The Secret Life of Eric Wright

Summary

Podcast Summary: “The Secret Life of Eric Wright”

Podcast: 48 Hours
Host: CBS News
Episode Air Date: August 6, 2026
Main Theme:
A gripping, decades-spanning investigation into the tangled double life of Eric Wright—a conman with a trail of lies, bigamy, and a possible murder behind him. Through in-depth interviews and dogged reporting, 48 Hours explores how one woman’s search for truth brought a cold case to trial and exposed the dangers of deception and obsession.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Illusion of Steve Marcum: Kathy Spires’ Entrancing Love Affair

• Kathy Spires describes her whirlwind romance with “Steve Marcum,” later revealed as Eric Wright.
• Marcum (Wright) was charismatic and generous, lavishing Kathy with gifts, including a Porsche. Red flags emerged immediately, with implausible stories about CIA hitman days, fake inheritances, and gold bars hidden in toilet tanks.
• Notable Quote:

  “Love is blind. I think I was blinder than most.” (Kathy Spires, 00:04)

2. The Web of Lies Begins to Unravel

• Kathy discovers inconsistencies—strange behavior, mysterious phone calls, and contradictions in his personal history.
• Detective John Huber notes that Kathy “was convinced there was something more sinister” (00:38), leading her to push her husband for answers.
• Eric Wright admits:

  “I did commit bigamy. No doubt about it.” (Eric Wright, 12:45)

• Kathy uncovers in a yearbook that “Steve Marcum” is actually Eric Wright, a well-liked student from Exeter, CA. She learns he had another wife and children, making her marriage invalid.

3. Kathy’s Obsession: From Heartbreak to Investigation

• After years of emotional abuse and threats, Kathy’s marriage ends in a bitter, protracted divorce.
• Driven by anger and a need for closure, she pours herself into investigating Wright’s past—visiting libraries, records offices, and taking meticulous notes. She learns he used multiple aliases and crafted fake stories to manipulate those around him.
• Notable Quote:

  “I didn't stop. I couldn't.” (Kathy Spires, 11:58)
  “What I found out is that my best friend really never existed.” (Kathy Spires, 12:14)

4. The Cold Case: Lester Marks’ Murder

• The unsolved 1980 killing of small-time crook Lester Marks is detailed: his body, wrapped in chains, was found in the California aqueduct.
• Crucial moment: Kathy’s mention of Eric’s gold ignites Detective Huber’s memory of the victim’s missing gold bars—potentially worth $250,000 at the time (18:24).
• The gold bars are the possible motive tying Wright to Marks’ murder.

5. The Hunt for Wright: Law Enforcement Pursues New Leads

• Lieutenant Huber pursues links between Wright and Marks’ murder, but evidence is scarce; many witnesses have died or disappeared.
• Wright flees to Mexico after being summoned by a grand jury—a suspicious move.
• Eventually, Mexican authorities arrest Wright, and he is extradited to California to face trial.

6. Wright’s Defense: Amnesia, PTSD, and Denials

• Wright claims amnesia following a supposed gold deal gone wrong and asserts that his erratic behavior is due to PTSD from military service.
• Kathy and investigators see this as another fabrication, noting his previous focus and lack of trauma symptoms.
• Notable Quote:

  “He was never confused, baffled, or dazed.” (Kathy Spires, 25:20)
  “Being mentally ill is not going to help being stupid.” (Eric Wright, 24:27)

7. Circumstantial Evidence and Legal Dilemmas

• Prosecutors have limited physical evidence: testimony from former roommates about gold bars, a note with Wright’s name in Marks’ apartment, and circumstantial links.
• Defense attorney Keith Arthur calls it a “tangible shot of getting it dismissed” (29:59), arguing that Wright’s lifelong lies are not proof of murder.
• The victim’s own son, a potential witness, is a convicted criminal, complicating matters.

8. The Verdict: Plea Deal and Aftermath

• With the case resting on a shaky foundation, the prosecution offers Wright a plea deal. He pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and receives a six-year sentence.
• Kathy expresses concern that he will be out soon and pose a risk to others.
• Notable Quote:

  “He destroyed people’s lives. I know in my heart I’ve done everything I can.” (Kathy Spires, 37:24)

