Original subtitles

Catherine Shearer is doing some last -minute packing for her family's

My parents had a condo in Hawaii.

And so my brother and my spouse and my two kids and my parents, they had all

planned to go and spend this time together there.

But it's been days since Catherine last heard from her parents.

For a week, I called and got voicemail two, three, four times a day.

Come on, answer.

It was...

uncommon for her to go more than a day without talking to her mom, and she was

getting very concerned about that.

The Shearers live in an exclusive gated community in Northern California, so

Catherine calls security there.

Hello, Castlewood Country Club. Hi. How may I help you? Hi, my parents live on

Castlewood Lane, and I haven't heard from them in over a week.

Their names?

Yes. Their names are Ernest and Charlene Shearer.

I'm supposed to be flying out there today, and I'm just wondering if someone

could maybe go by the house and check on them. I'll send someone right away.

Thanks so much. Goodbye.

And they said, you know what, we'll send someone out within an hour, and we'll

get back to you.

Hello?

Mr. Schur?

It was a brutal, brutal scene.

People were afraid there was a killer on the loose.

We're looking in the house, and there's a guy down on the floor.

Alameda County detectives Scott Dudek and Gene Smith are among the first to

arrive at the Shearer's home.

Death has a very distinctive odor, something that just stays with you

Blood spatter covers the walls and furniture, and bloody footprints lead

investigators to the body of Ernest Shearer.

Just by first look, he was brutally beaten.

There was just bruises everywhere.

It looked like the person had been struck with an object.

Look at this. He fought so hard his wedding ring flew off.

What overkill? Stab wounds must be a dozen, maybe more.

So we're looking at two different kind of wounds.

Hey,

detective, we've got another body over here.

This must be the wife.

Charlene.

Charlene Shearer has more than 20 blows to her head and is also covered in stab

wounds to her neck and wrists.

Her head was almost decapitated. It was just something that I just will never

forget it. You could tell just by the slicing a sharp instrument was used.

The different wounds lead detectives to believe two murder weapons were used.

Again, look at all the defensive wounds.

She must have been fighting for her life.

How long do you think they've been lying here?

I'd say a couple days at least, probably a week.

We were able to establish a timeline based on the newspapers that more than

likely the last time they were seen alive was March 7th.

Looks like a robbery.

Possibly interrupted.

The house had been ransacked.

Drawers had been pulled out of like a china hutch. Some tablecloths had been

pulled out.

Huh.

That's odd.

Look at all this jewelry.

And why wasn't any of it taken?

Hey, check this out.

There's no way a burglar would have missed this. That's an easy grab right

there.

There was the male victim's pants, and there was $8 ,000 worth of cash in the

pocket. No signs of any murder weapons. We'll keep searching.

Let's also check the windows and doors, see if the killer was invited in or not.

Got it.

Turns out there's no sign of forced entry.

Seems the couple may have welcomed the killer into their home.

Once we did a complete...

check of the house. There was no doubt in our mind that it was a stage to look

like it was a burglary. All the evidence that we collected was sent to our crime

lab. We did not have suspects right away.

Catherine finally receives a call from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

Hello?

I'm nearly hysterical at this point. I wasn't ready for it, and I kind of lost

it a little bit.

I mostly just felt loss, loss of potential future, loss of, you know, my

knowing their grandparents.

I called my brother.

He lived in Southern California.

Hey, Catherine.

Hey, did you hear back from Mom and Dad yet? I was just... Wait, wait, wait.

What?

Hold on, hold on.

Catherine,

what do you mean murdered?

While law enforcement continues to process the Shearer's home, Catherine

Ernie plan their parents' memorial.

We had a lot of the community that just volunteered to give us.

things that we needed, because they knew how hard that situation was.

Catherine was very upset. She cried through the entire memorial. She was

distraught.

Ernie was a pallbearer at the church and then also at the graveside, and he

mostly stayed to himself.

The Shearer children say goodbye to their parents and to the full prosperous

life they all shared.

Ernest and Charlene Shearer raised Catherine and Ernie III in San Ramon, a

affluent community just 30 miles east of San Francisco.

We really enjoyed San Ramon. We lived in a pretty big house and we just played

outside and had a great time.

