The Bugs Bunny Alibi

Summary

48 Hours: The Bugs Bunny Alibi – Detailed Summary

Introduction

"The Bugs Bunny Alibi" episode of CBS News' award-winning podcast series "48 Hours," released on July 21, 2025, delves into the perplexing case of Linda Duffy Gwatz, who allegedly murdered her husband, Patrick Duffy, in a bizarre and seemingly accidental manner. Hosted by Anne-Marie Green, the episode intricately unpacks the investigation, trial, and eventual conviction, highlighting the complexities and unexpected twists that define this notorious case.

Case Overview

In 2007, Patrick Duffy, a radio engineer, gun enthusiast, and private pilot, was found dead in his suburban Whittier home. His wife, Linda Duffy Gwatz, claimed that her husband's death was a tragic accident. According to Linda, the incident occurred during a playful reenactment of a Bugs Bunny cartoon involving the phrase "no more bullets."

Initial Investigation

The case was initially presented to Detectives Larryn and McCarthy by homicidal detectives from the LA County Sheriff's Department. Upon their first visit, at [00:11], Detective Larryn described the scene: "When I first walked in, sun was coming through the sliding glass door. It just looked very peaceful until I walked in and saw Mr. Duffy laying on the couch" ([01:55]).

Linda Duffy portrayed herself as an eccentric, middle-class woman who didn't fit the profile of a murderer. Detective Larryn noted her demeanor, stating at [02:07], "But based on what I was being told about her, middle class, educated woman, she didn't fit the profile of a murderer."

The "Bugs Bunny" Alibi

Linda's account of the shooting was unconventional. She explained that she and Patrick often engaged in playful banter, mimicking cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. On the day of the incident, she claimed to have thought the gun was unloaded based on their inside joke: "No more bullets," she allegedly said in an Elmer Fudd voice ([02:58]).

Detective Larryn expressed initial skepticism but found Linda's story compelling enough to warrant belief, especially considering her quirky personality. However, forensic experts raised doubts about the plausibility of her account.

Forensic Analysis and Doubts

A forensic expert testified at [01:09], stating, "The muzzle of the firearm was between a distance of 1 and 7 inches from his head," which contradicted Linda's claim of an accidental shooting. Further analysis revealed inconsistencies in the type of firearm used. Linda had purportedly used a double-action revolver, which made her story of rapid "fan firing" highly unlikely and mechanically challenging ([16:58]).

Detective McCarthy elaborated at [14:10], "There were so many highly improbable events that would have had to have all lined up for this to actually have been an accident. They didn't line up."

Re-investigation and Growing Suspicion

Two years after the initial incident, in January 2009, Detectives McCarthy and Laren revisited Linda for another interview. They presented her with a video demonstration of Tracy Peck, a firearms expert, attempting to replicate the "fan firing" technique. Linda's reaction was telling; she admitted to adjusting her story slightly, claiming she and Patrick had practiced the technique with an unloaded gun ([18:56]).

Despite this, Linda did not respond to their follow-up offer to meet at the firing range to demonstrate her alibi, raising further suspicions.

Family and Friend Testimonies

Patrick's sister, Katherine Hunt, remained unconvinced by Linda's explanations. At [21:07], she expressed disbelief, stating, "No, absolutely not. We were raised with guns, and we..." Her suspicions grew when Linda later told Patrick’s siblings that he had committed suicide, a claim that did not align with their upbringing and understanding of handling firearms ([22:27]).

Long-time friend Julie Prendergast also recounted Linda's eccentric behavior and compulsive lying tendencies, further undermining her credibility ([26:23]).

Trial and First Mistrial

In May 2012, after years of investigation, Detective McCarthy apprehended Linda Gwatz in Mississippi. The first trial was fraught with unusual defense strategies, including the reliance on cartoon references as part of Linda's alibi. Prosecutor Robert Villa dismissed the "Bugs Bunny defense" as "zero percent chance it's true" ([29:57]).

The jury, however, found the case too convoluted to reach a unanimous decision, resulting in a mistrial after two weeks of deliberation ([31:36]). The judge declared a mistrial, leaving Linda's fate unresolved.

Second Trial and Conviction

A year later, the prosecution returned with a more streamlined case, focusing on the forensic evidence and inconsistencies in Linda's story. Defense attorney Joseph Lowe introduced a new expert, Lance Martini, who contended that fan firing a double-action revolver was possible, albeit uncommon ([37:24]).

Despite the defense's attempts to recreate the alibi, the jury was presented with compelling forensic evidence, including blood spatter analysis that contradicted Linda's account ([25:07]). The second trial culminated in a guilty verdict for second-degree murder, with the judge mandating a sentence of 40 years to life ([39:32]; [37:52]).

Aftermath and Reflections

The episode concludes by reflecting on the differing perspectives of jurors from both trials. Some jurors from the first trial still harbored doubts, while those from the second trial were convinced of Linda's guilt ([42:27]; [43:12]). Friends and family expressed mixed emotions, with some feeling justice was served, while others remained conflicted over the tragic loss of Patrick and the subsequent downfall of his family.

Julie Prendergast, a close friend, expressed sorrow over the entire ordeal, stating, "I'm sad for everyone involved. Those two boys lost their father, and now they're losing their mother. It's a tragic story in every way you can think about it" ([44:21]).