9. Outcome & Reflection

• Eric Wright was released from prison in 2006; he died in 2008 (38:07).
• Kathy finds closure, determined to move on after nearly a decade obsessed with uncovering her ex-husband’s secrets.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Steve could lie better than most people could tell the truth. Who can cry like that on cue?”
  — Kathy Spires (06:43)
• “A scorned woman is a very, very good witness—and a very, very good snitch.”
  — Detective John Huber (00:56, 18:38)
• “You have just got us killed.”
  — Eric Wright, after Kathy confronts him about his family (10:57)
• “Luckily for me, he underestimated me because that's why I'm still alive.”
  — Kathy Spires (15:31)
• “Who's telling the truth? We'll go to court and find out, won't we, Susan?”
  — Eric Wright (34:41)
• “He made up a bunch of fairy tales and they’ve come back to bite him in the ass. That’s what this case is about.”
  — Defense Attorney Keith Arthur (30:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–06:45 — Kathy and Eric’s courtship, Steve’s mysterious identity
• 06:46–12:44 — Lies unravel: the high school yearbook, dramatic discoveries
• 12:45–15:36 — Divorce, investigation, and new evidence emerge
• 15:37–18:24 — Discovery of Lester Marks’ body; connection to gold bars
• 18:25–20:54 — Huber’s investigation, grand jury, Wright’s flight to Mexico
• 21:49–26:13 — Wright’s gold deal story, claims of amnesia, and PTSD
• 26:14–32:43 — Creating a new identity, prosecutors struggle with evidence gaps
• 32:44–37:05 — The hearing, plea deal, and sentencing
• 37:06–End — Aftermath, release, and final reflections

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Conclusion

“The Secret Life of Eric Wright” explores the dizzying duplicity of a man who managed to fool everyone around him, and the relentless pursuit of truth by the wife who would not let go. The episode is a cautionary tale of love, betrayal, obsession, and the sometimes slim line between justice and ambiguity.

Closing Reflection:
Kathy Spires ultimately finds the closure she sought for years:

“He’s taken enough of my time. He’s taken enough of my energy. I’m through.” (Kathy Spires, 37:58)

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Kathy Spires]

Love is blind. I think I was blinder than most.

[Detective John Huber]

Kathy Spires fell hard for Steve Marcum.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Hi, Steve.

[Kathy Spires]

I fell in love with a man that was so giving and fun.

[Detective John Huber]

She was also intrigued by his past, including his stories about working for the CIA.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

He's charmed everybody he's ever met.

[Detective John Huber]

But then his stories began to unravel.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You had no idea this guy had ever been married.

[Detective John Huber]

Before revealing a lifetime of lies, I

[Kathy Spires]

said, your parents aren't dead and you have a sister.

[Detective John Huber]

Kathy was convinced there was something more sinister.

[Kathy Spires]

He gave me fuel to be very angry and motivated.

[Detective John Huber]

Susan Spencer investigates. What else could he be hiding? The body was found caught up in the gate right here. Is it murder?

[Kathy Spires]

I didn't stop. I couldn't.

[Detective John Huber]

The woman who had loved him now was out to get him. Kathy was definitely in danger. A 48 Hours Mystery. Scorned women are very, very good witnesses and very, very good snitches. For us, the secret life of Eric Wright.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Steve's caught a fish.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Now you gotta hold it up.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Steve. He is absolutely amazing. Hi, Steve. Hi, Alan. Where are we? We're at Avalanche Creek. He's charmed everybody he's ever met. Hi, Stevie.

[Kathy Spires]

Hi there.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Doing welcome.

[Kathy Spires]

Everybody liked him. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful. I was the most best friend of his he's ever had.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Kathy Spires met Steve Marcum back in 1980 at the Denver restaurant where she worked. She was 30, he was two years older.

[Kathy Spires]

He was applying for a busboy position that he got the job and he'd be working with us. He followed me around a lot after meeting him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And love soon followed too. Both were smitten, as Steve Marcum remembers today.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Cute, funny, just full of life. God love her.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

In no time, they were a couple. Went everywhere together.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Wave to the camera.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But Kathy did notice a few strange things, though. Only a busboy Markham always had a lot of money. He even bought Kathy a Porsche, telling her he'd come into a big inheritance when his father died.

[Kathy Spires]

I fell in love with a man that was so giving and fun and spontaneous.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Another odd thing. He said part of the inheritance was some gold unrefined bars like this one. Kept in, of all places, the toilet tank. Can we just stop a minute?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Sure.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Why would you put gold bars in the toilet?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

The one thing that's left when a house burns down is that nice porcelain toilet that doesn't burn. So if the house burns down, I know where my gold will be.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And that wasn't Steve Marcum's only little Quirk. He tended to boast a lot. And he liked to hint at a dark and mysterious past. A past that included, believe it or not, to time spent as a hitman for the CIA. But he said his days of espionage and aliases were over now. Now he claimed he actually was hiding from the CIA. As if all of this weren't confusing and bizarre enough. He also told Kathy that before coming to Denver, he had been in a California pr.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I was in prison for murder. Why were you there? Well, I got in a barroom fight and killed someone.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

It was an accident. He said he was defending a woman who had been attacked by someone at the bar.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Total fabrication.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And what else did you tell her about your background?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Parents were deceased.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Not true.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

No, it was all fabrication. They're really good stories.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Cindy and Alan Ferry were Steve and Kathy's best friends. They say they never believed any of it.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

He wasn't telling her these stories because he wanted to spend the next 20

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

years of his life with her.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

He wanted to get laid.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

I would have never dated him. Somebody told me they were in the CIA and a hitman.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I'm sorry.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

They wouldn't have gotten the time of day. But for other friends, and especially for Kathy, it was no laughing matter.