Ernest makes his millions in the real estate market.

Ernest was an investor. He would finance houses.

He had several rental properties.

The matriarch, Charlene Shearer, is the steady force of the family.

working as an accounting professor.

My mother was very well known and very well revered, and she loved to teach.

had her set of standards. She wanted us to aim high, hit high, and get there.

The Shearers are strict Mormons and press their children to excel.

My brother was good at everything, and he was super bright.

I looked up to him, and I worshipped the ground that he walked on.

It was just the typical all -American family. Two kids, nice house, quiet

community.

So who would want to harm this pious family?

When not making lucrative real estate deals, Ernest is an active member of the

school board.

I can't emphasize this enough, and I know everybody's not on the same page.

But his confrontational style rubs some board members the wrong way. The high

school auditorium needs a new stage.

Here's what I propose.

Hal, that's a bunch of bull.

We're not spending the taxpayers' money on that, and I will make sure that it

does not get through.

Oh, come on. We aren't doing enough for the theater arts. The kids need the

stage. You're missing the point.

Ernest. He was one of these guys that always thought he was right.

Please calm down.

Let's just talk about this. There's nothing left to talk about.

Ernest!

Ernest!

He would get something in his head and would not let go of it, and people

like him.

Ultimately lost his seat on the board. He was angry over the fact.

I'm sorry, Ernest.

I've got to ask you to leave.

This is for members only.

What are you talking about?

You were voted off the board. You know this.

Don't think I'm going to forget about this. Don't touch me.

Get the hell out of here.

Now.

He was extremely embarrassed.

He was angry. He then became, for lack of a better word, a pain in their butt.

And he scrutinized everything that these people did.

For years, Ernest continues to fight the school board.

Just weeks before the murder, there was a bond measure that came up. He used his

own money to campaign against it, which made him a lot of enemies.

Jim. Hey.

I'm counting on you to vote no for the bond issue.

My daughter's a senior this year.

The school needs the money.

The money's not going to the kids, Jim. It's going to the school board's

pockets. Let it be. Let it be. Jim!

Jim!

A lot of the tips that we were getting were people that were telling us it

be someone that was angry with him from the board of education.

And the list of suspects was exhaustive.

In the weeks following the horrific murders of Ernest and Charlene Shearer,

Alameda County detectives discovered that Ernest had more enemies than

Based on the brutality of the victims and the sign that there was no forced

entry, it kind of led us to believe that they both knew who the person was that

did this horrible, gruesome crime.

Sounds like he made a lot of enemies.

Nobody wanted him dead.

Off the board?

Yeah.

Sounds like you two got into it recently. Maybe things got a little

He threatened me. This is over a theater.

That's not a reason to murder someone.

What were you doing the night of March 7th?

I was home with my family.

Police continue to speak with school board members and circle back to the

family.

Catherine, remind me again.

What were you doing the night that your parents were killed?

I was in Salt Lake City with my husband and children.

I knew the detectives had a job to do, and I felt actually encouraged that they

asked me those questions.

And how was your relationship with your parents?

It was really good.

She was, in fact, captured at stores on videos during when we believe the

homicide occurred, so it was a very, very strong alibi for her.

Catherine, did you notice anything strange going on with your parents in

weeks leading up to their death?

The only thing I can think of is my mom was upset because they had to foreclose

on a friend's house.

Really?

Detective Dudek follows up with the couple the Shearer's evicted, but it's a

dead end.

Thanks.

Investigators also meet with Catherine's older brother, 29 -year -old Ernie III.

Can you, uh...

Tell me about your relationship with your parents.

Yeah, of course. I loved my mom and dad.

I was probably closer to my dad than I was to my mom, but that's because we had

more in common.

Like what?

Like poker, for one thing. That's actually what I do for a living.

It actually started with Ernest Sr.

Ernest Sr.

was a professional poker player.

Ernest Jr.

and Ernie would play together on occasion.

You see right there, I can tell you've got something. You can't be that

Maybe I do.

Maybe I don't.

That's my boy.

The gambling brought Ernest and Ernie very close together.

Can you think of anyone who wanted to kill your parents?

Maybe someone my dad played poker with.