Conclusion

"The Bugs Bunny Alibi" masterfully unravels a case where a blend of eccentric personal quirks, dubious forensic evidence, and relentless detective work culminated in justice being served after years of uncertainty. Through gripping interviews, expert testimonies, and detailed narrative storytelling, "48 Hours" presents a compelling examination of how intent, alibi, and evidence interplay in the pursuit of truth within the criminal justice system.

Notable Quotes

• Detective Larryn ([01:55]): "When I first walked in, sun was coming through the sliding glass door. It just looked very peaceful until I walked in and saw Mr. Duffy laying on the couch."

• Linda Duffy ([09:05]): "She said that she then wanted to impress him by showing him she can shoot a cowboy style."

• Prosecutor Robert Villa ([29:57]): "Zero percent chance it's true."

• Katherine Hunt ([21:07]): "No, absolutely not. We were raised with guns, and we..."

• Julie Prendergast ([44:21]): "I'm sad for everyone involved. Those two boys lost their father, and now they're losing their mother. It's a tragic story in every way you can think about it."

Key Timestamps

• [01:09] Forensic Expert discusses firearm types.
• [02:07] Detective Larryn assesses Linda's profile.
• [08:03] Introduction of Patrick Duffy's character.
• [09:18] Linda explains the "Bugs Bunny" game.
• [16:58] Forensic analysis on double-action revolver.
• [18:56] Linda modifies her story post-demonstration.
• [31:36] Announcement of the first mistrial.
• [37:24] Introduction of defense expert Lance Martini.
• [39:32] Verdict of guilty for second-degree murder.
• [44:21] Julie Prendergast reflects on the tragedy.

Final Thoughts

This episode underscores the intricate dance between storytelling, evidence, and justice. It highlights how personal narratives, no matter how peculiar, must withstand rigorous scrutiny when weighed against factual evidence. "48 Hours" effectively captures the emotional and procedural journey of a case that captivated public attention, offering listeners an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted nature of criminal investigations and courtroom battles.

Transcript

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[Detective]

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[Forensic Expert]

I've handled hundreds of firearms through the course of daily casework. The majority are handgun types. And then we see a fair amount of semiautomatic rifles and a variety of shotguns. Detectives Larryn and McCarthy presented this case to the firearms unit. They had a woman who had accidentally shot her husband with a revolver.

[Detective]

Tell me what this gun is.

[Forensic Expert]

This is the same make and model of firearm that was recovered from the Duffy residence.

[Detective Larryn]

When I first walked in, sun was coming through the sliding glass door. It just looked very peaceful until I walked in and saw Mr. Duffy laying on the couch.

[Linda Duffy]

There was a lot of blood on the carpet and there was some blood on the wall. Lots of blood. But based on what I was being told about her, middle class, educated woman, she didn't fit the profile of a murderer. This could be an accident. She's eccentric and quirky. She gives that impression the minute you meet her.

[Julie Prendergast]

She was very entertaining and very funny. Loved to laugh. You either really, really liked Linda or you really thought, wow, she cannot be trusted.

[Detective Larryn]

I've investigated well over 100 murders, Linda.

[Linda Duffy]

Okay.

[Detective Larryn]

I was very anxious to hear how this accident happened.

[Patrick Duffy]

You have to understand, Pat and I joke around a lot with each other.

[Linda Duffy]

She said we have this thing that we always do. We morph into cartoon characters.

[Detective]

I'm sorry, they what?

[Linda Duffy]

They morph into cartoon characters.

[Detective]

What's up, Jack?

[Patrick Duffy]

There was a Bugs Bunny cartoon with Elmer Fudd. And he does this silly little Elmer Fudd voice. No more bullets.

[Detective]

No more bullets.

[Linda Duffy]

And she said she began to talk to him in her Elmer Fudd voice.

[Patrick Duffy]

No more bullets.

[Linda Duffy]

And she said she wanted to impress him. And she walked over and picked the gun up.

[Detective]

No more Bullets.

[Narrator]

No more bullets.

[Patrick Duffy]

He told me there was no bullets in the gun.

[Forensic Expert]

Well, I don't believe she could have fired it in the manner she said she did.

[Patrick Duffy]

His hand was right there.

[Linda Duffy]

I wanted to believe her story.

[Forensic Expert]

It's not a believable story.

[Detective Larryn]

I had that gut feeling there was something more sinister.

[Detective]

This is the matter of Linda Gwatz. She is present before the court. Both counsel are present. Seven years after she shot her husband in their suburban living room, Linda Duffy Gwatz is in a Los Angeles county court denying as strongly as she can that she is a murderess.

[Patrick Duffy]

This was a horrible accident, and I wish and pray constantly that I could be able to take away your pain, but I can't.

[Detective]

This case is not a whodunit. It's more of a why'd she do it? Linda admits she shot her husband, Patrick Duffy in 2007, but she says it was an awful and unlikely accident. She's had to convince authorities that fact can be stranger than fiction because her legal defense has featured, among other things, a cast of cartoon characters.

[Narrator]

Here, let me see that thing.

[Detective]

Her lawyer has used the words of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd to explain her actions as he insisted she is innocent.

[Linda Duffy]

We're going to ask you to tell us what happened today.