[Kathy Spires]

He said because of his life. He'd never been married. He'd never had children. He had obtained tons of different IDs and aliases because of the work that he had done.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Did you find all these stories sort of exotic and, you know, romantic, if you will?

[Kathy Spires]

Well, yes, but so did everybody that heard them.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So in 1981, bizarre stories and all, Kathy and Steve tied the knot.

[Kathy Spires]

Love is blind. I think I was blinder than most, although I didn't want to believe it at the time.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

This is Steve and Kathy's house. Honeymoon resort. At first, all went well. But as the months wore on, Steve's stories got more complicated and contradictory. There was an anonymous call to the house for someone named Eric Wright. Finally, Kathy demanded answers. You basically threatened to leave him unless he produced some info for who he was.

[Kathy Spires]

I did.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He agreed to show her. They got in the car and headed for Fresno, California, where he claimed he was born.

[Kathy Spires]

And all of a sudden he says, pull off here.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Here was the town of Exeter in the Central Valley, his real hometown.

[Kathy Spires]

I pull off in Exeter, and I just about dropped him off right there. But he's begging me not to leave him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

They drove to Exeter Cemetery to visit his mother's grave. But Kathy says he couldn't find the grave.

[Kathy Spires]

I'm on the Ground looking for headstones. He's on the ground sobbing hysterically. He's yelling, those bastards. Those bastards. They took her. They took everything. And now they're going to take you, too. Now I'm getting really scared.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He basically, I guess, must have convinced you to some extent.

[Kathy Spires]

Yes.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

That this was real.

[Kathy Spires]

He did. Absolutely. He became the victim then.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

So I've told these outrageous lies that frankly, amazes me that anyone ever believed.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

It is astonishing anybody ever believed.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Yeah, absolutely. Kathy did. But Kathy likes drama. Keep in mind, Kathy loved the drama, the whole thing.

[Kathy Spires]

Steve could lie better than most people could tell the truth. Who can cry like that on cue?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

In fact, Kathy says Steve's performance at the cemetery was so convincing that, incredibly, she now believed that his stories about the CIA, his dead family, his hitman days, all were true. She even felt guilty about not having believed him before.

[Kathy Spires]

And I felt sorry for him. I felt sorry for ever doubting him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But that leaves open all the questions. Why did he tell these elaborate lies? Is he hiding something from his past? And who, in fact, really is Steve Marcum?

[Detective John Huber]

Kathy was definitely in danger. I was quite concerned for her safety.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

For Steve and Kathy Markham, the 80s seem to speed by.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I thought it was a very happy marriage. I think Kathy would agree, and certainly I think anyone who knew us during those years would agree.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

That looks like a couple in love, doesn't it?

[Detective John Huber]

Mm.

[Kathy Spires]

He was very attentive. Very much my friend.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She'd learned to live with his idiosyncrasies. For example, she discovered, to her shock, a few years earlier that Steve Marcum wasn't even her husband's real name. She'd stumbled across that unsettling fact in their visit to his hometown in California.

[Kathy Spires]

When I went to the high school, I went into the office and got the yearbook out and opened it up. And there were several other pictures of

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

him in there, pictures of Steve, and underneath them, the name Eric Wright.

[Kathy Spires]

And the reason he told me he didn't tell me his name was Eric Wright. It was too dangerous for me to.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Dangerous, he said, because he, Eric Wright, was a man on the run from the CIA.

[Kathy Spires]

I knew there was more, and I wouldn't allow myself to believe my own intuition.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So she ignored the contradictions and the growing problems in their marriage. Until the early 90s, Kathy says, when Steve's behavior changed, he became unpredictable, erratic, sometimes even physically abusive.

[Kathy Spires]

He became very combative with me.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Combative.

[Kathy Spires]

He gets so mad at me that he. He picked me up underneath my arms, off my feet, and I'm dangling there and he threw me into a wall and threatened to kill me. That's the first time I saw Eric Wright.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I did not ever threaten Kathy. And she's made numerous allegations of threats, and I have never threatened her.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But Kathy says she was frightened and desperate to understand what had happened to the man she. And who, after all, was he? That looks like something from a high school yearbook.

