Relatively Evil (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Blood Money - full transcript

[ insects chirping ]

Narrator:
This is the true story

About what happens
when an outsider is let in

And families are torn apart.

I just got a weird
feeling from her.

Narrator: Lies...

...Betrayal.

At that point, really had no
clue what we were getting into.

Narrator:...And murder.

[ gunshot ]

Ly: Family should be
the most important thing,



Not bury you 7 feet deep.

Narrator:
It's all relative.

When I saw the video,
I knew something was going on.

♪

Narrator: The only thing worse
than a dysfunctional family

Is no family at all.

19-year-old matthew graville
knows this better than most.

Matthew didn't really grow up
with that typical family life.

He was in and out
of foster care.

His father was not around.

It's not always an easy row

For someone
who's placed in foster care.

♪

He was born to a mother



Who was deemed unfit
to care for him.

Vaile:
Matthew and I have the same mom,

And we were removed
from the home

Indefinitely, I guess,
would be the right word.

We couldn't interact like
typical brothers and sisters

Because we couldn't play
together.

Hey, where's your
spade shovel?

Back inside,
aisle 4.

Ly: From a kid's perspective
growing up in foster care,

You have foster parents
who predominately say,

"you're a foster kid,

You're here just to have a roof
over your head.

That's it."

You know, you're just looking
for what way

Your arrows are gonna go
and what way to run with it.

♪

♪

You matt?

Yep.
That's me.

You know
who your father is?

Dude, who are you?

I'm your brother.

Narrator: 19-year-old
jeffrey vogelsberg

Recently learned something
about matthew

That will change
the course of both their lives.

Jeffrey knew that matthew
was his father's other son.

That's all he knew.

He knew he had a brother.

He didn't know anything

About the way
this brother grew up.

Just like matthew, jeffrey's
father was not in the picture.

You been in town
a while?

Yeah, I've been moving
around house to house a lot.

Jeffrey had his own struggles.

He told matthew that he had
served in combat in iraq

And he suffered ptsd.

And that connection
was important for both of them.

The long-lost brother
that neither knew they had.

What's your mom like?

She's really great.

I think you're really
gonna like her.

Ly: The foster care system,

It definitely shows you
a different perspective.

It's a very singular feeling.

At the end of the day,

You still wish you had
normal relationships.

Alright. Come on.

Walk me out.

Narrator: Jeffrey and matthew

Are about to embark on something
neither had growing up...

...Brotherhood.

♪

[ gunshot ]

Jeffrey took matthew
under his wing.

But ultimately he was only
a few months older than him.

Vaile: And at that point,
I was happy

That matthew had found
somebody who was positive.

You know, it was someone
that matthew could look up to

And that could teach him
men things.

Alright.
You try it.

Bey: The blood bond
was a real one.

It's not about "let's build
a relationship slowly."

It's "let's connect,
let's be brothers,

Let's make up for lost time
and be all in."

All you need to do
is squeeze.

Matthew had
some learning disabilities.

He struggled to read.

He struggled at school.

He struggled to operate a car,

Anything with complexity
involved.

Things that other people
could just pick up

And kind of run with,

Matthew had a much greater
learning curve.

[ gunshot ]

Alright.
Try it with this.

Alright.
Same deal.

Just no scope.

Alright?

Jeffrey: Hey, guys,
how's it going?

Once matthew met jeffrey, he was
introduced to other members

Of that extended family
who welcomed him.

Here's the birthday guy
right here, man.

How are you feeling?

Jeffrey and his mother,
laura, were close.

He was laura's only son.

Jeffrey's grandfather
I'd describe

As just a great person,
a very caring person

Who treated matthew
like his grandson,

Even though
it wasn't biological.

Are you excited
to be 20?

I am.

Bey: Jeffrey is married
to a young woman named shannon.

They're newlyweds, and shannon
seemed to be open to the idea

Of having matthew,
the new brother, around.

Vaile:
My impression of shannon

Was that
she was very sweet, shy.

