally well. He could have been a novelist. So, when you ultimately evaluated him, you reached what conclusion . Well, hes not delusional. Absolutely, no diagnosable Mental Illness. He did suffer from narcissistic personality disorder. But, that has no bearing on his ability to work with his attorney. For almost a year, muth had tried to convince the court he wasnt mentally competent to stand trial. And my greatest fear is, if muth succeeds, he will virtually have gotten away with the murder of viola drath. I was determined not to let that happen. After a week of hearing opposing arguments about muths mental state, judge canon issued his ruling. Albrecht muth was mentally competent to stand trial. There was no doubt in my mind, i think anyone in my familys mind, anyone that knew him. You know, knew that he was gaming the system. The family and i were thrilled. We thought muth was finally going to stand trial for murdering viola. But muth had one more card to play. At the hearing, he made a truly astonishing statement. We are Going Forward on our date in march for trial. Do you understand, sir . There will be no trial in march. Well, you understand, the case is set in march. Do you understand that . The what . The case is set for trial. Yes but its an irrelevant date. Muth revealed he was resuming his hunger strike. This time, at the command of a higher power. Time, at the comma higher power holy order from god communicated to me by gabriel, 40 days no food, no liquid. And this time mut after weeks of refusing any solid food he weighed just 91 pounds putting his health at serious risk. He was transferred to the United Medical center where doctors said he was in imminent danger of cardiac arrest. Muth was risking his life in his most dangerous gamut yet because he knew his trial couldnt begin unless he was physically in court. One of the bedrock of our system is a defendant has an absolute right to be present at all stages of r the trial. And you just cannot commence the trial with thest defendant not being present. So whats the ultimate end game here . Muths 91 pounds, cant be transport today the hospital to the courtroom so i can start the murder trial i against him. Im stuck. Im treading water. What i knew is that as long as he stayed in this condition i couldnt even begin to go about seeking justice for viola for fran, for connie and the community. Muth at that moment had us where he wanted us. Community. Muth at that moment had us where he wanted us and out cleans our old bargain detergent. Tide pods plus downy free. Safe for sensitive skin with eczema and psoriasis. Cenbut they pack a punch. L, with over 20 essential vitamins and minerals they are the most complete mini multivitamin. So you can focus on punching above your weight. No matter how high you set the bar. Try centrum minis. 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Learn more at xfinitymobile. Com. A year and a half after the murder of his wife, Albrecht Muth was finally going to face a jury. But in a last ditch effort to sabotage the trial, muth starved himself nearly to death. I have never seen a defendant try so many different avenues to put off a trial. And i kept saying to myself what is he doing because the trial is going to happen. It may not happen tomorrow or next week, but its going to happen. So hes just delaying the inevitable. I needed to get around muths incessant attempts to avoid going to trial so i made a last ditch legal argument to judge canon. I argued, you know, judge, this is no different than a defendant who handcuffs himself to the bars of the jail and then complains that hes not present in the courtroom for the commencement of his trial. We propose to have judge canon instruct muth, mr. Muth, if you decline to eat, i judge canon will deem youve waived your right to be present at the commencement of your trial, and i will try you in your absence. Now, we all understood that there was no pres dependecedent. After careful consideration of my legal arguments, judge canon agreed, and we proceeded to trial with muth lying in a hospital bed at the United Medical center. After three years of muths lies, tricks and cons we were more than ready to lay out our case to the jury and prove that this was a premeditated murder by a dangerous man. So what you have to do is try to build the case piece by piece. So, for example, we know there was no forced entry into that house. Every door was secure. Every window was either locked or not accessible from the outside. We had muth on his computer in his house at about 5 00 a. M. Googling things like extradition from mexico, crossing the canadian border, flights to iceland today. I told the jury, ladies and gentlemen, you dont need to be Sherlock Holmes to see muth was trying to figure out how do i get out of town. But once we get those 12 jurors in the box and we commence the trial, no trial is ever a sure thing. After five days of presenting our evidence, the prosecution rested. Our case was strong, but we knew the burden of proof worked in muths favor, not ours. One of the things i say to a jury is not only my client factually innocent but hes legally presumed innocent under the law. Maybe the defendant did it. That means not guilty. Probably the defendant did it, that means not guilty. Only if its beyond a reasonable doubt, so its a very high standard. When the defense took over, we expected an elaborately contrived story from muth about what had happened to viola. The judge ordered a two way video feed between muths hospital room and the court. But to the maw izment of many who had followed the case, muth exercised his right not to testify in his own defense. Were you surprised when he just kind of punked out . I was definitely surprised. I thought this is his chance, right . Hes got the world as a stage. But then the more i thought about it, the more i realized no, this was again strategy. He realized if he got on the witness sfa witness stand he would have to answer questions and he wouldnt have control of the narrative he wants to put out there. On january 15, 2014, i made my closing arguments followed by the defense. Almost three years after violas death and a nearly endless game of cat and mouse with someone i came to see as a master manipulator, the jury took just one day to return its verdict. They found muth guilty of first degree murder. What emotions ran through you when you heard guilty . Just elated, just very elated and very happy. Very, very, very happy. The jury didnt spend too much time thinking about it. I think they saw the picture very clearly and came to the right decision. Were you in the courtroom when the verdict came down . I was in the court. And i think you saw emotion from the family. It wasnt so much they were surprised he was going to be found guilty. No one was really surprised by the verdict. It was that its over. Three months later judge canon handed down the sentence, 50 years in federal prison. You dont really celebrate a guilty verdict in a murder case, but me, i hugged the family members. I cry with the family members, and you feel satisfied that notwithstanding everything muth did to avoid being held accountable, at the end of the day justice was done. She hugged me. And she said she was sorry. And i bursted in tears. I bursted in tears because that to me, is a true example of humanity. Reporter two families torn apart by one devastating crime. Theres a woman, shes shot, shes laying on the floor in the garage. Reporter a young mom named crystal taylor, murdered on her way to work, five months pregnant. This is breaking me she pretty much gave her