[Detective]

Linda talked to police voluntarily and without a lawyer, just hours after the shooting.

[Patrick Duffy]

It was. It was pointed down. And the next thing I know, he was right there, just laying there.

[Judge]

Well, let's go by the house.

[Detective]

Sean McCarthy and Shannon Laren have been homicide detectives for the LA County Sheriff's Department for 13 years. Forgive the cliche, but they really did think they'd pretty much seen it all.

[Detective Larryn]

Here's the house right here.

[Detective]

And then on April 26, 2007, they got a call about a shooting at the Duffy's house in suburban Whittier.

[Narrator]

Okay, stay on the line with me, ma'.

[Detective]

Am. This is the couch that you saw in the living room?

[Linda Duffy]

Yes.

[Detective Larryn]

Yes. Mr. Duffy was right here.

[Detective]

McCarthy and Larryn found Patrick Duffy dead on the couch. His left hand was in his pocket.

[Detective Larryn]

And his right knee was being supported by a pillow. Very comfortable, relaxed.

[Detective]

There was blood pooled on the floor and splattered on the wall.

[Detective Larryn]

There was a pretty good sized blood puddle right in here.

[Linda Duffy]

Clearly he had a gunshot wound to the head.

[Detective]

The couple's two teenage sons, Sean and Thomas, were at school, so Linda was the only surviving witness. And Detective Laren had a funny feeling.

[Detective Larryn]

It looked like he'd been sleeping on the couch and somebody walked up and shot him in his Sleep.

[Detective]

What did you think?

[Linda Duffy]

I was leaning that this was an accident.

[Detective]

Detective McCarthy has been investigating homicide cases for about 13 years and knows how to spot even the tiniest clues. He saw very little here that made him suspicious. Do you guys disagree frequently on cases?

[Linda Duffy]

I disagree with all my partners on every case.

[Detective]

Well, so how does that work?

[Detective Larryn]

I think we kind of wait until we have more information.

[Linda Duffy]

I wanted to hear her story.

[Julie Prendergast]

She was very entertaining, loved to tell stories.

[Detective]

Julie Prendergast has been listening to Linda's stories since they first became friends in a college music program in the 80s.

[Julie Prendergast]

She said, well, actually, I'm from Ireland. And she started talking with what I thought was a pretty phony accent. That was my first indication that Linda was a little bit different.

[Detective]

Julie says Linda could be irreverent, even goofy.

[Julie Prendergast]

I would say, linda, I'm going to tell you something, and you're going to want to laugh, but we're in class right now, so don't laugh out loud. And it would just pop out anyway.

[Detective]

After they left school, Julie and Linda ended up working at the same place. And one day, Julie says, Linda called with some news.

[Julie Prendergast]

She said, I'm so excited. I'm getting married, and I'd like you to be in my wedding.

[Detective]

The groom was a man Linda had met four years earlier, Patrick Duffy, a radio engineer, gun enthusiast, and private pilot.

[Julie Prendergast]

She just said it was like her dream come true. And she couldn't be happier.

[Katherine Hunt]

They seemed happy as a family. They understood each other.

[Detective]

Patrick's sister, Katherine Hunt, says Patrick and Linda were soulmates and playmates.

[Katherine Hunt]

They were kidding with each other, joking with each other.

[Patrick Duffy]

We're just always, just joking around with each other and being silly and having a good time.

[Detective]

And it was that silliness that became a cornerstone of Linda's story when she explained to police what happened the day she killed her husband.

[Patrick Duffy]

Then I came into the family room and. And he was sitting on the sofa.

[Detective]

She said they had just come back from a doctor's appointment. Patrick had chronic circulation problems. Linda said he'd been planning to go to the shooting range. His.38, one of three revolvers he kept in the house, was nearby.

[Patrick Duffy]

We keep it in this little locked box.

[Detective]

Linda told police she usually stayed away from the guns, but that day she picked up the.38.

[Linda Duffy]

And the story got stranger as it went on.

[Patrick Duffy]

We do this little silly thing. We always kind of relate little silly conversations to, like, cartoons that we've seen when we were younger and stuff. And he does this silly little Elmer Fudd voice. No More bulwits.

[Linda Duffy]

And she claims she said to him, no more bullets in Elmer Fudd's voice.

[Detective]

No more bullets.

[Linda Duffy]

And she said his response was, no more bullets.

[Detective]

No more bullets. She said it was a game they played all the time. And that when her husband said, no more bullets in his Elmer Fudd voice, she took it to mean the gun was empty and that it was safe to try something Patrick had taught her.

[Linda Duffy]

She said that she then wanted to impress him by showing him she can shoot a cowboy style.

[Detective]

It's called fan firing, and any fan of Westerns knows it. You hold the trigger down and keep pulling back the hammer so the gun fires quickly.

[Patrick Duffy]

You told me there was no bullets in the gun.

[Detective]

She says once she started fan firing, she couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting her husband, who leaned into the line of fire.

[Patrick Duffy]

And the next thing I know, he. Andrew's right there.

[Detective Larryn]

The statement about the fan firing, it just didn't sound right.

[Detective]

But his partner, Detective Sean McCarthy, who had heard his share of crazy explanations from suspected killers, listened to that panicked 911 tape, listened to Linda's story and concluded the story was just wacky enough to be true.