[Kathy Spires]

It was. It is.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She began to dig, starting with that old yearbook. Many people might have reacted by simply running, not by trying to piece together who he was.

[Kathy Spires]

It wasn't that I wasn't going to walk away. I had literally nowhere to go.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Right.

[Kathy Spires]

Nowhere to go.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She located Chuck Knox, a teacher who'd gone to school with Steve, or rather with Eric. He was pretty well liked among all

[Detective John Huber]

the students, very active in school activities. He did it all.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Golden boy of Exeter High School.

[Detective John Huber]

Here is Eric as most dependable senior.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Most dependable.

[Kathy Spires]

Most dependable.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Well, you must have gotten a laugh out of that.

[Kathy Spires]

I did.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But her first phone call to Chuck Knox was anything but amusing.

[Kathy Spires]

Well, I'm explaining that I'm looking for a yearbook for my husband because his family were gone and they were dead. His house burnt down.

[Detective John Huber]

I said, I don't believe his parents are dead. And I drove by his house two

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

days ago and it's still standing.

[Kathy Spires]

Huh, I know, that's what I said.

[Detective John Huber]

You ought to talk to his sister, Joanne. I think she can clear all this up with you. And the phone kind of went dead for a moment. She said, I don't ever remember him telling me he had a sister, Joanne, and they'd been married for about 12 years.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You couldn't have just accepted this immediately.

[Kathy Spires]

Now I'm getting really angry. I'm getting angry and I am in shock.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She confronted Steve.

[Kathy Spires]

I said, your parents aren't dead and you have a sister. And he looked like I'd shot him. And he said, what have you done? You have just got us killed.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Because of his old CIA ties, he said revealing any detail of his past could cost them their lives. By now, Kathy had heard just about enough of of this. And pretty soon their already troubled 13 year marriage fell apart. The divorce was protracted and ugly. And the more it revealed about Steve Marcum, or rather about Eric Wright, the more determined Kathy became to uncover the truth.

[Kathy Spires]

He gave me fuel to be very angry and motivated.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Of course, she could have just walked away. But Kathy continued to investigate Wright, visiting records offices, libraries, court document rooms.

[Kathy Spires]

I didn't stop. I couldn't.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Did you get obsessed with this?

[Kathy Spires]

I was determined Was I obsessed? Yes. Let's put it this way. I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Oh, my Lord. These are all your notes?

[Kathy Spires]

These are all my notes. And it goes on and on. All along, I wanted to know what happened to my best friend. And what I found out is that my best friend really never existed.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Her best friend, it turned out, wasn't even legally her husband. Kathy discovered he had three children with two different women. And before he met her in Colorado, he'd been not a prison inmate, but a businessman living with his last wife and child in California. Kathy had married a bigamist.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

She had no idea I was married. I did commit brigamy. No doubt about it.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You're lying to somebody who cared about you a great deal.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

At what time do you stop telling the lie?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You had no idea this guy had ever been married before. That must have been a huge shock.

[Kathy Spires]

My world just stopped as I knew it. I was pissed at him and I was pissed at me for not listening to my gut, for not listening to my instincts, for not listening to the red flags.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Kathy also began wondering if there might not be a grain of truth in some of Eric's lies. What was it that made you think that this was anything more than somebody who had just lied about his past?

[Kathy Spires]

He was so detailed about killing people, murdering people.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She was genuinely afraid, and she had good reason to be, says Bruce Bolton, then a detective with the Littleton Police Department in suburban Denver.

[Detective John Huber]

I was quite concerned for her safety.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He'd gotten to know Eric Wright, alias Steve Marcum, when Kathy filed a criminal complaint against him during the couple's messy divorce.

[Detective John Huber]

I believed him to be a sociopathic personality. I felt that she was in grave danger and she needed to take precautions.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

In fact, Kathy says she took extraordinary precautions. She went into hiding for nine long years, frequently on the move, all the while still investigating Eric Wright.

[Kathy Spires]

I had to distance myself from my friends, my family. I had lost everything. My mother, my father, my family, my friends, my business, my home. It was too overwhelming, the pain and the loss.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She says she often traveled under assumed names and lived off a small amount of money that she had saved.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Kathy has had a good time with this.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She's had a good time with this.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

As far as this investigation of hers goes, yes.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She says it's practically bankrupted her.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I'm sorry she's destroyed her life over this, but that's her choice. An obsessed and rather pathetic ex wife. Why has she pursued this for 10 years?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

She's a little miffed.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

She's A little miffed, but to what purpose?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Well, because she was deceived from what you decayed. She also thinks that you murdered a man.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

She has no reason to think that I murdered a man.