Shannon and matthew
seemed to get along.

She seemed nurturing to him.

Did he need anything?
Did he want anything?

♪ happy birthday to you ♪

[ all cheering ]

Matthew was able to walk
into this family

And be embraced
not just by his brother

But his new sister-in-law
and even his brother's mother.

Hey, guys,
how about a photo?

Alright, why not?
Why not?

Okay.

Narrator: Instantly
thick as thieves,

The brothers take their newly
formed bond a step further.

♪

Welcome home, brother.

The invitation to move in
with jeffrey and shannon

Is strange,

Not just because
of the speed in which it comes,

But because the couple
is actually renting space

In their friend
robert mccumber's home.

Benisch: Robert just acquired
his grandparents' house

And needed somebody to live in
the house and help pay bills.

♪

Rob. Matt.

Bey: Robert is someone

That would probably be
pretty intimidating

To the likes of matthew.

He hunts.
He's a country guy.

He's kind of brooding
and silent.

Not one to really speak
a whole lot.

Nah, he won't bite.

Let me show you
to your room.

This is the closest thing
to a nuclear family

That matthew has seen
in a very long time.

Vaile:
It was very encouraging.

I would talk to matthew
probably once or twice a week.

You never noticed anything
negative in the beginning.

Narrator: As wonderful
as this new world appears,

Matthew's newfound fortune

Can't cure him
of all his past demons.

He was at that age where he was
trying to find himself

And figure out
what he wanted to do.

The long shadow
of his past ways

And his past friends

Continued to play a role
in this new life.

Take another swig
of that.

Growing up without
any real guidance meant

That matthew would go out
with his friends.

There was a lot of drinking.
There was drug use.

Jeffrey doesn't really know
much about matthew.

Matt was hanging out
with some people

That were not necessarily
forthcoming and honest.

Narrator:
There is a collision of worlds

That is now unstoppable.

And the result promises
to be deadly.

The brutal details
of what happened --

That's what's so difficult
to take in.

[ gunshot ]

We know there's monsters
in this world,

But you never think
that those monsters

Are gonna be so close to you.

♪

Narrator: From the day
jeffrey vogelsberg

Walked into his long-lost
brother's life...

Jeffrey: You matt?

...Matthew graville believes
the family he's always wanted

Has found him.

I'm your brother.

At a core level,
literally at the dna,

Matthew and jeffrey were blood.

They were brothers.

They didn't know each other,
but that blood bond was there,

Despite no other
real relationship.

Narrator: But like
with any family unit,

Things are complicated,

Especially when it comes
to jeffrey's mom,

Laura gantry.

Jeffrey is laura's
pride and joy.

Her boy is the most
important thing in the world.

Vaile: I would describe jeffrey
and laura's relationship

As, I guess, odd.

He relied on his mother's
opinions on everything.

Matthew seemed to like laura,

But I just got
a weird feeling from her.

Bey: So when matthew comes
onto the scene

And jeffrey wants to build
a relationship with his brother

And everyone live
under one roof,

Shannon and laura feel like,

"well, if jeffrey is gonna be
happy about this,

We definitely have to do what
makes our jeffrey delighted."

So in trying to serve the
greater aim of please jeffrey,

Laura and shannon recognized

That there is
a competition there

And both of them want to win it.

Does anyone
want seconds?

Yes, please.

These meatballs
are so good.

♪

Venison really is better.

In this big blended family,

There was a lot
that people couldn't see.

It really did show

That, "wow, everything
is trying to coalesce.

There are chinks in that armor."

Narrator: The simmering family
feud becomes more apparent

When matthew reveals
a financial dilemma.

Matt got disability checks.

That was his main source
of income from the state.

With his learning disabilities,

The state decided
that matthew could use

Some extra help,
so every month, he got a check.

Narrator: And the issue is
that he needs someone

To help oversee his accounts.