[Linda Duffy]

The overwhelming feeling that I got from her was she was odd at best and eccentric at worst.

[Detective]

After they interviewed Linda for an hour, they let her go home. And when you left work that day, did you have in your mind that she was a suspect?

[Linda Duffy]

No.

[Detective]

His gut told him Linda was innocent, but he'd need more. He'd need science.

[Forensic Expert]

The muzzle of the firearm was between a distance of 1 and 7 inches from his head.

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[Detective]

When he first studied the scene where Linda Duffy killed her husband, Detective Sean McCarthy was pretty sure it was an accident. He believed her story that she had reenacted their favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon. No more bullets. No more bullets. And then fan fired the gun. And when he talked to Linda later.

[Linda Duffy]

That day, start with when you got up this morning.

[Detective]

She said nothing that made him doubt her.

[Patrick Duffy]

It is my fault.

[Linda Duffy]

No, it's not your fault.

[Detective]

It's just.

[Linda Duffy]

It's just that we need to understand.

[Detective]

Laren and McCarthy were beginning to understand more about what happened inside the Duffy home, especially after they talked to the medical examiner who had just done an autopsy on Patrick Duffy.

[Linda Duffy]

There was a second gunshot wound.

[Detective]

Linda Duffy claimed this was an accident, but she had shot her husband in head the not once but twice. And believe it or not, even seasoned investigators can miss that kind of clue at the crime scene. You could not see the second gunshot wound?

[Linda Duffy]

Well, because of dried blood and the amount of blood and coagulated blood, we weren't privy to the second gunshot wound.

[Detective]

What did you make of that?

[Linda Duffy]

Well, it certainly was a red flag.

[Detective]

But it was not just a red flag for McCarthy's partner, Shannon Laren. It was more like a bright red arrow pointing right at Linda Duffy.

[Detective Larryn]

There were so many highly improbable events that would have had to have all lined up for this to actually have been an accident. They didn't line up.

[Detective]

Still, Sean McCarthy was not convinced. Why didn't you just say this is going to be murder?

[Linda Duffy]

Because I needed to be convinced myself that this was murder. The last thing in the world I want to do is send an innocent person to prison for the rest of their lives.

[Detective]

It wasn't enough for McCarthy to know what happened. He wanted to know why it happened.

[Linda Duffy]

We struggled to find a compelling motive and we looked and we looked and.

[Detective]

We looked, but they couldn't really find one. The Duffys seem to be an average middle class family living here in the LA suburbs. The there was a life insurance policy on Patrick, but they bought that decades earlier. Plus there was no evidence of cheating. And considering her eccentric personality, Detective McCarthy could not just dismiss Linda's story.

[Linda Duffy]

Okay, maybe this could have happened the way she said because she's so quirky and eccentric.

[Detective]

But it was about to get a little harder for McCarthy to believe Linda's story because of Tracy Peck, the firearms expert for the Sheriff's department who was brought into the case by McCarthy and Laren. Remember, according To Linda. She fired the way they did in the movies. It is possible to do that pretty easily with the right kind of gun. This is the kind of gun that you can fan fire, right?

[Forensic Expert]

Correct. So this is a single action revolver. This type of firearm is fired by cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger.

[Detective]

The guns they used in the cowboy movies were single action guns. You can easily keep firing quickly by pulling and releasing the hammer while the trigger is held back.

[Forensic Expert]

When the hammer is fanned, the cylinder will rotate with this type of gun, so it will fire the cartridges in the chambers of the cylinder as it's being fanned.

[Detective]

The Duffys had two single action revolvers in the house. But the gun Linda used to shoot her husband was not one of them. It is a double action revolver, and there's a big difference.

[Forensic Expert]

The shooter simply pulls the trigger, which accomplishes both cocking the hammer and, and releasing the hammer, and the gun will fire.

[Detective]

To rapid fire a double action revolver, the shooter has to do all sorts of things at the right time and in the right sequence. Is this gun designed to be fired that way?

[Forensic Expert]

No. For the purposes of this case, I essentially invented a way in which I would conceivably fan this. And that included pulling the trigger, releasing the trigger, fanning the hammer, pulling the trigger, releasing the trigger and fanning the hammer, but doing it pretty quickly.

[Detective]

And Peck says it's very hard to aim while doing all that. She says the unexpected deafening noise of the gun and the recoil would have alarmed Linda if she didn't know the gun was loaded. According to Peck, it would have been next to impossible for Linda, who claims to be an amateur, to shoot her husband twice rapidly by accident. Especially since the wounds were so close together.

[Forensic Expert]

I don't find it a very believable story.

[Linda Duffy]

I still wanted to believe her, but it clearly couldn't have gone down the way that she said that it went down.

[Detective]

By now, Detective McCarthy was all but certain that Patrick Duffy's death was no accident. But the two detectives felt they didn't have enough to prove it. Because of a heavy workload. It took two years. But in January 2009, McCarthy and Laren brought Linda back in for another chat. The video wasn't working, but you can still hear their conversation. He showed me how to do it really fast. You gotta do it like the cowboys.

[Linda Duffy]

Well, in the second interview, I think we were both convinced that this was a murder.

[Detective]

They showed her a video of Tracy Peck fan firing the gun.