He, um... He can be pretty ruthless when he won.

I know he took home a big take recently.

Ernie's list of suspects came back to the gambling world, and some of them

seedy individuals.

Um... Sorry for being so blunt, but I have to ask, um... Did you have anything

to do with your parents' death?

No.

God, no.

What were you doing the night they were killed?

I was driving back to Southern California from Vegas.

I got home, I watched a movie.

I was in bed before 10 o 'clock. I had a bridge game with my grandfather the

next morning.

We were able to check that out. In fact, he did play with his grandfather and a

bunch of friends early in the morning.

News of the tragedy spreads, and a distraught Ernie is grateful to hear

friends.

Hey, Ernie, it's Adrienne.

No, I just saw what happened to your parents. I'm so sorry.

Ernie Shearer and I dated for two years in an exclusive relationship.

888, no deal.

The 35 -year -old event planner from North Carolina meets Ernie while in

on business.

Hi. Hi there.

Hi.

Dougie, move over for... Adrienne.

Adrienne, I'm Ernie. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

I'll take 100 on C and E, and 100 all the hard ways.

I had never been to Vegas, and I was at the craps table watching, and I think it

must have been obvious that I was confused.

Have you ever played craps before?

Never played anything.

Anything, really?

Well, I'll take your bet.

Excuse me?

It means I got your bet.

Oh, okay.

It was nice to have someone explain things to me, and also pleasant, because

was a nice -looking guy.

We should go to dinner later.

I don't know about that.

Don't worry, it's on me.

Actually, it's on the casino.

Oh, well, if it's on the casino.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

So how did you get into gambling?

Um, you know, it's in my blood, I guess.

My dad and my grandpa played poker a lot growing up.

My mom thinks I'm crazy for leaving my old job to be a professional poker

player. I don't think you're crazy.

You know, I quit a job on Wall Street years ago to teach trapeze.

It was an instant bond that we had over both doing something that was out of the

norm. The two spend the rest of the weekend going to clubs, shows, and

the finest restaurants.

Over the next year, Ernie whisks Adrienne off to exotic vacations and

in North Carolina.

Ernie and I had a really fun relationship. We had fallen in love. We

talking about the future. If we did get married, where would we live?

So I know you love Vegas, but what about Hawaii?

A small ceremony with just our family.

I don't know, while we're talking about it, what about kids?

I think I'd like to have a son.

A little Ernest IV. Someone to carry on the family name.

I think you would make a great father.

Hey, when do we get to meet your parents?

My dad will actually be here tomorrow.

You're going to love him.

Family is such a huge part of my life, and so meeting his family was what I

thought would be a perfect next step.

I'm a little nervous.

I'm fine.

Okay.

Hey.

Dad, hi.

So, this is Adrian.

Hi there.

A pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Shearer.

I know who you are.

What time is the tournament?

Uh, it's at 10 p .m.

You gonna join?

I might. I've got a lot of things I've got to get done first, so I should

get going.

Oh, uh, okay, well... I'll see you later, then.

So...

You were excited you met my dad?

He said, no, no, I didn't meet your father at all. I was just treated very

poorly by your father without ever meeting him. And I was so upset.

What was that?

He wouldn't even shake my hand.

I know. I'm sorry.

He can be that way sometimes.

It's probably just because you're not Mormon.

Don't worry about it, babe.

He'll love you. Trust me. Just give him some time.

Knowing that a relationship with his family was going to be so difficult made

think that maybe a permanent relationship with him might not be in

Despite their best efforts, the long distance eventually takes its toll.

In February 2008, Ernie and Adrian part ways.

No, I just...

saw what happened to your parents, I'm so sorry.

He was very upset about his parents.

He seemed almost a little bit out of it.

Oh, sure, we can meet up.

I'll be in Dallas next weekend.

Okay.

Yeah,

I'll see you there.

Two weeks after the Shearer's death, Bernie heads to Dallas to see Adrian.

But just before they are set to meet, the phone rings.

Hello,

this is Adrienne.

Adrienne Solomon?

This is Detective Dudek with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

He was calling, of course, about the murders.

I just heard the news. It's awful.

I just have a few questions for you.

I've been talking to friends and family.