Vaile: So as a payee, they would
have been responsible

For making sure
his bills are paid,

Making sure rent,
cellphone, utility is, um...

You have to make sure
they have food.

Bey: Shannon and laura
both recognized

That matthew needed a guardian
to him.

Matthew chose laura,
who worked for the state,

Worked at an employment center,

And help him with his finances,
co-sign on checks.

Vaile: Shannon did not appear
to be happy about it,

But she would never voice
her opinion.

And then shortly after that,

It just went downhill
from there.

Narrator:
As the months go by,

A deeper disturbance
seeps into the family dynamics.

Vaile: The first thing
out of jeffrey's mouth

When I met him was about
his military experience

And where he was from
and what he had done.

He had been deployed
in active combat situations.

He had special ops training.

He was over in iraq,
he'd been overseas.

He was shot down
in a helicopter.

He would tell me
how he would wake up

In the middle
of the night screaming.

[ screams ]

It was night terrors from iraq.

He would call into work,
not show up, get fired.

Jeffrey went from job to job.

He never stayed anywhere
very long.

Narrator:
The sleepless nights

And his inability
to stay employed

Puts extra stress on his life
and marriage.

It happened again, huh?

[ scoffs ]

Desperate, the young couple
makes a difficult decision.

Patty: Shannon enlisted in
the u.S. Army

Through a recruiting station
located in milwaukee.

Narrator:
Jeffrey's feelings about
the military remain complicated,

But he stands behind
shannon's decision to enlist.

This meant secure housing.
This meant financial stability.

Narrator: The move
also provides a reprieve

From shannon's
overreaching in-laws.

She appeared to be surviving,
but she didn't seem

To be enjoying life
at that time.

Patty: Shannon reported to
fort leonard wood, missouri,

For boot camp.

It was a 20-week total camp.

Narrator: While shannon enters
a life of discipline,

Matthew falls back
among the lawless.

He was hanging out with some
rough, rough individuals.

Bey: One of the things that that
group did was some petty crime.

They would go into
a store, shoplift,

And then return the items
and get cash back for them.

And then it was discovered
that matthew was using

Some of his disability-check
money to buy drugs.

♪

Where you going?

Out.

What else is under
the surface with this guy?

What else might we not know?

So whether that life
in foster care impacted him,

It might not have been
visible to those around him.

Narrator: To jeffrey, an
intervention may be in order.

Alright.
Hold 'em out.

Look at me.
Straight like this.

You see what I'm doing?

Hold 'em like that.
Go.

He says that matthew needs
some discipline,

And jeffrey is the one
to deliver it.

He was having matthew hold
two 12 packs of soda

Out...From his body

And, like, hold them
as long as he could.

30 more seconds!

Benisch: Jeffrey was in charge,
in his own mind,

Right now as in the military,

In charge of matthew.

Hold it up!
You understand?!

Go!

It's gonna be pt
with sit-ups and push-ups

And strenuous exercise.

♪

10 more.

Jeffrey says that

This regimented lifestyle
for matthew

Was tough love.

Matthew didn't see it that way.

Matthew felt like it
absolutely crossed the line

And that tough love
was not any kind of love at all.

Get up.

Come on,
you little twerp.

Patty: They would get
into wrestling matches.

And these would be
somewhat intense.

Jeffrey claims matthew
was trying to knock him out.

And jeffrey did admit
to knocking matthew out

A few times.

Stop it.

Knock it off.

Off!

Robert's grandparents
gave him the home

Where he was living
with jeffrey and matthew.

It seemed he took control
over them.

Robert has to be
the intermediary here.

He's got to get in between
these two feuding brothers

And lay down the law.

It's his house
they're tearing apart

With their fighting.

That's your
first strike.

Narrator:
Despite robert's authority,

Over the next few weeks,

Conditions in the household
continue to worsen.

Bey: Jeffrey starts to complain
of symptoms

That are very troubling to him.

He can't keep anything down.

He seems to be losing
his vision at times,

But then it comes back.

It's going on for days.