[Linda Duffy]

I think she was certainly surprised when we explained to her how difficult it would be. I could tell. The light bulb went on in her brain, and she said, I got at least changed the story a little bit.

[Detective]

Linda now said she and her husband had practiced fan firing with an unloaded revolver for years.

[Patrick Duffy]

15, 20 times.

[Detective]

Did you believe her this time?

[Linda Duffy]

No.

[Detective]

But the detectives wanted to give Linda one last chance to show them how she fired the gun. And they made her an unusual offer.

[Linda Duffy]

Meet us at the range. We'll bring an exact replica and show us that you can fire this gun in the manner that you said.

[Detective]

The detectives were certain Linda would not kill again, so they let her go home again and waited to hear from her about their offer. Days turned into weeks and then months. And life went on at the Homicide bureau.

[Detective Larryn]

We changed partners, and when that happens, you start getting new cases and other cases start falling to the wayside.

[Detective]

As the years passed, Linda might have thought she was off the hook, but her past was about to catch up with her.

[Linda Duffy]

The district attorney said, I'm going to file this case and need to go get her.

[Detective]

With no news for nearly five years, Patrick Duffy's brother John and sister Katherine Hunt thought the police had decided his death was an accident and had closed the investigation. But Catherine says she had a hard time believing what Linda told her. When she called on that awful day.

[Katherine Hunt]

She was incoherent, and I said, what happened? He was cleaning his gun, and it accidentally went off.

[Detective]

Linda had told the police that she had shot Patrick by accident. But later that night, she told his siblings he'd shot himself. Could you picture him having that kind of an accident?

[Katherine Hunt]

No, absolutely not. We were raised with guns, and we.

[Detective]

Were taught to empty our weapons before even entering the house. And that was, like, the number one rule.

[Katherine Hunt]

It was hard to believe that he had done something like that.

[Detective]

And Katherine learned she was right. The day after Pat died, when she met Linda at the funeral home, I.

[Katherine Hunt]

Said, where was he shot? And she went like this, just like that. That's when it hit me that he didn't shoot himself. I said, so tell me what really happened. She said, oh, you're gonna hate me. You're gonna hate me. You're gonna hate me. I said, no, I'm not gonna hate you, but I need to know what the truth is. And I said, did you shoot my brother in the head? And she said, yes.

[Detective]

It was there in the funeral home where Catherine first heard the tale of Elmer Fudd.

[Katherine Hunt]

Pat had told her, no bullets. No, no, no bullets, like Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, because they would talk in cartoon characters. Sometimes she thought the gun wasn't loaded and it went off. I couldn't quite understand why she had lied. If it was an accident, it was an accident, but she had lied to us.

[Detective]

But the police still had to prove she had lied to them about why she shot him. Detectives had interrogated her twice and released her twice. The second time, they let her go. They'd made that unusual offer to meet her at the firing range.

[Linda Duffy]

We even told her, it can be at your convenience.

[Detective]

They weren't shocked when they didn't hear back from her. And several months later, they stopped by the Duffy's house and saw a for sale sign. Her sons were home.

[Linda Duffy]

They said she's on her honeymoon in Italy.

[Detective]

Two years after the shooting, Linda Duffy was Linda Gwatz, newly married to Lawrence Gwatz, who anyone in the saxophone world knows is a world class player.

[Linda Duffy]

When we googled him, he was playing in Carnegie Hall.

[Detective]

And once again, when wedding bells rang, so did Julie Prendergast's phone.

[Julie Prendergast]

She asked me what I sing in that wedding and I said, what, Linda? I'm not coming to your wedding. Something's not right. Surrounding the death of Patrick.

[Detective]

Julie says she was uneasy with how Linda just moved on.

[Julie Prendergast]

She dyed her hair blonde. She was wearing different style of clothes. She seemed to be walking on air, on clouds, like, just as happy as can be.

[Detective]

A year after shooting her first husband, Linda met Gwatz online. She moved to Mississippi, where her new husband was a music professor. She was out of sight. But for detectives Laren and McCarthy, she was not out of mind. Did you forget about this case? Was there a period of time where.

[Linda Duffy]

No. No, absolutely not.

[Detective]

When their workload with their new partners permitted, McCarthy and Larin each turned their attention back to. To Linda. They wanted to take a new look at the blood evidence with a new expert, Paul Delhauer. He studied the photos and police reports and concluded Linda had to be lying. Based on her statements, police believed Linda was claiming that she had fired quickly and from the same spot she moved.

[Prosecutor]

And the relative position of the gun to the head.

[Detective]

We are standing next to the couch on which Patrick Duffy died. Delhauer said the blood evidence told him a lot, especially these tiny stains on Linda's clothing and the walls called spatter, which he says came from the first shot.

[Prosecutor]

The barrel has to be within about 3 inches of the head in order.

[Detective]

To produce the spatter. Dellhauer says the second shot created a. A large pool of blood on the floor in the exact spot where Linda said she was standing.

[Prosecutor]

She Would have been getting jets of blood hitting her.

[Detective]

Linda Duffy have any blood on her?

[Detective Larryn]

Very little. Yeah, very, very little.

[Detective]

Police thought they now had proof that Linda was lying. She didn't have enough blood on her after the shooting to support her story. Laren and McCarthy thought they knew what really happened.

