Non-Responsive (Maria Muñoz)

Summary

Anatomy of Murder: The Case of Maria Muñoz

Episode Title: Non-Responsive (Maria Muñoz)
Hosts: Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi & Scott Weinberger
Release Date: April 29, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Anatomy of Murder, hosts Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, a former NYC homicide prosecutor, and Scott Weinberger, an investigative journalist and former Deputy Sheriff, delve deep into the mysterious death of Maria Muñoz. This case initially appeared to be a tragic overdose but unraveled into a complex web of deceit, infidelity, and calculated murder.

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Case Overview

Maria Muñoz, a 31-year-old registered nurse (RN), was found unresponsive in her home in Laredo, Texas, on September 22, 2020. Her husband, Joel Payotte, an ambitious nurse anesthetist 11 years her senior, reported finding her unconscious and suspected an accidental overdose on clonazepam. However, subtle inconsistencies at the scene hinted at a darker truth.

Luis Mata Jr. [06:33]: "Joel described finding his wife Maria unconscious in their bedroom. He suspected that she had ingested a dangerous amount of prescription medication."

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Initial Investigation

Detective Luis Mata Jr. of the Laredo Police Department was assigned to the case. Upon arriving, he observed Joel performing CPR on Maria, who remained unresponsive despite his efforts. Notably, Maria's two young sons were present, adding emotional weight to the investigation.

Luis Mata Jr. [07:01]: "CPR was continued, but Maria was unresponsive. Her eyes appeared fully dilated and she had no pulse."

Suspicious Circumstances

Several factors raised suspicions:

1. Location of the Body: Maria was found on the floor near the master bedroom stairs, not in bed as Joel claimed.

   Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi [17:40]: "If Maria had passed away in bed, as Joel had claimed, why was her body on the floor at the loft at the top of the stairs?"

2. Bathroom Condition: The master bathroom, supposedly used by Joel after his shower, was inexplicably dry with no signs of recent use.

   Luis Mata Jr. [18:39]: "The restroom was dry, absolutely dry. Looked like it hadn't been used."

3. Needles and Syringes: A fresh needle mark on Maria's elbow and syringes found throughout the house pointed towards possible injection of substances.

   Luis Mata Jr. [26:47]: "I asked him point blank that night. Joel, did you inject your wife with anesthesia? What? No. I love her. I love her."

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Uncovering the Truth

As the investigation progressed, Detective Mata discovered that Joel and Maria were separated and that Joel had a girlfriend, Janet Payotte. This revelation introduced potential motives rooted in infidelity and financial gain.

Luis Mata Jr. [19:18]: "He was trying to get back to Janet's. His primary reason was to get back to his mistress."

Further scrutiny of the household revealed that the clonazepam bottle had only two pills left, inconsistent with an overdose scenario. Additionally, Maria's journal and phone records did not indicate any suicidal intentions but rather highlighted her resilience and fears of Joel’s growing hostility.

Scott Weinberger [35:18]: "The diary revealed years of pain, betrayal, and emotional abuse suffered at the hands of her husband, Joel."

Breakthrough and Confession

The turning point came when Janet Payotte agreed to cooperate with authorities in exchange for immunity, revealing that Joel had administered a fatal injection to Maria. Her testimony was pivotal in establishing Joel's motive and method.

Luis Mata Jr. [44:38]: "Janet took up that offer and became our witness. And once we got the toxicology back, she came in for an interview and she confessed to us that Joel had basically gone over there to talk to her and he injected her."

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Trial and Conviction

In March 2023, Joel Payotte was arrested and charged with Maria's murder. During the trial, prosecutors presented circumstantial evidence and Janet's testimony, portraying Joel as a manipulative and calculated killer driven by both personal and financial motives.

Luis Mata Jr. [48:04]: "I believe that Joel was grossing maybe $600,000 a year. So imagine Maria taking half of that."

Despite Joel's defense claiming accidental overdose during recreational drug use, the jury swiftly found him guilty after less than an hour of deliberation, resulting in a 99-year sentence.

Luis Mata Jr. [49:04]: "We came back with a guilty verdict. The punishment took a little bit longer, about three hours, and we were able to secure a 99-year sentence."

Conclusion

The tragic death of Maria Muñoz underscores the complexities of seemingly straightforward overdose cases. Through meticulous investigation and unwavering determination, Detective Mata and his team unraveled the layers of deceit, ultimately bringing justice to Maria and her family.

Scott Weinberger [50:46]: "Here was Maria, carefully documenting her thoughts... her words, and led investigators to the truth she could no longer speak."

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Reflection

This case serves as a poignant reminder of the hidden struggles within marriages and the lengths individuals may go to cover up their transgressions. Anatomy of Murder not only sheds light on the intricacies of criminal investigations but also honors the memory of those lost to senseless violence.