[Kathy Spires]

Is that right?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But that is Kathy Spire's firm belief and questions her dogged investigation raised have landed Eric Wright where he is today, shackled and handcuffed in a California jail, facing the distinct possibility of life in prison.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I did lie. I did steal crazy stories. I did say I had murdered people. And all of that has added up to having me here.

[Kathy Spires]

Luckily for me, he underestimated me because that's why I'm still alive.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He certainly did seem to underestimate me.

[Kathy Spires]

He did.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

The vast California aqueduct, which moves water from the northern part of the state to the parched south. Not uncommon to find bodies in it.

[Detective John Huber]

Not uncommon.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

John Huber, a lieutenant in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, knows the water way.

[Detective John Huber]

Well, water's a dumping place for homicide victims.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

As it was 24 years ago when in the sweltering August heat, fishermen spotted a body here, badly decomposed, floating face up.

[Detective John Huber]

The body was found caught up in the gate right here. It was chained. It had a plastic bag on it.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

What do you mean chained?

[Detective John Huber]

It had a large heavy link chain tied with cable ties to the hands. The feet wrapped around the body.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Fingerprints revealed the victim was Lester Marks, described by police as a small time crook who specialized in fencing stolen jewelry. He worked in this high crime area in San Francisco. He'd served time.

[Detective John Huber]

He may have done a little bit of time there, but nothing significant.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

The case went unsolved. The evidence file was locked away. Fast forward to 1993.

[Kathy Spires]

I truly believe in my heart he cannot stop what he is.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Kathy by now is convinced that all the lies Eric Wright told her were made up to conceal some terrible truth, probably a crime.

[Kathy Spires]

I had no idea of what I was going to find. I was going to find the truth no matter what it was. I had to for my own peace of mind, so I could move on.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Her investigation led her to Lt. Huber, who took her seriously enough to search his old case files to see if there were any unsolved crimes from around 1980, the time the couple first met. And Kathy had mentioned those mysterious gold bars Eric had. And the gold, he said, came from

[Kathy Spires]

his father's dead father's estate. If his dad is alive and his mom is alive, where did the gold come from?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Good question you asked.

[Kathy Spires]

He wouldn't answer me.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But the gold rang a bell with Lieutenant Hubert because murder Victim Lester Marks was known to have had bars of unrefined gold, seven of them, in fact, made, he thinks, from melted down jewelry.

[Detective John Huber]

They were two and a half pounds apiece. They're discolored. They had dark and light spots.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Back in 1980, gold sold for more than $600 an ounce. And Hubert thinks Marks gold could have been worth as much as a quarter of a million bucks. After his murder, no gold ever was found.

[Detective John Huber]

After talking to Kathy, I gave her quite a bit of credence. You know, scorned women are very, very good witnesses and very, very good snitches for us when we have cases that have gone unsolved for a long time.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Eric Wright, he learned, also had been in the precious metals business, working for a company that operated out of this building in San Francisco.

[Detective John Huber]

He was living from paycheck to paycheck, borrowing money to make the house payment.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So Eric Wright may have needed money. Intrigued, Huber launched his own investigation. On and off for 10 years. Whenever he found time, he looked for anything linking Eric Wright to Lester Marks murder.

[Detective John Huber]

Some of the witnesses had died. It was difficult tracking people down.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

In 1997, he took what evidence he had to a grand jury. It found the case too weak to act on, but too suspicious to forget about altogether.

[Detective John Huber]

I didn't want to let it go. So if I didn't, do, you know, my best job there? Maybe I could clean it up and do a better job down the line.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And you had been urged by the grand jury to pursue it?

[Detective John Huber]

Yes.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Wright had ignored a request from the grand jury to appear. Instead, he pulled up stakes for Mexico. For Huber, that alone was a strong sign of guilt.

[Detective John Huber]

He probably felt that we were actually onto him.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Absolutely not. I did not flee. I'd been planning that trip for months.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But Huber was able to get an arrest warrant. And finally, in 2002, more than two decades after Lester marks his death, and nine and a half years after Kathy Spires began her investigation, Mexican police took Eric Wright into custody. Eventually, he wound up here in this California jail, absent you. He never would have been charged with this murder.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Right? Right.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You're convinced that he did this?

[Kathy Spires]

I know he did it.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Now a judge will hold a hearing to decide if Huber's evidence is enough to bring Eric Wright to trial.