[Linda Duffy]

She took aim, fired one round while he was sleeping, realized he wasn't dead, comes back on target, fires the second round. And that's why they're within 2 inches of each other.

[Detective]

They believe Patrick's death wasn't an accident. It was an execution. By 2012, the new prosecutor assigned to the case was eager to move ahead. And police began talking to Linda's co workers.

[Linda Duffy]

Boy, that was very revealing. They consistently talked about how she was so charming. But then as time went on, they started finding out that she was this compulsive liar.

[Detective]

And Julie Prendergast had a few stories to tell about her one time friend's record. When it comes to telling the truth.

[Julie Prendergast]

We all have one gallbladder. Linda had hers removed three times. Linda just always needed. Seemed to want to have attention.

[Detective]

It was enough for McCarthy.

[Linda Duffy]

I became absolutely convinced that we need to prosecute her.

[Detective]

So finally, in May 2012, five years after Patrick Duffy's death, Detective McCarthy flew to Mississippi where Linda and her new husband were living in in a comfortable home. And she had gotten a job at the university. You knock on the door, what's her reaction?

[Linda Duffy]

Her reaction was I thought the investigation was all over.

[Detective]

The investigation wasn't over. McCarthy arrested Linda Duffy goat for murder. And everyone was in for some surprises. Foreign.

[Linda Duffy]

Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing.

[Detective]

Mint Mobile unlimited trimmium wireless.

[Detective Larryn]

Everybody get 30, 30. Better to get 30. Better to get 20, 20, 20. Better to get 20, 20.

[Detective]

Everybody get 15, 15, 15, 15. Just 15 bucks a month.

[Linda Duffy]

So give it a [e-mail] SL switch.

[Narrator]

Upfront payment of 45 dollars for three month plan equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. Cmobile.com now streaming.

[Detective]

When everything's on the line, real heroes rise to the occasion.

[Detective Larryn]

TV's hottest show is Fire Country.

[Detective]

We're firefighters. We're gonna find a way to get you out of here.

[Judge]

We take the hits together.

[Linda Duffy]

We're on the same team.

[Detective]

I'm right here with you. No matter What?

[Narrator]

I would never leave you hanging in the deep end.

[Detective]

This place is a way of giving you new family Fire country. All episodes now streaming on Paramount plus.

[Narrator]

This message is sponsored by Greenlight. With school out, summer is the perfect time to teach our kids real world money skills they'll use forever. Greenlight is a debit card in the number one family finance and safety app used by millions of families, helping kids learn how to save, invest and spend wisely. Parents can send their kids money and track their spending and saving while kids build money, confidence and skills in fun ways. Start your risk free Greenlight trial [e-mail] Spotify that's greenlight.com Spotify.

[Detective]

It'S been six years since Linda Duffy shot her husband to death. And she thought she was going on with her life, with a new husband, a new house, a new look and a new town. But now she's going on trial for murder.

[Narrator]

Tuesday, her freedom came to an end.

[Detective]

And Joseph Lowe is her attorney.

[Judge]

Unfortunately, on this particular day, she was going to play with a gun again like she'd done so many times before. And she rapid fired it in the top of his head. It's a complete action.

[Detective]

He'll argue that based partly on the words of Elmer Fudd, no more bullets. Linda thought the.38 revolver was empty. Did you ever consider the possibility that this what we'll call a Bugs Bunny defense, for lack of a better term, could be true?

[Prosecutor]

Zero percent chance it's true.

[Detective]

Deputy District Attorney Robert villa says in 27 years on the job, he's never seen a defense rely on, even partly on a cartoon.

[Prosecutor]

Bugs is having a conversation with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

[Detective]

Watching a prosecutor parrot a bunny was a first for us, too. But an official transcript of the cartoon had to be made.

[Prosecutor]

What do you know? No more bullets. And then Bugs Bunny says no more bullets. As they're having this conversation. Just as she went to fan fire the gun, he laid down and put his own head right in front of the gun. So ridiculous.

[Detective]

You know and I know that strange things do happen.

[Prosecutor]

Strange things happen. This wasn't one of them. He was asleep. She shot him in the head twice.

[Detective]

It was that simple. Open and shut.

[Prosecutor]

For me it was.

[Detective]

But it wasn't so simple for the jury. Over two weeks, they heard three recordings of Linda telling authorities about cartoon rabbits and cowboy fan firing. They also heard days of testimony from dueling experts about whether Linda's explanation made any sense at all. It was a lot for the jury to consider.

[Narrator]

It was difficult, you know, for Every expert, there's another one who can tell.

[Detective]

You a different story. The defense questioned whether prosecution expert witness Paul Dellhauer.

[Prosecutor]

She would have been getting jets of blood hitting her.

[Detective]

Was really an expert at all. The jurors deliberated for a day, but could not reach a verdict.

[Narrator]

Very few of us thought the intent was there. So how do you convict somebody when it could have happened exactly the way she explained it?

[Detective]

With a deadlocked jury, the judge had no choice. He had to declare a mistrial.

[Linda Duffy]

So he will be discharged on this case.

[Judge]

It sends a clear message that the jury wasn't willing to. I'm convicted on murder.

[Detective]

Were you disappointed?

[Prosecutor]

I'm always disappointed when there's no verdict, because that means I have to do it again.