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Maria Muñoz's Legacy:
Maria was a devoted mother and wife, navigating a troubled marriage while striving to reconnect with her nursing career. Her strength and resilience, as documented in her personal journal, were instrumental in uncovering the truth behind her untimely death.

Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi [51:24]: "Maria Munoz, we remember you. We hope that your boys are well and that they remember your strength, all the good qualities you surely passed down to them..."

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Tune in next week for another compelling episode of Anatomy of Murder, where Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi and Scott Weinberger continue to dissect the layers of heinous crimes, bringing you closer to understanding the darkest corners of humanity.

Transcript

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Hey guys, we have some exciting news. Scott and I are hitting the road, and this time we hope you're coming with us.

[Scott Weinberger]

You've listened to us dissect investigations, debate theories, and share some insights on the podcast. Now be part of the experience. Live in person.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

We'll talk through a powerful case together. But it's also an evening of community.

[Scott Weinberger]

This aom community Me, Anna, Sega, and you. We're kicking off with three exclusive preview shows this June in Chicago, Philly and Pittsburgh. Don't miss your chance to be part of something special.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Tickets are on sale now.

[Scott Weinberger]

Go to anatomyofmurder.com or our Instagram accounts for ticket links and details. We can't wait to meet you.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

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[Luis Mata Jr.]

About an hour into the interview is when I asked him about the needle pricking in her elbow crease. Joel, why is that there? I don't know. I asked him point blank that night. Joel, did you inject your wife with anesthesia? What? No. I love her. I love her.

[Scott Weinberger]

I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former Deputy Sheriff.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I'm Anna Sega Nicolasi, former New York City homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discoveries with True Conviction.

[Scott Weinberger]

And this is Anatomy of Murder.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

All marriages have their ups and downs, and most couples will tell you that it takes a lot of patience and hard work to make a healthy partnership endure.

[Scott Weinberger]

When times do get tough, there are numerous ways to cope, from confiding in friends and family to couples therapy, to keeping a private journal. All of which can be powerful tools for healing and in some cases, powerful testimony to a person's emotional state or the state of a struggling marriage.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

But of course, some marital discord can prove too challenging to overcome, especially when it comes to infidelity, abuse or other trauma.

[Scott Weinberger]

And in those cases, a record of a couple's problems does not just become a window into their private lives. It can become evidence.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

My name is Luis Mata Jr. I am a sergeant of the Laredo Police Department's Crimes Against Persons, Robbery and Homicide Bureau here in the Laredo Police Department in Laredo, Texas.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Growing up in Texas, Luis Mata thought he might one day become a sportscaster. But his dad was a police officer right in Laredo, and he never could get used to the idea of leaving his hometown.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Laredo, Texas is a city on the Southwest US Mexico border. We are a large city with a small town atmosphere in the sense that for having half a million people, we still have a lot of people that know each other if you go to the grocery stores and things like that.

[Scott Weinberger]

That sense of community drew him to a career in law enforcement and as an investigator he he is often given access to the private lives of his neighbors, especially when those private lives become embroiled in very public criminal investigations.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Case in point, the story of 31 year old Maria Munoz and her husband, Joel Payotte. Maria and Joel met when she was a nursing student and he was an ambitious nurse anesthetist 11 years her senior.

[Scott Weinberger]

The couple married in 2011 and eventually moved to Laredo, Texas where Joel built a successful career at Maria. Maria dedicated herself to being a supportive wife and mom to their two sons.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

She was a very educated woman. She was actually a rn. However, she never got the chance to practice because right after she graduated she became pregnant. And then that's when she basically became a stay at home mom.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

To the casual observer, Joel and Maria appear to be a happy, attractive and a well off family living in an upscale Laredo neighborhood. But looks can be deceiving.

[Scott Weinberger]

And when unresolved conflict is left to simmer just beneath the surface of any relationship, the picture of a perfect marriage can shatter in an instant.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

In the early morning hours of September 22, 2020, Laredo Police received a 911 call from Joel and Maria's home in North Laredo.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

There. 9 1. What's the address of emergency? I called my wife on our sponsors and kind of scared if she's not.

[Scott Weinberger]

Breathing, I may have taken some pills.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Okay, what is your address?

[Scott Weinberger]

Joel described finding his wife Maria unconscious in their bedroom. He suspected that she had ingested a dangerous amount of prescription medication. Whether it was accidental or intentional, he didn't know.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I gave her a bottle of pills. Okay, sir. And do you know what kind of pills they were? Yeah, one has a pen. And do you know if you took those on purpose? Like, has she ever tried a. She's been pretty depressed.

[Scott Weinberger]

Problems?

