Podcast Summary: 48 Hours – "A Crime Before Christmas"

Original Air Date: December 22, 2025
Podcast Host: CBS News "48 Hours"

Episode Overview

This episode of "48 Hours" recounts the harrowing 1990 Tiede family cabin attack in Oakley, Utah—a vicious double homicide, home invasion, arson, and kidnapping that shattered a family just days before Christmas. Through survivor testimony, law enforcement insights, and emotional family recollections, the episode offers an immersive journey into the investigation’s twists and the survivors’ path toward healing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Tiede Family Cabin: Setting and Family Traditions

• Cabin as Family Sanctuary:
  Tricia and Linnae, the Tiede daughters, describe the secluded cabin as an idyllic family retreat.
  • "My family owns a beautiful cabin in Oakley, Utah... It was an escape from the world for a family." – Tricia [01:42]
  • "I loved going up there, bringing aunts and uncles and cousins..." – Linnae [01:42]

The Attack – What Happened

• Crime Unfolds:
  Tricia recalls returning to the cabin with her mother and grandmother, then being confronted by two armed men (later identified as Von Taylor and Edward Deli), who had broken in, eaten their food, and opened Christmas presents while waiting for the family.
  • "…behind the refrigerator came a frizzy-headed man…with his pistol pointed at me." – Tricia [02:22]
  • When her mother arrives, "out from the back bedroom, another robber with thick Coke bottle glasses on was pointing a gun at my mother." – Tricia [02:22]
  • Immediate gunfire leads to the deaths of her mother and grandmother.
• Father and Sister Arrive:
  Linnae and her father arrive moments later, are confronted and robbed, and her father is shot at close range.
  • "The man in the Coke bottle glasses was instructed by the other to shoot my dad... he refused to fire." – Tricia [06:17]
  • "Pulled the trigger once. Click, no fire. Twice, click, no fire. And then the third one went off." – Linnae [06:55]
  • Their father was shot and left for dead, but survives by playing dead and later escaping.
• Fleeing the Scene:
  The assailants force Tricia and Linnae at gunpoint to help them escape, first on snowmobiles and then in the family car, planning to kill them and burn the crime scene.
  • "They pour gas everywhere and set the cabin on fire." – Tricia [08:16]
  • "I had all kinds of different plans... how to get rid of him. But all I could think of is I couldn't leave my sister." – Linnae [08:59]

Family’s Heroics and Law Enforcement Response

• Father’s Survival and Escape:
  Despite being shot, doused with gasoline, and set on fire, their father escapes down the mountain to get help.
  • "He had to run into the shower and tear off his snowsuit while on fire... then race down that mountain." – Linnae [18:02]
• Uncle’s Role and Massive Manhunt:
  Uncle Randy inadvertently encounters the girls with their captors but, realizing something is wrong, later helps coordinate the search and rescue.
  • "I knew something's wrong... Rolf says, 'I've been shot. My wife has been killed and my daughters have been kidnapped.'" – Investigator [13:25]
  • Law enforcement quickly mobilizes, identifying and chasing the suspects.
• Hostage Rescue:
  High-speed chase ends as the car crashes, and authorities apprehend the suspects, rescuing the girls.
  • "Car fell off an embankment... the entire road above us... full of maybe a couple cops... drawn down with pistols and shotguns and rifles." – Linnae [15:38]

The Investigation

• Crime Scene Details:
  Investigators describe finding a war-zone-like scene: bullet holes, blood, and fire damage.
  • "There was maybe a 12 to 18 inch puddle of blood... holes in the wall... a bloody hand had wiped down the wall..." – Investigator [18:57]
• Key Evidence – Video Tape:
  The suspects filmed themselves opening the family’s Christmas presents, crucial evidence revealing their lack of remorse.
  • "They were opening the family's Christmas presents." – Investigator [24:25]
• Suspects’ Backgrounds:
  Both were recent parolees from Utah State Penitentiary, on release from a halfway house.
  • "Vaughn Taylor had been previously convicted of an aggravated burglary..." – Investigator [25:28]
  • Both absconded from the halfway house and started robbing cabins in the area.