We're aware that you and Ernie broke up.

I just need to know how long the affair was going on for.

My world kind of stopped at that point.

Sorry, excuse me, what do you mean by affair? We were together for two years.

Oh, so you don't know that he has a wife and a son?

With no murder weapon.

and little forensic evidence, detectives investigating the murders of Ernest and

Charlene Shearer are at an impasse.

We checked out at least two dozen people.

They all had good alibis. They were where they said they were, and we didn't

know who did it.

I had nothing to do with this.

I was at the horse races.

I hit the late pick four.

Both Catherine and Ernie's alibis also check out.

But police have stumbled upon a troubling part of Ernie's past.

Not only was he a professional gambler, he was a professional cheater.

What do you mean by affair? We were together for two years.

Oh, so you don't know that he has a wife and a son?

All of a sudden, a lot of images of our relationship and the two years we spent

together started flooding back.

And I realized that's why his father said, I know who you are,

because I was the other woman.

Adrian abruptly cancels dinner plans with Ernie.

Let me in.

Are you serious?

Just give me five minutes.

Five minutes.

Hi.

So is there anything you want to tell me?

What do you mean?

Well, I know you're married.

I can explain.

You know what? That's not necessary. I think you should leave. No, please,

please, please, Adrian.

Just... Okay, just hear me out, okay? Yes.

I'm married.

But... When I met you, I didn't think I'd fall in love with you like I did.

You lied to me every single day for two years.

I know.

And I'm sorry.

I'm done. I was

sad and I was mad and I was hurt.

But mostly I was shocked.

Turns out Ernie's romantic escapade is also news to Deanna, his wife of nine

years.

There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it.

Your husband has been living a double life.

A double life?

He's had a girlfriend for over two years.

It wasn't an easy thing, but we had to let her know.

No. She was devastated.

He had two separate lives. One, he was in Vegas. He was a professional poker

player. He was out having fun.

Then at home, he had a wife and a very small child.

My parents loved her, and we welcomed her into our family.

How did you feel when he left his job to pursue poker?

It was hard at first, but I loved Ernie, so I supported him.

To be honest, it was really nice to be able to stay home with our son.

She was a very sweet girl, very loyal to her husband. As best we could tell

early on, he was a good husband to her.

In fact, in 2006, Ernie brings home more than $100 ,000 playing poker and craps.

Even though he was gone a lot, he was doing really well and he was providing

us. I mean, he even won $70 ,000 on one horse race.

After the windfall, the couple look to upgrade from their cramped apartment.

This is it.

Look at that pool.

I love this place. It's a huge backyard, huge master bedroom for us.

I love it.

Do you think we can swing it?

Yeah, yeah, we'll make it work.

We'll make it work.

Because of the fact that he was a gambler, it was very, very hard for him

convince mortgage lenders that he was not a risk.

So Ernie asks his dad for help.

It's a four -bedroom, three -bath. It's in a really, really great location.

We've already got the 20 % down payment together, Dad.

Please. I don't want to lose this house.

But you've got to understand.

Okay, this is short -term.

I'll need you to pay me back within six months.

I will.

I promise.

And, in fact, I might be able to pay a good part of it back next month.

I got into that tournament.

At Manic City. That's fantastic. That's great.

Thank you. Thank you, Dad.

You're welcome, son. You're welcome.

Ernest was very, very generous. He agreed to carry a $616 ,000

loan for them.

My mom really was pretty uncomfortable with it, but my dad convinced me, like,

you know, it's just short -term, and he got the help.

But when the loan is due, Ernie doesn't have the money.

Hey, Dad.

Yeah?

Oh, I know. I know.

Actually, I was meaning to talk to you about that. Yeah, actually, I met a

private investor out in Vegas. He's looking to take people like me on.

No, no, his interest rates are really not that bad. So, yeah, next week. Next

week. I'll have it to you next week.

Yeah, oh, I promise.

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay.

All right.

But what about the loan from his parents? How were you planning on paying

the Shearers?

Ernie was working on getting us another loan.

So if Ernie couldn't secure a new loan, then you'd lose your dream house?

Yeah. I mean, we would survive, but... What were you doing the night the

Shearers were killed?