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Is something coming?

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

A uniform officer from the Laredo PD was first on the scene, and his body cam captured his encounter with Joel as he entered the house.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Hello? What's going on? But I can't feel a pulse.

[Scott Weinberger]

Officer Dela Cruz found Joel wearing his teal surgical scrubs performing CPR on his wife, who was lying at the top of the stairs near the master bedroom.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

How long would it depend on? Like maybe like 20, 25 minutes to go.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

CPR was continued, but Maria was unresponsive. Her eyes appeared fully dilated and she had no pulse. Shortly after paramedics arrived, Maria Munoz was declared dead. All the while, her two sons, just 5 and 2, were still sleeping only a few feet away.

[Scott Weinberger]

In the body cam footage, Joel appears visibly distraught. And you can hear Officer Dela Cruz encourage him to sit down on a stool in the kitchen and try to explain what happened.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

She's been super depressed. She's been super depressed. I've been ignoring her. We're going through some problems. I came to talk to her. Like we were just talking.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

According to Joel, he had arrived at the house after his shift at the hospital. He explained how he and Maria had been having some marriage trouble and he had promised to come home to have what he called a heart to heart. So you're not staying here right now?

[Luis Mata Jr.]

We had sex. We took a shower. She was like knocked out. What's up? What's this going on?

[Scott Weinberger]

Joel claimed that Maria had been demonstrating signs of depression for some time. So his first thought was that she had overdosed on clonazepam, an anti seizure medication sometimes used to treat severe anxiety. He even produced the near empty bottle from an upstairs bathroom.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I got a call. I got woken up at roughly just before 2am the initial information that my sergeant at the time told Me was that we have a death, and it was initially indicative of a suicide.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

You may be asking why a homicide detective would be called to the scene of an overdose, accidental or otherwise. But as Luis explains, it doesn't take a knife or a gun to make a death suspicious.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Contrary to popular belief, you know, Laredo averages roughly 10 to 15 homicides a year. So people think, oh, well, you only had 15 homicides a year. You don't have to. You know, really, how much can you do? The problem is, we also investigate shooting, stabbings, and deaths that we deem have to be ruled out of foul play. So a young person in her early 30s passing away in her home without being ill, that automatically sparks an investigation. Now, more times than not, it's undiagnosed medical conditions. It is suicide, but we always have to go and do the death investigation.

[Scott Weinberger]

Luis arrived at the scene and immediately got the rundown from the responding officer.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I made contact with officer De la Cruz, but Officer De La Cruz told me that the spouse, which is Joel Peyot, he had said that Maria and him had had sex. He went in to take a shower. He came out, he thought she was asleep, and then he got dressed. Ten minutes later, he goes and checks on her, and she's unresponsive. And he sees a. A bottle of prescription pills that. That belonged to him. So that he initially said that he believed that she had overdosed on those pills and she had died.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

But according to the officer at the scene, there were some things about Joel's story that weren't adding up.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

No, they've been separated. They've been going through some problems. So he came over. They 88, he took. He was in the shower. He came out, and she was like, they drug her out here? He said he brought her out here from in the room. I mean, that's just the preliminary. I didn't get in depth with him, but that's what he said, so. But why would she be out here? But he said that she. He thinks she took these YVs. He went all the way into the medicine cabinet, brought these.

[Scott Weinberger]

The officer showed Luis the bottle of clonazepam that Joel had retrieved, not from beside the bed where he found his wife, but from the bathroom.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

The clonazepam was of Joelle's, but the clonazepam bottle still had two pills. When somebody overdoses, they're not going to leave two pills behind. They're going to take the whole damn thing.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

But that wasn't the only thing about the scene that had Gotten law enforcement's attention.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Hey, there's a needle right here. There has to be a vial somewhere. He gave him something in the closet over here. On top of that, the officer, de la Cruz found a needle on the stairwell, and he found a wrapper, Kind of like what you find syringes at a hospital facility.

[Scott Weinberger]

Joel explained away the presence of needles and syringes found in the house as just tools of his trade as a nurse anesthetist. But rather than giving detective modest comfort, the fact that Joel was trained in administering powerful medication only gave him pause.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Joel's erratic behavior was also attracting attention. He was sweating profusely through his scrubs, and he was growing impatient with the police, insisting that his wife had to be transported to the hospital before the sun came up and before the neighbors began wondering what had happened.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Next door, he was punching walls, he was kicking furniture, and he was screaming. We were afraid he's going to scare neighbors. And then once we found that syringe, we're like, hey, relax. Have a seat here. Detectors are going to talk to you. We can't have you all over the place either. It's still a crime scene, but we emphasize that, obviously, and I go there. He wasn't detained at any point. He was initially told that, hey, this, you know, we are completely sympathetic, understanding, but we still have a job to do.

