When 39 year old Bernie Tiede confessed to the murder of his friend and companion, 81 year old Marjorie Nugent in November 1996, the revelation came as a shock to the small town of Carthage, Texas. The two had been inseparable friends since the death of Nugent’s husband in 1990 and as far as anyone in Carthage could tell, Nugent couldn’t have picked a more devoted companion than Tiede. Yet as the details of the crime began to emerge, a strange story began to take shape—Tiede’s supposed motive for the murder was to gain access to Nugent’s fortune, but what he did with that money once he had access defied the logic and expectations of greed.

The story of Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent should have ended with the trial and conviction of Tiede, but a few years later, Bernie’s story became the subject of a big Hollywood film, shining a spotlight on the story and raising new questions about the extent of Bernie’s responsibility for the murder. Tiede remains a rarity in the history of American crime: a sympathetic killer almost no one in town wanted to see convicted.

Thank you to the wonderful David White, of the Bring me the Axe podcast, for research assistance

References

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—. 1999. "Shreveport man testifies about 'inappropriate kiss' he witnessed between murder suspect and victim." Marshall News Messenger, February 3: 6.

—. 1998. "Mistrial declared in confessed widow killer case; trial moved." Odessa American, October 28: 16.

Bernhardt Tiede, II v. The State of Texas. 2002. 12-99-00182-CR (Twelfth District Court of Appeals (Tyler, Texas), November 2).

Cieply, Michael, and David Montgomery. 2014. "Murderer who inspired the film 'Berni' is released to the director's garage." New York Times, May 8.

Grissom, Brandi. 2014. "Over 15 years, a town's stance on a convict shifts." New York Times, February 9.

Halmark, Bob. 2012. Carthage residents react to Bernie movie. March 8. Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.kltv.com/story/17106798/carthage-residents-react-to-bernie-movie/.

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Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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