[Detective John Huber]

I'm confident we have the right person in this case. He'll be held to answer, but Wright

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

insists he can explain it all. Did you, in fact, kill Lester Marks?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I did not kill Lester Marks. I definitely did not.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Do you have a Dark Curiosity, Heart Starts Pounding Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me, Kaylin Moore. Each week I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror, and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of the darkly curious, check out Heart Starts Pounding on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. Back in 1980, gold prices were soaring and Eric Wright wanted in on the action.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I had met an individual I was going to be buying some gold from. Hopefully very attractive deal.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

In mid September, Wright says he went to a motel in Richmond, California, north of Berkeley to meet up with his contact. And who did you buy this gold from?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I don't know the individual's name other than Tony.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

This was about six weeks after fishermen at the California Aqueduct had made their gold grisly discovery. The body of Lester Marks, a small time jewelry fence.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I was totally unaware of his death at the time. It was of no consequence to me at all.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

As Wright's story goes, two gunmen attacked him in the motel parking lot. What exactly do you recall about this crime? I recall shots being fired during or after this transaction.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Where you got from Tony during this transaction?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

During the transaction in which you buy gold from Tony. Shots are fired.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Shots are fired. My car was at the.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He claims that after that. Well, he says he has no idea what happened after that except that he suffered serious memory loss.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

The last thing I remember in California was unlocking the door of my car.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

When Wright had not come home by the next day, his distraught family reported him missing. His wallet was found on a commuter train and police discovered his car in a parking lot near the station. Investigators at first assumed he'd been the victim of foul play. Wright's wife at the time, Christine, made a public plea for help. Just call somebody and tell us.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I want him home.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But instead of home, several weeks later, Wright ended up here in Colorado and

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

not knowing who I was.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So you're saying that from the time you put the key in the lock and until you woke up in Colorado, you remember nothing?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I have no recall.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He blames his amnesia on post Traumatic stress disorder, fallout from his days as a hard charging Marine in Vietnam.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

There was a lot of difficult memories that I'd repressed. I certainly don't like being labeled mentally ill.

[Kathy Spires]

He dishonors veterans.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You just don't buy this. Post traumatic stress.

[Kathy Spires]

There is no way in my gut that I can believe it.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Wright also says he has problems blacking out losing track of time. And that this all first was triggered by that shootout in the motel parking lot. But amnesia or not, some traces of his past life did go with him to Colorado. You wake up, you have two gold bars and two silver bars. You said, how fortunate that you remembered to take them with you.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Being mentally ill is not going to help being stupid.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Or it may not mean that you can't plan either.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

You can look at it that way if you choose.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

After several months, Wright says he did realize who he was. He remembered his wife and family. So why didn't he contact them once?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I did have recall of my past, I assumed that everyone thought I was dead.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Don't you think they would have forgiven you?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I don't know at what point.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

People who go through things like this usually turn to their families as well and their loved ones for support. That's what they're there for.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I was in a state of panic. I was frightened. I could not bring myself to do it. You're asking me to give rational explanations for irrational behavior. I can't do that.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But you want the irrational behavior to explain everything, all these little problems away.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I don't think it's going to explain anything away. I'm not asking for anyone's forgiveness. I am asking for some understanding.

[Kathy Spires]

He was never confused, baffled, or dazed.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Kathy, who met and married Eric after he came to Colorado with the gold, says she never saw any evidence that would support his claims.

[Kathy Spires]

He didn't have nightmares before. He didn't have lapses of memories. He always came home. He always remembered who he was. In fact, it was just the opposite. I'd never met anybody more focused.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But in 1997, shortly before Wright was invited to testify before that grand jury in the Marks case, the Veterans Administration did put him on full mental disability for post traumatic stress.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

As we look at my life, we either say, gee, this guy's criminal, terrible criminal person, or perhaps he's got some mental health issues.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

One doesn't necessarily rule out the other.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Exactly. No, but I mean, with variations on the theme, we can look at it one side of the coin or the other. I'm trying to simplify it for argument's sake.

[Detective John Huber]

His use of the mental illness seems to be convenient for when he has something he doesn't want to remember or wishes not to talk about it. Judge Byers says he believes something John

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Huber says, like where he got those gold bars. According to police records, Wright's story about a gold deal gone bad in Richmond just doesn't check out.

[Detective John Huber]

Nothing that he has told me about the time that he disappeared. I've been able to verify on any of his stories the shootout in Richmond, him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

There was no shootout.