Also he is the only one
in the house

Exhibiting any kind
of complaints like this.

Jeffrey pins it down
to they really come on

After he's had a meal.

He believes
that he's being poisoned.

Jeffrey sets up a camera
in the kitchen,

And he's certain

That if anybody
is poisoning his food,

He's gonna get it on film
and he'll have his answers.

♪

Narrator: When brothers
matthew graville

And jeffrey vogelsberg
first met several years ago,

They were eager
to call each other family.

Where you going?

Out.

But now their relationship
is spiraling out of control.

Watch this.

And the real danger
of the situation

Appears to be revealed
the day jeffrey shares

With their landlord,
robert mccumber,

A shocking video.

Bey: On this tape

Is matthew going with
a frying pan to the stove.

Cracking eggs
into the frying pan.

You see that?

And then it seems that
he's putting a pool chemical

Of some sort into the eggs.

Jeffrey is convinced
his very own brother,

His own blood,
who he brought into his home

And tried to make a family with,
is trying to kill him.

After all
I've done for you.

Jeffrey stand over him
with 9-millimeter.

What are you gonna do,
shoot him?

Robert was always afraid
that jeffrey would kill him.

[ gunshot ]

Bey: He fires a warning shot
into the floorboards.

He wants to be very clear

He's not somebody
to be trifled with.

And robert recognized
that these brothers

Are a serious liability,

And this has gone beyond
just disrespecting

The property at this point.

I'm done with this.

He's not kicking them
out immediately,

But it's clear
they've got to be on their way

And soon.

Narrator: Jeffrey has little
to worry about.

His living arrangement
is soon changing

Since his wife, shannon,
has just finished boot camp.

Benisch:
Once shannon graduated,

She was gonna be assigned
to a military base.

Narrator:
And within a few weeks,

The couple will relocate
outside of wisconsin.

The military
would give them stability.

It would give them a house.

It would give them
stable income.

I think shannon was excited
that she had made it

Through boot camp,

That she had, you know,
completed something,

I guess, on her own.

Narrator: Matthew, on the other
hand, has nowhere to go.

Vaile: At that point,
matthew was calling me

A little bit more frequently,

More, I guess, upset,
like things are going wrong.

Matthew just never seemed
to have any money,

Not for clothes,
not for, you know,

A haircut, for...

His bills were paid
and that was about it.

What do you want?

Bey: Matthew had to be
in complete disarray

At this point, emotionally.

He's moved in to this house
with his brother,

Who has now turned
into his enemy.

Matthew really is unmoored

And has to figure out
which way is up.

Narrator: Even though jeffrey
and matthew were at odds,

Jeffrey's grandfather still
cares for matthew as his own

And his unanswered calls

Have him feeling
something isn't right.

Bey: Jeffrey's grandfather,

Despite having no blood
relationship,

Realized that he hadn't heard
from matthew in a while.

Okay, well, thank you
very much.

Jeffrey said the last time
he saw matthew

Was before shannon's graduation.

While everyone had gone
to attend shannon's graduation

From the military,

One night matthew
had just up and left.

Benisch:
So at that point, the two of us

Started doing
some background work,

Trying to find out
about a missing person --

Matthew graville.

At that time, it was just
a normal missing person's case.

A lot of times,

Those end up resolving
within days.

Bey: Police got concerned

When they looked
at matthew's bank account,

And they saw zero activity
for a number of weeks.

Narrator: Nearly a month after
matthew's last-known sighting,

Police pay a visit to matthew's
landlord, robert mccumber.

Robert's personality and
demeanor was very laid back...

...Not really concerned
about anything.

He just remembered
one morning waking up

And matthew was gone.

He just bailed.
I don't know.

He really didn't know
where matthew went.

Narrator: Jeffrey has since
moved out of state

With his wife, shannon,

But he claims his brother
matthew was always on his mind.

Benisch: I received several
phone calls from jeffrey,

Who stated that matthew
could be camped out

In a rural area
in a different county

That had caves
that he used to go hunting in.