The Trials and Justice

• Charges & Sentencing:
  • Taylor pleads guilty to two capital murders; he’s sentenced to death.
    • "Taylor was an evil man... just had this air about him of anger and zero remorse." – Linnae [30:18]
  • Deli goes to trial, is convicted of second-degree murder due to one juror holding out, and gets life in prison rather than the death penalty.
    • "I felt like the courts did an injustice to our family." – Tricia [35:07]
    • "Dele's lawyer argued that he didn’t do any of the shooting." – Linnae [32:28]
• Impact of Testifying:
  Linnae and Tricia recount the trauma of testifying and the difficulty of having to handle weapons used in their family’s murder in court.
  • "I actually just had a whole epiphany... was not helpful for a victim to have to put a weapon that they watched their family murdered with to even have to touch it." – Tricia [31:39]

Grief, Healing, and Forgiveness

• Long-term Emotional Impact:
  Both sisters discuss enduring pain, anger, and the long journey toward healing.
  • "I spent a good 10 years hiding that pain and suppressing that pain." – Linnae [35:54]
  • "I went through trying to find happiness in areas where happiness doesn’t exist." – Tricia [36:09]
• Forgiveness:
  Tricia describes eventually receiving a letter from Deli and, after many years, choosing to forgive him to free herself from anger—not to exonerate him.
  • "I believe that I gained my freedom back for myself by choosing to forgive Dele for me." – Tricia [37:59]
  • "Forgiving does not mean forgetting." – Tricia [37:59]
• Rebuilding and Resilience:
  The family rebuilt the cabin as an act of reclaiming joy and refuses to let the crime define their lives.
  • "After the cabin had burnt we went and rebuilt it and made it even better than it was before." – Tricia [39:30]
  • "They're not gonna take away from us the things that we love and we enjoy in our life." – Linnae [40:37]

Family Legacy and Moving Forward

• The sisters share touching memories of their parents and grandmother, reflecting on their enduring influence and the strength they’ve drawn from family bonds.
  • "My dad was the most amazing hero that I've ever known." – Tricia [18:42]
  • "When my father was diagnosed with cancer, our whole family came together." – Linnae [40:57]
  • "I love my life now. And I wouldn’t say that the incident in 1990 defines me, but I would say it's helped make me who I am today." – Linnae [41:46]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Moment of Confrontation:
  "Behind the refrigerator came a frizzy-headed man in a gray sweatshirt with his pistol pointed at me." – Tricia [02:22]

• Sisterly Bond:
  "We've always had a connection, even as little children, a special connection where we couldn't fail each other..." – Tricia [16:17]

• On Heroic Survival:
  "He had to run into the shower and tear off his snowsuit while on fire. Having the strength to get on the snowmobile and race down that mountain to save my sister and I." – Linnae [18:02]

• On the Evidence:
  "Inside the video camera was a videotape. We had no idea what might be recorded on that... they were opening the family’s Christmas presents." – Investigator [24:25]

• On the Justice System:
  "I felt like the courts did an injustice to our family. I felt like he deserved to be on death row as well. Just like Taylor. Dele murdered. Taylor murdered." – Tricia [35:07]

• On Forgiveness:
  "Forgiving does not mean forgetting. I do not believe Edward Deli has a place outside of prison. But when I came to the place of forgiveness, I felt the tremendous burden relief off my shoulders." – Tricia [37:59]

• On Healing and Resilience:
  "They're not gonna take away from us the things that we love and we enjoy in our life. They took our mom, they took our grams, but that's where it ends." – Linnae [40:37]

• On Family's Enduring Strength:
  "I love my life now. And I wouldn’t say that the incident in 1990 defines me, but I would say it's helped make me who I am today." – Linnae [41:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:42] Family describes the cabin and Christmas traditions.
• [02:08] The attack begins; mother and grandmother are killed.
• [06:55] Father is shot; sisters are taken hostage.
• [08:16] Cabin is set on fire; forced escape for the girls.
• [13:25] Uncle Randy realizes something is wrong; manhunt begins.
• [15:38] High-speed chase; law enforcement intervenes.
• [18:02] Father's escape and rescue.
• [18:57] Crime scene investigation and evidence collection.
• [24:25] Discovery of suspects' videotape.
• [28:56] Legal proceedings, discussion of charges, and sentences.
• [35:54] Sisters reveal long-term emotional struggles.
• [37:59] Tricia reflects on forgiveness.
• [40:24] Family rebuilds cabin, claims agency over trauma.
• [41:46] Linnae closes with message about legacy, healing, and family.

Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its deeply personal storytelling and raw emotional truth. It is not only a gripping true crime investigation but also a testament to familial love, resilience, and the human capacity for forgiveness after unthinkable loss. The story affirms that "lightning never strikes twice in the same location", providing hope and healing despite the scars left behind.