[Detective John Huber]

There was no shootout.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

No evidence of a shootout, and no evidence of a gold deal. But investigators did turn up a lot of evidence that Eric Wright planned his own disappearance. A copy of this book was found in his office. It explains in elaborate detail how to create a new identity. And in the weeks before he disappeared, Eric Wright followed its step by step instructions to a table. That's how he became Steve Marcum.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Steve Marcum was a name that I found by searching a newspaper and looking for someone who had died as an infant.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And this was somebody who had been born roughly close to when you were

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

roughly the same age. Yes.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He claims he needed fake IDs in his precious metals business to use when dealing with shady characters. But he insists the timing was coincidence, that creating Steve Marcum had nothing at all to do with disappearing. It is sort of convenient that you already had a new identity all figured out, and then this terrible thing happens that erases your memory and you wake up and, well, there's the identity and there's the goal. It's time to start over.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Yeah, we can say, you know, it's awfully convenient. But at the same token, the other aspect to look at, Susan, is how stupid would it be for me, very publicly go out and get these names, disappear, and then use them?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Maybe you're just not a very smart criminal.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I'm not a criminal, but I beg to differ with you, Susan. I've never denied the fact that I disappeared. But I'll tell you what, it has absolutely nothing to do with the murder of Lester Marks. And that's the crime that I'm charged with. And that's the reason that I'm here.

[Kathy Spires]

What makes Eric Wright dangerous is because he is so believable. It would be really easy to have a number of jurors believing this fellow, since conning is what he does and he does well.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Wright's uncanny power of persuasion isn't the only problem facing prosecutors. They also lack hard evidence. How do we know that Lester Marks just didn't sell these bars? How do you know that these bars were even missing?

[Detective John Huber]

How do I know and I don't know.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But if they don't know that, can they even make a case against Eric Wright as charged?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

The maximum possible consequence is life without possibility of parole.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Wright's day in court is next. Be seated. This is the matter.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

People v. Eric Lawrence Wright, charged with

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

murder in a 23 year old case. Eric Wright must appear at a preliminary hearing.

[Kathy Spires]

I believe we could prove beyond a shadow of the doubt this man is a murderer.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

For his ex wife, Kathy Spires, who has spent the past nine years investigating his lies, even getting this far is sweet satisfaction.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

We've seen some pictures.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Although Wright's defense attorney, Keith Arthur insists the state hasn't got all that much.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Well, it's not even really a circumstantial evidence case. It's not that good, you know, I actually have a tangible shot of getting it dismissed. I think there's no evidence.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

He explains away the charges as simply the result of his client's apparent compulsion to lie about almost everything.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

He made up a bunch of fairy tales and they've come back to bite him in the ass. That's what this case is all about.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Well, maybe, but the defense attorney will have to convince a judge of that. After hearing all the evidence, a judge will then decide if Eric Wright will face criminal charges. And it won't take all that much to send this case to trial. Just a strong suspicion that Wright committed murder. Have you ever had one moment of doubt about his guilt?

[Detective John Huber]

No, he's never given me anything that would, you know, plant that seed either.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

No question, there's a good case that Eric Wright planned his own disappearance. But that doesn't mean he killed Lester Marks.

[Detective John Huber]

This case has strengths. It has weaknesses.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Dr. Lawrence, please. Weaknesses like the testimony of Dr. Robert Lawrence, who performed the autopsy on Lester Marks.

[Detective John Huber]

I was unable to determine with certainty the cause of death.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

The prosecution has not determined how the victim was killed, when the victim was killed, where the victim was killed. And they sure as hell haven't shown that I've killed him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And Wright says that to get back at him, his ex wife simply has found a crime to fit the story.

[Kathy Spires]

Being vindictive has nothing to do with really doesn't.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But what is the truth? Take those mysterious gold bars. The police theory is that Wright killed Lester Marks to get that gold. And Huber says Wright's own explanation of how he got it just doesn't check out.

[Detective John Huber]

We can find no plausible evidence from anybody out here that anybody else was doing a gold deal with him.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

One thing is sure. Lester Marks had gold. About a month before his body was found. Investigators confiscated it in a raid, then returned it to him. It never was seen again.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Did you ever see any gold?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Prosecutors have testimony from two of Eric's former Colorado roommates that Lester Marks gold bars seen only in this newspaper photo, looked kind of like the ones Wright kept in his toilet tank. Similar, yes. Not necessarily the same, no.

[Detective John Huber]

No.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Identifying bars from a photograph. A black and white photograph. What, 13 years later? That seems like a pretty thin read. And this is one of the most important pieces of evidence you have?