I did not have any theories
or ideas

On where my brother
could have been.

But jeffrey and shannon
started calling me

At least once or twice a day,
if not more, you know,

About how matthew was missing

And, you know, he said
he was going here,

Have you checked here?

Benisch: We drew up flyers,
distributed flyers.

We did a press release
just out looking,

Trying to find him,
try to locate him.

Narrator: After several weeks
of searching,

Matthew's missing persons
case goes cold.

The thought was there that
he could have gotten himself

Into something that
he couldn't have gotten out of.

Vaile: My biggest fear was that
he was living with somebody

Or staying with somebody
that maybe wouldn't let him go.

Narrator:
It's been five months

Since matthew's last
confirmed sighting.

Five months of nothing
for police to investigate.

Then an alert from his bank
triggers the police

To reopen their investigation.

Benisch: We learned that there
was two transactions

On matthew's food stamp card.

Took place
at a grocery store.

Narrator: Armed with the date
and time of the transaction,

Detectives subpoenaed
the surveillance video.

When I saw the video,
we knew something was going on.

We just had to find out what.

♪

Narrator:
In November of 2012,

Five months after
matthew graville was last seen,

Two credit transactions
at a local supermarket

Reignites the case.

Benisch: I was hoping
that it was gonna be matthew.

I mean, it was in his name.

So I thought, "well,
we'll get him on video

And we'll go from there."

When I saw the video,
there was laura using the cards.

And matthew
was not seen in the videos.

Narrator: Laura gantry
is not just

His brother, jeffrey's, mother.

She is matthew's appointed
financial custodian.

Benisch: This was a huge break
in the investigation.

Now we had something
to push the issue with.

We had some solid stuff
that she needed to answer about.

Laura was not arrested
at that point in time.

She was brought uptown

To conduct
a more thorough interview.

Narrator: When confronted with
video evidence of her crime,

Laura admits her wrongdoing.

Laura justified using the card
so it wouldn't go to waste.

She told them,
"well, if he's not using them,

Someone should."

At that point really had no
clue what we were getting into.

Still thinking we have
a missing person case.

Laura saw that matthew
was susceptible

To being taken advantage of.

Narrator:
Detectives next ask her

About matthew's unconventional
relationship

With his brother, jeffrey,

And why both lived in a home
owned by robert mccumber.

That's
your first strike.

She told us that, you know,
matthew could have took off,

Went anywhere,

Really didn't give us
any straight answers

About the whereabouts
of matthew.

Narrator: Laura's interview
gives police enough reason

To bring her son, jeffrey, in.

Narrator:
Detectives asked jeffrey

If he's had any flare-ups
with his brother, matthew.

Jeffrey assumed this role
of being big brother to matthew

In a, what I would call,
love-hate relationship.

Jeffrey: Go!

Jeffrey explained that
he was trying to protect matthew

And make him tougher
and stronger.

10 more.

Jeffrey was portraying
to be the helpful brother

Trying to find
where his brother went.

Narrator: He then suggests
police take a hard look

At someone else
close to matthew.

Benisch: As far as we know,

Robert did not have
a criminal history.

Robert had a very quiet life
prior to this...Meeting.

Jeffrey put the blame on robert.

Something must have happened
with him and robert.

Narrator: Believing they could
have a homicide on their hands,

Police bring robert in to talk.

My initial impression
with robert mccumber

When myself
and madison detectives

Sat down and talked with him,

I thought he was very slow
in responding, very nonchalant.

Just no emotion whatsoever.

Narrator: Three hours
into the interrogation,

The conversation takes a turn.

He mumbled,
"he's gonna kill me.

He'll kill me."

"who's gonna kill you,
robert?"

♪

Narrator: Authorities
investigating the disappearance

Of matthew graville

Now believe his landlord,
robert mccumber, holds the key.

And after hours of questioning,
he begins to crack.