[Detective]

And roughly one year later, with Linda having remained in jail. Good morning, everybody. Villa was doing it again. This time, his case will be very different. He laid down on the couch, streamlined and simple.

[Prosecutor]

His wife came up to him, put a gun between 1 and 7 inches from his head, and pulled the trigger. Some time went by. She pulled the trigger again.

[Detective]

He says the Duffys marriage was strained, and she thought she might have to take care of her ailing husband.

[Prosecutor]

She's like, I'm not going to wait on this guy for the rest of his life. This was a premeditated and deliberate murder.

[Detective]

For his opening arguments, defense attorney Joseph Lowe brings his own sofa to present this as a simple case.

[Judge]

No motive, no intent, no crime. Pat was her best friend, and she was his. One of the things they love to do is to watch cartoons together. They're kind of goofy, but there are.

[Detective]

Many aspects to this trial that are, if you will, offbeat. Only one of you asked the clerk about how these cameras work. Well, they're only on me. Judge John Toribio has a reputation for lightening the atmosphere for the jury. I'm the star, so don't worry. But things quickly get serious when the DA takes them back to the moment. Right after Linda Duffy shot her husband. My husband was getting her shooting anyway, so he had. He was. Again, I shot him.

[Judge]

It's hard to make out some of the words because you just. She can't even talk.

[Detective]

The gun didn't have any bullets in it.

[Narrator]

I thought that's what he told me.

[Detective]

She sounds terrified and frantic to me. Right. What does she sound like to you?

[Prosecutor]

She sounds like someone who is acting.

[Forensic Expert]

May I use the firearm to demonstrate?

[Detective]

Just aim it at the jury. Tracy Peck tells the jury Linda had to pull the trigger on this gun twice to get two bullets to Fire.

[Forensic Expert]

If I do not release the trigger, the cylinder will not advance.

[Detective]

The big surprise in this trial is what prosecutor Bob Villa leaves out.

[Prosecutor]

I'd have People's 1 through 35 be admitted into the evidence. And with that, I rest. I arrested my case after basically two and a half days.

[Detective]

Unlike the first trial, there is very little dense forensic testimony about blood stains. And most crucially, your last name's Duffy. He does not introduce Linda's taped interviews with police where she first discussed Bugs Bunny. There was no need for Bugs Bunny.

[Prosecutor]

No need. Unless she took the stand.

[Detective]

Villa has thrown defense attorney Joseph Lowe a curveball. Since the defense isn't allowed to introduce the interrogations unless the state does first, the only way jurors will hear Linda Duffy's side of the story is if she takes the stand and exposes herself to cross examination. Were you hoping she would take the stand?

[Prosecutor]

Absolutely.

[Detective]

Were you ready?

[Prosecutor]

Absolutely.

[Detective]

Lowe begins his defense with a good offense. His first witness is the detective who at first did not think Linda was a murderess.

[Judge]

When you're done asking your questions, you allowed Mrs. Duffy to go home.

[Linda Duffy]

Correct? Talking to her was very convincing to me. She was eccentric, and how could she harm anybody?

[Judge]

So you would not let somebody who you thought had just committed a murder go back out on the street if you had the power of arrest. Isn't that correct, sir?

[Detective]

Oven. Sustained.

[Linda Duffy]

That night, I. I liked her. As the investigation went on, I liked her a lot less.

[Detective]

Loeb tries to paint a sympathetic picture of Linda.

[Judge]

Sir, how are you feeling right now? A little nervous.

[Detective]

By calling her sons Shawn and Thomas.

[Prosecutor]

She's a very emotional, caring person.

[Judge]

We were always really happy. They liked cartoons a lot. They were always making funny jokes to each other and always poked fun at each other and stuff.

[Detective]

The defense has a very big decision to make. Will Linda take the stand herself?

[Prosecutor]

And if she took the stand, we were gonna hear all about Bugs Bunny.

[Detective]

Ms. Gwodge, do you wish to testify? No, sir. Linda has decided not to take the stand. So her lawyer worries the jury will hear nothing about fan firing. And then he comes up with an idea.

[Judge]

So I'd like to refer to court and counts of page five of the 911 transcript.

[Detective]

He finds a reference to it in the 911 tape prosecutors have already introduced a long time ago.

[Linda Duffy]

He showed me how to pull the thing back on top of the gun.

[Detective]

And pull the trigger real fast. So Lowe is allowed to call firearms expert Lance Martini, who says fan firing a double action gun like Linda claims she did is not so Far after all, this can be done.

[Prosecutor]

It's not overly common, but it certainly can be done.

[Judge]

Sir, is it humanly possible to shoot more than one round in less than a second double action mode?

[Detective]

Yes, it is.

[Prosecutor]

There's no way, absolutely no way it happened that way. This was an execution.

[Detective]

These jurors never got to see any cartoons. But they did see one animation produced by the prosecutor. It is no laughing matter. It attempts to answer a deadly serious question. What happened to Patrick Duffy?

[Prosecutor]

He's asleep watching television.

[Detective]

The video doesn't leave much to the imagination, although the defense in closing argument says it and the rest of the state's case are all a fantasy.

[Judge]

She accidentally shot her husband. It ain't right. And it's not fair to get somebody into a conviction, get somebody into a concrete tomb.

