Next to face a jury was Sievers and again, Wright was there to testify against his former best friend who he referred to as his brother from another mother. Now, here is where things stand for each convict: Wrights attorney on Monday said she hopes her clients sentencing brings some closure to Teresa Sievers family. Whether it was dedicating her time to family or strangers, Teresas compassion was equal. had disbanded, and Eazy-E fell prey to complications from AIDS. Then, acting on a tip-off, police started to investigate Curtis Wayne Wright, 51, a man who lived 1,000 miles away in Missouri and coincidentally had an uncanny resemblance to Sievers. Rodgers grew up with one older brother in Paris, Missouri, a small town about two and a half hours northwest of St. Louis. In December 2015, Teresa's husband, Mark Sievers, was arrested and accused of orchestrating the killing, with the motive being life insurance money, as well as the fact that Teresa was supposedly going to take his daughters away from him and he could not afford to fight for custody. With God as my witness, that's what that cop said to me.". These trees can change over time as users edit, remove, or otherwise modify the data in their trees. [1] Her parents separated when she was one month old, and she was raised by her mother. Suspicion had been on Mark from early on. "Jim was always kind of a troubled child," Ball said. "I thought at first he just might be bipolar," she said. Because Sievers had told them to. Although a jury found me guilty, I am innocent of all charges, he said. I wish that there was a way, anything at all I could do to change what happened, he said. The alarm for the apartment had been disabled before Sievers arrived home. "I told her, 'You've got to get yourself together.'". As Dr. Sievers operated her medical practice and raised her two young daughters, she couldn't have known the two men accused of taking her life were fraternizing in jail, forming a bond that would later put them back in the very place they met behind the bars of a jail cell. "[7], No leads came in the case for nearly two months. Teresa took a flight home on Sunday 28 June ready for her patients the next morning, but her colleagues were very surprised when the doctor didnt show up. Officials said he was caught with 43 rifles, pistols and shotguns that belonged to his deceased father. "Is the death penalty, is life in prison going to be enough for Teresa's family? The fire has been called The Jung Fire. Crews have been working overnight to contain the blazes. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. A jury convicted Mark Sievers,. After driving all day and all night,. GPS showed they drove the 17 hours back to Missouri in the early hours of Monday morning. Wright, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February of 2016 in connection to Teresa Sievers' death, said Mark Sievers asked him to kill his wife. [2], In 2000, she married a man named Kenny Cousins. At the funeral, he gave a speech and said, "I was, and still am, the luckiest man in the world. While Mark had initially been cooperative and handed over his cell phone to investigators, he later refused to cooperate. Through a relative, Shomaker declined to be interviewed. Mark Sievers former best friend, Wright, struck the deal with prosecutors in early 2016. [16] They continued to track the story until May 2019, with the original video segment being released on their YouTube channel on May 6, 2019. Detectives say both Rodgers and Wright were spotted at a nearby Walmart on the night of the homicide. We're just trying to keep our acts together. Tyler Juliette, who operates JV Contracting in Cadet, Mo., said that he has since let Rodgers go. In 2003, Teresa married Mark and the couple had two daughters. He didn't provide any new information. Originally charged with first-degree murder, Wright admitted to helping kill Dr. Sievers, and bargained down to second-degree murder. Theyd met while in prison together. In exchange, Wright threw Sieverss husbandMark Sieversand Jimmy Ray Rodgersunder the bus. Since Wright had been jailed, his wife has been quiet and crying, according to her mother, and has been working as a waitress three nights a week in Valley Park, Missouri. Wright's attorney filed a bond motion for Wright on Tuesday and lawyer Daris Almondsayshe will fightFlorida prosecutors' attemptsto extradite him, according to a report in theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch/STLtoday.com. There were signs of a forced entry, but confusingly, cash and valuables in the house hadnt been taken. In May, he married her niece, Angela, in a ceremony she said she did not attend. It can never be long enough, but my client did what he needed to do and was a very importantpartof the trials. Photo by Roberto Rodriguez, State Attorney's Office releases new documents in Dr. Teresa Sievers case, Suspect in Sievers death likely bluffing in other case, Man arrested in doctor slaying held without bond, Papers signed for extradition of Sievers suspect, Sievers' defendant interviewed in another case, Deputies revisit Teresa Sievers' crime scene, Slain doctor's colleague recalls 'Mother Teresa', Arrests planned for weeks in doctor's killing, Estero doctor killed in her Bonita Springs home, Click here to watch a video interview with Greg Bolin on our mobile site, Dr. Teresa Sievers' medical practice to close Saturday, Sievers suspect hires Palm Beach defense lawyer Elizabeth Parker, Suspect in Sievers' death, Curtis Wayne Wright, to be extradited to