What do you mean?

I'm just trying to get a full picture of what was going on here at the time.

You know what?

Thank you.

investigators may have stumbled onto a motive.

By the summer of 2008, Alameda detectives are facing mounting pressure

the grisly murders of Charlene and Ernest Shearer.

Oh. A month before their murder, dad turns the tables on son and all of a

wants his $600 ,000 loan back.

And he can't get any credit. He and his wife are on the verge of losing their

home.

What if it's even more than that?

Think of all they had to gain from the death of his parents.

Exactly. I pulled the shares, Will.

Catherine and Ernie are sole benefactors.

They would split the assets right down the middle.

And both Catherine and Ernie had to be at least 30 years old to get any of the

proceeds. Oh, and guess who turns the big 3 -0 July 3rd?

Ernie. Bingo.

On top of the $600 ,000 that he owed his dad, he had probably in excess of

another $300 ,000 of outstanding debt.

One of his biggest expenses, we found out, was just his whining and dining of

all these females.

Police determine after he broke up with Adrian, Ernie began meeting with women

on social media, hundreds of them.

His postings were, I'm single, I'm looking for a good time, I make good

They had no idea who they were dealing with at that time.

So, Bill Franks, Pam, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.

He had several different personalities. He had several different names.

He had several different stories that he shared with them, some of them where he

was an author.

I've never been out with a writer before. I'm really interested to hear

your novel.

Well, it's a bit of a work in progress.

Okay. It's basically about this.

It's a murder mystery.

I really like crime stories, too.

Actually, do you mind if I use your bathroom really quick?

No. Okay. All right, thanks. I'll be right back.

And in the case of Pam Baker...

His outlandish stories are matched by equally odd behavior.

What are you doing?

Hi.

Don't worry about it.

This is to protect us.

I got a lot of enemies out there, and I don't want any of them to get in.

He also had a kit that had rope in it that had gloves, and he explained

to... Pam Baker, that this was in case he had to go out the hotel room window.

This is why you always pick a room on the bottom floor.

Much, much easier to get away.

Away from whom?

Anyone.

I just remembered that I'm supposed to be somewhere, so I'll just, I'll go out

the other door.

When the investigators started to realize the extent of Ernie's double

That's when they started to really hone in on him as a suspect.

The red flags were just popping up all over the place. It made us more

suspicious of him.

But people cheat on their wives. That doesn't make them a killer.

With Ernie in their sights, investigators take another look at the

footprints left at the Shearer's home.

Ernie actually was a size 10 to 11, so they were actually too big for Ernie. It

put into...

of what we originally thought.

I'll be in touch.

What do we got?

We got the DNA back. There's nothing foreign, just immediate family.

His wife, Alibi, checks out, too. She was with family up in Sacramento.

So we're left with these size 12 shoes and Ernie's a size 10. I mean, what the

hell? That doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't involved.

Just have to dig deeper.

Takes people out for a living, after all.

Keep reminding me.

Ernie is brought in for an intense round of questioning about his whereabouts

the night of the murder.

Friday, I left Las Vegas around 1230, I want to say, in the afternoon.

There will be credit card transactions and phone records of me driving from Las

Vegas back to Brea, California.

I got to my home, I want to say around 5 o 'clock in the evening. I was

exhausted. I was waking up the next day to play bridge with my grandfather.

He'll be able to track me to my house until 5 p .m. on a Friday night, and

you'll be able to track that I was at my house at 6 a .m. 13 hours later.

One of the many problems we have with confirming Ernie's alibi is nobody could

ever tell us that, in fact, he made it to his house.

We're doing something else and you don't want to tell us about it. We've all

talked about it in my family and everybody understands my alibi is not

strong. Do you know anybody that had any involvement in your parents' murder?

No.

He stopped in Prim, Nevada for food and gas and then drove home to Brea.

But the cell phone records are inconclusive.

Once he left Prim, Nevada, he totally went off the radar.

That gives Ernie plenty of time to drive seven and a half hours up to Pleasanton

to kill his parents.

stage the murder scene to look like an intruder, dump the murder weapons, drive

six hours back to Brea.

Got him.

The fact that he went offline would enable him to tell us anything he wanted

tell us where he was that we would not be able to verify.