[Detective]

It all comes down to whether it's one word or two from the jury.

[Prosecutor]

Correct.

[Detective]

Guilty or not guilty.

[Narrator]

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[Detective]

Jury's present. Counsel and defendant are present. And you've reached a verdict or verdict? Yes.

[Judge]

Would you please?

[Detective]

It's been a long road now, nearly seven years since Patrick Duffy died. And one year after a jury deadlocked in his wife's first murder trial. This time the jury comes back. In just over 24 hours. We, the jury, the above entitled action, find the defendant, Linda Doreen Gwat's guilty of the crime of second degree murder of Patrick Albert Duffy in violation of section 187. The guilty verdict floors Linda. It hits her lawyer hard too. For his part, the prosecutor is more relieved than anything else.

[Prosecutor]

I'm pleased that I don't have to try it a third time.

[Detective]

You saw the way she reacted.

[Prosecutor]

Yes. I've always thought she was an actress.

[Detective]

So.

[Prosecutor]

That was her moment.

[Katherine Hunt]

Honestly. That's the first time I saw her really cry.

[Detective]

Patrick Duffy's sister Katherine has waited years for this day.

[Katherine Hunt]

She didn't get away with murdering my brother.

[Detective]

When it comes time to sentence Linda three months later, it's her last chance to address the court. And she speaks.

[Patrick Duffy]

I wanted to let all of you know how grieved I feel most of all to Patrick and my beautiful son Sean and Thomas. Because you lost such a loving, wonderful father.

[Detective]

Her sons try their best to ask for leniency.

[Judge]

If there's anything you can do to. To help out with my family. And that's all I can ask.

[Prosecutor]

I believe she's innocent. And I will till the day I die.

[Detective]

Linda's second husband, Larry Gwatz, also appeals to the judge to assert that this was a premeditated, purposeful act. I'm sorry.

[Judge]

It's unacceptable to me.

[Detective]

Look at these two people.

[Prosecutor]

Beautifully in love.

[Detective]

Why? Because she's a wonderful human being who doesn't deserve this. But the judge doesn't have much leeway. In this particular instance. The law mandates 40 to life. My oath requires that I impose that.

[Linda Duffy]

I was like.

[Judge]

You did this to yourself.

[Detective]

We found it curious that one jury could not agree on a verdict at all and. And a second convicted Linda in a day. It is ironic, but in these two trials, it is apparently true that in the case against Linda Duffy Goatz, less is more.

[Narrator]

If I remember correctly, we sat down.

[Detective]

With jurors from both trials to see why one jury quickly reached a verdict.

[Linda Duffy]

Andrew Dixon, murder in the second.

[Detective]

Danielle Wong, second degree murder, while the other never did.

[Narrator]

Brandy Jones, not guilty.

[Detective]

Pamela Enriquez, murder in the second.

[Prosecutor]

Where's the gun? One to seven inches.

[Detective]

Remember, the jury that convicted Linda only heard the bare bones. Prosecution makes this impossible to happen. The way she says very little about fan firing or cartoons. They heard a lot more than you heard. And we can only make the decision.

[Julie Prendergast]

Based off of the evidence that we heard.

[Detective]

The jurors from both trials, the ones who heard the long story and the ones who heard it made short, sat around our table and pondered. While less may be more, is it enough?

[Narrator]

And you're putting a woman away for the rest of her life, so present everything.

[Julie Prendergast]

I think I really have to agree with Brandi. Maybe all the evidence should be presented.

[Detective]

Did you know she gave an interview to the police?

[Julie Prendergast]

Mm.

[Detective]

Mm. Would you have liked to?

[Julie Prendergast]

I would have loved to hear what.

[Detective]

She had to say.

[Julie Prendergast]

Would that have changed my decision? Don't know.

[Detective]

Possibly. If you had heard everything, you think it would have affected the deliberations? Absolutely. And even though they made their decision, some of the jurors who convicted Linda still have questions. Did it bother you that they never said exactly why she did it? Yeah, it did. How did you get over that? I'm not over it. I still want to know.

[Julie Prendergast]

When I heard the guilty verdict, I said, yay, justice is finally served.

[Detective]

Julie Prendergast has no doubt the second jury did the right thing by finding her former friend guilty. And she wonders how Linda's life, which was once so happy, became so tragic.

[Julie Prendergast]

I'm sad for everyone involved. Those two boys lost their father, and now they're losing their mother. It's a tragic story in every way you can think about it.

[Detective]

Linda Duffy Guads will be eligible for parole in 2037.

[Narrator]

Summer is heating up. The shy is back on Paramount plus it's the season of the women.

[Detective]

This is a chance.

[Katherine Hunt]

It's time to get to work.

[Narrator]

But the men aren't giving up without a fight. The shy new season now streaming on the Paramount plus with showtime plan now streaming.

[Detective]

When everything's on the line, real heroes rise to the occasion.

[Detective Larryn]

TV's hottest show is fire country.

[Detective]

We're firefighters. We're gonna find a way to get you out of here.

[Judge]

We take the hits together.

[Linda Duffy]

We're on the same team.

[Detective]

I'm right here with you no matter what.

[Narrator]

I would never leave you hanging in the deep end.

[Detective]

This place is a way of giving you new family. Fire country. All episodes now streaming on Paramount plus.