Robert just didn't
want to say nothing.

So I had a piece of paper
and a pencil

And I slid it across
the desk,

And I said, "robert,

Just draw us a map
to where matthew's at

So we can find matthew
and bring him back."

After sitting there for seemed
like an eternity...

...He started drawing.

Narrator:
With the map in hand,

Investigators wondered has
their missing person case

Just turned to murder.

This area is a wooded area
adjacent to the river.

The grave was approximately
6 feet deep

That matthew was in.

Once we got down
to a certain depth,

The soil had changed
from dirt to clay.

And that, in a way,
with matthew's body being frozen

And buried that deep,
probably preserved his body.

That helped us.

His body is the biggest
piece of evidence

We could have
in this whole case.

Yesterday authorities
found his body frozen

And buried
in sauk county.

Well, the shocking details
of the story are made even worse

As we learn more about
27-year-old matthew graville.

I come home from work,

And I saw the breaking
news pop up on the tv.

And I had called my mom
immediately afterwards,

And she confirmed
the truth of it.

At that point, a lot of guilt
had taken over for me

Because I had not talked
to matt for a few months.

Vaile: I was sad, you know,
but also kind of like,

"maybe this is all
just a big joke.

And tomorrow I will wake up
and it will be fine."

♪

Narrator: While an autopsy
is performed,

Detectives press robert on
how matthew met his demise.

As robert described it...

"it was the worst..."

You don't listen
very well.

"awful beating
you ever heard."

Robert claims that
he's a very sound sleeper,

But this woke him up.

Robert stated that...
Then things were quiet.

He went back to sleep.

Until he woke up
the next morning

And found matthew dead
on a couch.

Narrator:
Robert then tells police.

Jeffrey has lived
a life full of lies.

Jeffrey was never enlisted

In the united states
military of any kind.

We interviewed several friends
and family members

That all described jeffrey

As claiming that he had special
training in the military.

None of that information
was corroborated.

Narrator:
And the food-poisoning incident

Appears to be part of jeffrey's
twisted control over matthew.

Detectives confront jeffrey
with the evidence.

Backed into a corner,

Jeffrey's story changes
once again,

Claiming it was a night
when things got out of hand.

Jeffrey was trying to...

Not claim
that he killed matthew.

Narrator: But the autopsy report
tells a very different story.

Benisch: Matthew's cause of
death was blunt-force trauma.

Due to the condition
of the body,

More likely internal bleeding

From a punctured lung
from a broken rib.

It wasn't accidental.

Narrator: And the murder
cover-up is a concerted effort.

Benisch: Shannon's demeanor --

She was very quiet,
mild, and meek.

I don't think
she totally understood

What she had
gotten herself into.

Jeffrey had said
in his interview

That shannon
went out to the grave site.

He took her out there.

We learned it wasn't just
a one-time incident,

That matthew had gone
through this abuse

From his half-brother
for a while.

It was physical
and emotional abuse.

This is really a tragic story

Because matthew,
while looking for family

And acceptance,
found himself

In a viper pit of predators.

This was an act of betrayal

Under the guise
of a loving family.

Matthew had no way to defend
against that.

Narrator: Laura gantry

Receives one year
for identity theft.

Robert mccumber is sentenced
to four years

For hiding a corpse.

Shannon wakefield pleads guilty
to obstructing police

And receives
two years of probation.

♪ happy birthday to you ♪

Ly: A family should be
the most important thing,

The people that have your back
on a daily basis

That never abandon you.

Not the family
that bury you 7 feet deep.

They're all monsters because
none of them said something.

None of them.

They all failed him
because they didn't care.

That's not human.

Narrator: Jeffrey vogelsberg

Is convicted of second-degree
reckless homicide.

He is sentenced
to 15 years in prison.

It makes me very sad
that everyone gets to get out,

That everyone seems
to have their life going

In a good direction,

Whereas my brother will...

You know, he won't
be able to come home.

He can't.

He's -- he's just gone.