But it's the next clue that really turns the case.

Surveillance video from the Shearer's exclusive gated community.

We were able to find what we believe to be the exact red car that Ernie owned

coming into the country club and leaving the country club on the day we believe

the murders occurred.

The video is so grainy, it's impossible to read the license plate or identify

the driver.

What the video was able to tell us was the time that the car drove in and the

time the car drove out of the neighborhood was after midnight.

And that established a timeline.

We actually drove the exact route that we thought he probably took. And we

arrived in Brea, California, within two minutes of the time that he came back up

on his cell phone.

That's how exact the time was.

He was one of the biggest liars that I've ever come across as a suspect. He

really thought he was smarter than everybody else.

But without a murder weapon or forensic proof, a killer may slip through the

cracks.

For almost a year, investigators have been trying to piece together enough

evidence to prove professional gambler Ernie Shearer murdered his parents.

He almost played a cat and mouse game with us the entire time, and he thought

was just so much smarter, and he would get away with this crime.

When District Attorney Mike Nieto looks over the case file, he notices something

in the crime scene photos that may have been overlooked.

Mike Nieto was a very sharp, very eager individual.

Charlene and Ernest Shearer were both stabbed and beaten with a blunt object,

but the murder weapons were never found.

So what do you think?

What's that?

One sec.

Uh, that is a warranty card for a Jets baseball bat.

That's our murder weapon.

How did we miss that?

Bloody footprints came from Jet's shoes, too. What a coincidence.

It's not a coincidence.

I'll give you one guess where there's going to be a Jet sporting goods store.

The outlet mall in Prim where Ernie stopped to get gas.

Exactly.

All right, Smith, let's go get him.

Good luck, you guys. Thanks.

Investigators go through the store's cash receipts and hit the jackpot.

On March 7, 2008, the same day Ernie's parents are killed, someone purchases

three items with cash.

a baseball bat, size 12 sneakers, and black gloves.

We had no DNA. We had no fingerprints.

It was just circumstantial evidence. But after a while, coincidences turned into

facts. On February 23, 2009, You have the right to remain silent.

Ernie is arrested and charged with the murders of his parents, Ernest and

Charlene Shearer.

Do you understand the rights that I've just read to you?

Yes. With these rights, do you wish to speak to us?

Sure. Under one circumstance.

What's that?

I want to see the video of the car at my parents' country club.

That's never going to happen.

Well, then I'll speak to a lawyer.

He wanted to run the show. You show me this, and I'll give you maybe a little

bit more. You don't want to show me that? I'm not going to help you out at

I think he was just...

Delusional. Even in his mugshot, he had this silly little half -grin on his

face.

It's just chilling.

I didn't want to believe that my brother was capable of committing that crime.

I was in complete shock.

Two years later, the trial begins.

The district attorney's office knew it was going to be a difficult case, but...

Once we felt the jury put the totality of the case together, they would agree

with us that Ernie Scheer was in fact the homicidal maniac that he was to kill

his parents.

The motive was 100 % financial.

He was in such a horrible financial state, his world was about to come

The prosecution argues after purchasing the bat, gloves, and shoes, he shuts off

his cell phone and drives to his parents' home.

Charlene?

Char?

After beating his father with a bat, Ernie then grabbed a decorative sword

his father's collection before finding his mother.

While his parents bled out, Ernie staged the crime scene to look like a

burglary.

He then dumped the bat, sword, shoes, and gloves somewhere along the dark

highway on his way home.

The amount of evidence, individually pieces, was not enough to convict him.

But altogether, as one complete picture, painted a different story. It painted a

story of conviction.

He was so arrogant, and he felt that he could bluff and convince the jury that

he was this great guy that just ran into some hard times.

In March 2011,

Ernie Shearer is found guilty and given two consecutive life sentences.

I don't know that you can get justice for two lives taken.

No amount of service in prison can ever make up for

what he took.

I didn't want him to be guilty. I don't want to think that I spent two years

with a murderer.

And it's kind of sad to know that I can't trust people like I once could.

There's no way to measure the amount of lives that were hurt or lost,

promises, that he took away by taking them from the earth when he did.