[Detective John Huber]

I don't know if it's a thin read. It's just another, I guess, straw on the camel's back.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

The most important straw may be what was found next to the phone in Lester Marks apartment. A scribbled note on it. Eric Wright's name and office phone number. But is that evidence that the two men really knew each other?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Lester Marks may very well have called my company and asked for advice on getting that gold assay, but I have no recall of that.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So that, in your mind, is not something that in any way incriminates you?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Not in the least. Not in the least.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But there is one person who says he can testify that Wright and Marks did have dealings. The victim's son, Ronnie. The problem is, Ronnie Marks is not the most credible witness to call. In fact, he has a lengthy criminal record himself, police say, mostly for theft and drugs. We caught up with Ronnie minutes after he was released from one of his latest stays in prison. He claims firsthand knowledge of Eric Wright's involvement with his dad.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I talked to him on the phone and he confirmed to me he's going to buy my father's gold.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Potentially strong testimony, but Wright claims Marks is lying.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Did I mention that he was known to have threatened his father?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

And Eric's attorney charges that Ronnie himself may have killed his father. He was a suspect in the case for several years.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Ronnie had recently been written a savage letter from his father, disassociating himself with any concern for Ronnie's welfare. At that time, the son was in. In jail. He was not going to be able to amount. A likely scenario is Ronnie Marks confronted his father. His father was an elderly man with heart problems. Perhaps he died of natural causes. And Ronnie Marks simply panicked, took the gold, dumped the body and looked for a suspect. He's a liar. He's a murderer. And he's a cheat. He's a killer.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So Ronnie Marks is lying, your ex wife is lying. John Huber's lying. You have a whole lifetime of lying.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I've had a whole lifetime of lying.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So who's telling the truth?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Who's telling the truth? We'll go to court and find out, won't we, Susan?

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

With the bar so low for proceeding to trial, remember, the judge needs only a strong suspicion of murder, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Morning, Folks.

[Detective John Huber]

Good morning, your honor.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

The decision comes quickly.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Court finds reasonable probable cause to believe

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

the defendant guilty thereof holds him to answer for trial. Two weeks from today, 23 years after the fact, Eric Wright will stand trial for murder.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I'm disappointed, obviously. I'm going to be here for some months, I would imagine.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But in the bizarre saga that is Eric Wright, there's about to be another unpleasant surprise. This time for Kathy.

[Kathy Spires]

I refuse to be in fear of this man ever again. Hello. Hi, John.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Looking forward to Eric Wright's murder trial, Kathy Spires receives some unwelcome news.

[Kathy Spires]

I don't like the sounds of that, though.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Even though authorities won the preliminary fight to try him, the weakness of their case has them so worried that they offer him a date, a deal. He quickly accepts, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and avoiding a murder trial altogether.

[Kathy Spires]

Oh, that's pretty scary.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Scary, she says, because it means Wright won't be spending much time in prison.

[Kathy Spires]

A lot of people are going to be very vulnerable, including me.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Prosecutors fly Kathy to California for Wright's sentencing, scheduled, it happens on the very day that would have been their 22nd wedding anniversary. For a man who had boasted about looking forward to trial, Wright has his own spin on why he's taking this offer.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

I accepted the plea to avoid what could have resulted in life in prison. I am an innocent man. I have been wrongly accused, wrongly convicted.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

But like it or not, he now is a convicted felon. A point the judge makes in passing sentence.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Even though you may keep your fingers crossed when you enter that plea of

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

guilty, the court convicts you based on what you say. And as far as the law is

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

concerned, you committed the intentional killing of

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

a human being deserves punishment. And the court does select the upper term of six years. Six years, the maximum sentence the judge could imply pose. But with good behavior, Wright could be out next year. Has it been worth it?

[Kathy Spires]

It's totally worth it. He destroyed people's lives. I know in my heart I've done everything I can.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

So the man Kathy Spers first came to know and fall in love with as Steve Marcum. The man she later came to hate and fear as Eric Wright. The man who she admits became an obsession, driving her into hiding as she investigated his lies. The man who she vowed would pay in the end is at last behind prison bars, albeit not for long. Can you put Eric right behind you?

[Kathy Spires]

Absolutely. He's taken enough of my time. He's taken enough of my energy. I'm through.

[Detective John Huber]

Eric Wright was released from prison in 2006. He died in 2008.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

The critically acclaimed series Cullen from Accounts returns for a brand new season.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

You proposed to me. Drunk out of nowhere at my best friend's wedding. I was being spontaneous. You didn't have a ring.

[Kathy Spires]

It was just.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

It was embarrassing.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

All episodes streaming September 10th.

[Narrator / Susan Spencer]

Still will that they, won't they?

[Kathy Spires]

Who cares?

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

But what is it?

[Kathy Spires]

We're together.

[Detective John Huber]

We are together, Lee.

[Kathy Spires]

We're friendly together.

[Detective John Huber]

With a dog.

[Eric Wright / Steve Marcum]

Colin from Accounts. New season streaming September 10th only on Paramount Plus.