Florida, Reports detail why Sievers suspect is 'person of interest' in preacher's disappearance, Lee County Sheriff's Office explains that visit to the Sievers home, Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. will be held without bond in connection to murder of doctor Teresa Sievers, Man accused in Bonita doctor's killing considered person of interest in minister's disappearance, PHOTOS: County Commissioners square off at forum, Collier commission candidates clash over fracking. According to the State Attorneys Office, Anthony Winn Cole, 51, was adjudicated guilty. First to face trial was Jimmy Rodgers in October 2019 and Wright was the star witness. Something went wrong, please try again later. "I have no help with moving and have no income at this time so all money I raise will be used to get all set up so that I can start looking for a job and return to School for me and my babys. "He's like, you know what? He made a deal and was allowed to plead guilty to second-degree murder if he testified at Sievers and Rodgers trials, in return for a lesser sentence. Sievers, the mastermind, got the death penalty. Wright said that Mark Sievers recruited him to kill the victim, and he in turn got Rodgers to help out. Curtis Wright was sentenced to 25 years in prison; with time served, leaving him to 22 more years. I never would have imagined.. Rubio hopes to rebound four months after loss, In tough economic times, non-compete agreements are ending up in Collier courts, Southwest Florida is serious about fried chicken, and Cracklin' Jacks, they say, is seriously good, Demons Next Door: Coping with bad neighbors, Dr. Johnny's Car Clinic: What to do when your brakes pulse. Wright, the third suspect in the murder, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence. Any time youre moving an inmate, theres an escape risk.". "I think he's innocent.". ", Are you viewing this story on our app? Hours after Teresa's funeral, investigators had watched him throw computer equipment into a dumpster behind the couple's medical office. "He saw me," Bolin said, "and he just got in his car and left. [9] On January 3, 2020, Judge Bruce Kyle sentenced him to death. "My granddaughters have broken hearts that will never be mended, Groves said. [10] He remains on death row at Union Correctional Institution. Juliette said Rodgers did general labor work, power washing, working on machines, cleaning, and was always on time and never any sort of trouble. That July, local law enforcement in his hometown of Paris arrested Rodgers after finding him with a Stevens brand .410-bore shotgun. Wideman said her daughter visits Wright in jail two or three times a week. After being found guilty of first-degree murder and the conspiracy to commit murder, Mark Sievers was sentenced to death for first-degree murder. "I just tell her that justice will prevail.". My granddaughters have broken hearts that will never be mended, Mary said. On Aug. 20, 2010, Rodgers was booked into the Sainte Genevieve County jail. The entire family is. Teresa was hit a total of seventeen times and was bludgeoned to death. A look at one of Southwest Florida's most notorious murders", "Evidence in the murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers", "Husband's chilling plot to kill his wife using his doppelganger best friend", "Sheriff: 'We were after Mark Sievers, we got our man', "Teresa Sievers' mother gets custody of kids", "Jimmy Ray Rodgers, convicted in murder of Bonita Springs doctor Teresa Sievers, sentenced to life in prison", "Man sentenced to death for killing doctor wife in Florida", "Inmate Population Information Detail Inmate J80689", "Mark Sievers, convicted in 2015 murder-for-hire of wife Teresa, denied death row appeal", "Mark Sievers, on death row for wife's 2015 murder-for-hire, demands hearing", "Teresa Sievers killing: Eleven hundred miles to murder", "Holistic doctor bludgeoned to death; husband, alleged conspirators accused in murder-for-hire", "Florida holistic doctor case: Teresa Sievers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Teresa_Sievers&oldid=1132143427, Violence against women in the United States, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 13:13. Rodgers did not have permission to travel out of the state, but court records show he was in a south Fort Myers Wal-Mart on Ben C. Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway the day before Sievers was killed. Detectives in Jefferson County, Missouri, say Curtis Wayne Wright is a person of interest in Bolins disappearance. We hold that time very closely." In May, Rodgers and his girlfriend, Taylor Shomaker, were guests at Wright's wedding in De Soto, Missouri. Prosecutors said Wright and Rodgers ambushed Dr. Sievers when she returned home alone from a family vacation. Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott has called the Sievers case one of the "most complicated, intricate set of circumstances" in Lee County history, and the tangled web of people involved is no exception. Both men were charged with murder. Powered by. Rodgers, who was charged with first-degree murder but convicted of second-degree murder, was sentenced to life in prison. Asked how her daughter views the arrest, Wideman said: How can a wife not believe her husband?. #SieversTrial Hunter shows the jury Secret Communications between Sievers and Wright about the prepaid burner phones. Those who know Wright describe him as a childhood friend of the doctor's husband, Mark Sievers. Her accused killers, Wright andJimmy Rodgers, 25, who is in a federal prison in Missouri on a probation violation charge, were seen on videotape at a Fort Myers Wal-Mart the day before the doctor's murder. A fish kill is filling up the water in Southwest Florida. "He talked about him like they were friends," she said. A 2002The New York Times storydetailed the last day in the life of Angelas then 6-year-old daughter, Cassandra. Then they returned to the Sievers house and waited in the garage for Teresa to return. For Bolin, Wright was the life of the party, someone who was a lot of fun to be around. In the senior superlatives, his classmates dubbed him most dependable. Mrs. Amanda Hopkins, age 51, of Toomsuba, went to her heavenly home on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. She was an extraordinary doctorwith a powerful force determined to make a difference in this world and a gift from God, Groves said of Teresa Sievers. Leaving a family holiday early might seem like an unusual thing for a mum to do, but as well as being devoted to her two young daughters, Doctor Teresa Sievers had also made a lifelong commitment to her patients. The bride wore the dress she planned to marry Sievers in. Curtis Wayne Wright was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison in the homicide of Dr. Teresa Sievers. The trailer Shomaker shared with Rodgers was owned by JV Contracting, Juliette said during a segment on the "Nancy Grace" show. But Teresa had left them to enjoy a few more days, and had caught an earlier flight back home to Bonita Springs, Florida, so she could go into work. Sievers's husband, Mark. But why did two men drive 1,000 miles to kill a woman? Rodger's girlfriend helped police with their investigation and told them that Rodgers had admitted to killing Teresa Sievers. When word of Teresas death became public knowledge, other theories started to circulate. "Everybody knowseverybody. Staff writer Melissa Montoya contributed to this report. Later, Shomaker told her the van was paid for through their insurance company after a tree fell on their Kia. An appeal was automatically filed on Mark Sievers behalf. Curtis Wayne Wright Jr was 51 when he was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. "He was always messing with guns and knives and playing Army, and he was a little devil, you know. Moments before Wright was sentenced, he apologized to the victims mother. Im sorry.. Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. was 51 at the time of his sentencing. While Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 47, sits in a Missouri jail on murder charges in the death of Dr. Teresa Sievers, his wife of less than four monthsis again dealing with a tragic situation. According to Wright, the homicide had been orchestrated by his high school best friendDr. The video went viral on their YouTube channel and has since received over thirteen million views.[18]. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It had all been his idea. His brother Ronnie, who was a minister there, officiated. Less than a decade after his career began, N.W.A. A motive was still undetermined but then, after initially denying being involved, Wright started talking. Curtis Wayne Wright was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison in the homicide of Dr. Teresa Sievers. Investigators believed shed arrived home from her flight, had walked into the kitchen and been attacked. Chelsea Wideman, 24, died March 15 from complications of the flu, pneumonia and a MRSA infection. Since the murder, information has surfaced showing Mark Sievers and Wright had a connection that predates the Sieverses' marriage. In Naples, city council authorized the city manager to spend up to $100,000 to expedite the cleanup of dead fish within the city waterways []. Sievers and Wright had grown up together in Missouri and had remained best friends all their lives. Online records confirm Wednesday's guilty verdict against Mark. Holistic physician Teresa Sievers, 46, was ambushed in Bonita Springs, Florida. In 2015, holistic doctor Teresa Sievers returned to her home from a family trip ahead of her husband and children in order to treat her parents. Teresa was a compassionate healer, but she was outgoing and always pushed for what she believed in. Bolin said he last saw Wright in April at family services office in town. Firefighters are battling several brush fires in Charlotte County; the one off McCall Road threatens several buildings, including a church. When the friend went inside, however, they found Sievers dead on the floor. Jurors deliberated for just four hours at the Lee County Justice Center before returning with a guilty verdict, according to News-Press. Thats why she was so admired and respected. Mark Sievers recruited two Missouri men, Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 51, and and Jimmy Ray Rodgers, 29, to kill his wife, prosecutors said. Wright had done some work on the computers at Teresas clinic and Sievers had been best man at Wrights wedding. Since Wright had been jailed, his wife has been quiet and crying, according to her mother, and has been working as a waitress three nights a week inValley Park, Missouri. The final suspect connected to the 2015 death of a Bonita Springs doctor was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the Lee County Justice Center on Monday. Teresa Sievers was her familys strength, inspiration and caretaker, her mother said. The allegation that he was involved in his wife's killing surfaced when discovery documents were released in the cases of Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 47, and Jimmy Rodgers, 25, the two men charged in . Originally charged with first-degree murder, Wright admitted to helping kill Dr. Sievers, and bargained down to second-degree murder. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. "Mark called from Florida and he said, 'What happened?' Just last week, the judge denied Mark Sievers request for a new trial. I know how this starts off. Wright, who. We want to get on with our lives now. She was the valedictorian of her high school class. [4], On the morning of June 27, 2015, Wright took a rental car from Hillsboro, Missouri and went to pick up Rodgers. Witness statements in court documents allege that Mark Sievers hired Wright to kill his wife. Shortly before her death, Teresa was profiled in a local women's magazine. Prison is prison.". She always . The state's lawyers said Sievers wanted his doctor wife dead so that he could collect on her significant life insurance policies. That same weekend, Shomaker was in Missouri, throwing a baby shower for a friend, Wendy Crader. The judge told him, I judge peoples actions. Mark Sievers was charged with first-degree murder and the conspiracy to commit murder. For Teresas family, it had been a long five-year wait for justice, but the pain of losing Teresa was just as raw. As she took her final breath after a hammer beating she saw a very familiar face. Hed previously agreed to a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. About two years after Sievers and Fryer split up, a man named Greg Bolin married Fryer in a ceremony at the Church of God just up the road from his childhood home. The couple dated for about three years and were engaged but broke things off before the wedding. A judge in Jefferson County, south of St. Louis, signed off on the extradition of Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 47, of Hillsboro. Jimmy Rodgers was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder. In 1996, she graduated from the Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica. Mark had called the friend to check up on her after she failed to show up at work. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Once Wright started talking, he wouldnt stop and he brought the whole plot down. Wright and25-year-old Jimmy Rodgers were arrested by authorities in Missouri last Thursday in connection with the murder of Sievers, the well-known owner of anEstero-based alternative medicine practice. I just take it all in.". He was just 30. A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from the American Mainstream Media One victim was transported from the scene as a trauma alert while three other victims, [], Drew Stangelo, a 25-year-old man from Louisiana was arrested for DUI after a 67-year-old man died in a crash on I-75 Friday evening. Angela Wideman, 42, married Wright in May, two months after her 24-year-old daughter tragically died,only to have her husband jailed over his alleged rolein the death of the Bonita Springs doctor. According to police, Sievers recruited his childhood friend, Curtis Wayne Wright, Jr. to kill his wife. According to Florida Highway Patrol, a 40-year-old man riding a motorcycle from Fort Myers died in the three-vehicle and motorcycle crash. About eight weeks later, on June 29, Dr. Sievers was found bludgeoned to death in her home in Bonita Springs. Nearly $120 was collected on the site in three days. Sievers didnt testify but his lawyers said it was Wright who had beaten Teresa to death and that his word couldnt be trusted. The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies. In 2015, holistic doctor Teresa Sievers returned to her home from a family trip ahead of her husband and children. Mark Sievers was convicted offirst-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder then sentenced to death by a judge earlier this year. We will be completely grateful for every donation. Mark Sievers is in prison awaiting a death sentence, with many appeals expected. Both men were arrested for Teresas murder. Investigators learned from a GPS device in a rental car that Rodgers and Wright had driven from Missouri to Teresa's home at the time she was killed. An autopsy indicated the daughter died from blows to the head. "We just drifted apart," she said recently from her home in Illinois. [3] Mark said he would pay Wright to help him, so the two men then planned how to murder Teresa. When asked if she thought 25 years in prison was enough, Wrights defense attorney Elizabeth Parkersaid it can never enough. Wright had challenged the efforts to be extradited to Florida. All three men were found guilty of the murder. They will spend their lives hoping to hold onto the memories of their mother they once knew and trying to forget the nightmare she endured in the last moments of her life.. Meanwhile, a sports car driven by a 67-year-old [], A deadly crash involving three vehicles and a motorcycle happened in Lee County Friday evening shortly before 9:30 p.m. The American television series The Love Boat (Love Boat in its final season), set on a cruise ship, was aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, until May 24, 1986. But ever since he was a small kid, he'd had guns and was obsessed with them.". You can contact the owner of the tree to get more information. According to the 20th judicial circuit in and for Lee County, Florida, Erb was arrested for the death of a 17-month-old [], A man was sentenced on Friday in connection to the death of a one-year-old child in Lehigh Acres in 2020.