[Scott Weinberger]

Joel was placed in the backseat of a patrol car to calm down while investigators prepared to scour the home for any potential evidence that could either confirm or contradict Joel's version of Maria's southern death.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

What threw a curveball was I couldn't exactly do a walk through of the home. And the reason is because, remember, as much of a death investigation consists of, the first thing that we have to do as investigators is we have to obtain that we have legal authority to be in that home. So when I arrived, Joel was already outside in the back of a squad car. So my first thing was I went up to him. I introduced myself, I expressed my condolences, and then I asked the routine question was, do we have legal authority to be in your home?

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

As the homeowner, Joel had the legal authority to grant police or not, his consent to recover any evidence from inside the house. But to Luis's surprise, he denied that consent.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

He says, why do you need legal consent? What are you going to do? Can't you just pick up the body and go on your way? I said, no, it doesn't work like that. And I explained to him, for example, if she overdosed, she has pills Next to her. We need your permission to be in there and get the pills, because it is your home. You have a right to your home. And then I asked him why. What the issue was is if he was scared. And he said, no, I live a very private life. All I need you to do is just, you know, get her body and get out of here. So that's fine. I said, that is absolutely your right. Nobody's gonna go inside. We're gonna secure the crime scene while we apply for a search warrant.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

It sounds suspicious, right? But as a prosecutor, I always have to think about it from the other side, too. Some people are just not fans of law enforcement. And there's always the possibility that he's just scared or traumatized. And his refusal to cooperate with police is not an indication that there's anything sinister going on at all.

[Scott Weinberger]

And Anasika, I've had that happen in my experience in law enforcement, and, you know, I kind of give somebody a little bit of a side ey. I don't really take that much into consideration. But this is where an investigator's experience and intuition come into play.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I had been doing that by that time almost three and a half, four years. And obviously at that time, I had been in law enforcement 15 years. I completely understand most of the time it's a grieving spouse, and. And I'm respectful of that. But there's a difference between a grieving spouse and someone that has something to hide.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Joel soon realized that his attempt not to make a scene actually did exactly that. They made a crime scene.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So I told the officer, let's get the kids out. Nobody goes in, put yellow tape around it. It is now a crime scene. And he said, well, what happens if the sun comes up? And I go, well, if the sun comes up, Joel, well, the sun comes up. He goes, well, our neighbors gonna see everything. And I said, yes, because they. This is going to put a delay in it. I mean, you're delaying it. That's fine. But if we have to hold the crime scene for a couple of hours and your neighbors see, I mean, we can't control that. No, no, no, no. I live a very private life. I don't want as much attention on this. I'll sign it. I'll sign. I'll give you the consent. So he changed his mind, and he signed the written consent.

[Scott Weinberger]

Luis led the search of the house, and it was immediately clear that there were no signs of any kind of struggle or domestic abuse, no overturned furniture or broken glass. Signs that may have indicated that Maria And Joel had gotten into a fight, for starters.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Maria was a very organized and clean person. I say that because my wife is a clean freak. And she reminded me of my wife in the sense that it was. Everything was so organized, very clean home.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

But that's not to say that there weren't things that seemed out of place, starting with Maria's body itself. If Maria had passed away in bed, as Joel had claimed, why was her body on the floor at the loft at the top of the the stairs?

[Scott Weinberger]

And then there was a state of the bathroom in the master bedroom, which was conspicuously clean.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Joel's first statement was that he was in the shower. And when all this happened. So what happens when you take a shower, for example? What are you going to notice in the restroom? Condensation. Steam. Mirrors, sometimes smeared for whatever reason with water. A soaked towel, a damp towel. The smell of soap, the smell of shampoo. That restroom was dry, absolutely dry. Looked like it hadn't been used. And it looked like it had been cleaned at 8am, 9am and hadn't been moved since there was no restroom that had any evidence of a shower being used.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And if Joel had showered, as he claimed to have, why was he back in his work scrubs when police first arrived?

[Luis Mata Jr.]

He had already told me he arrived in scrubs, which is understandable. He's a crna. He just got out of work. I go, if you just took a shower, why did you change back into scrubs if it's your home? And he thought about it and he said, well, it's because I'm not supposed to be here. And I said, well, this is your house. What do you mean you're not supposed to be here? Because. Oh, it's because I have a girlfriend somewhere else and she doesn't know that I'm back visiting my wife. My wife and I were separated.

[Scott Weinberger]

And with that, a key piece of the puzzle was revealed. Not only were Joel and Maria separated, but Joel had a girlfriend.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And if investigators were able to uncover evidence that Maria's suspicious death was the result of foul play, the revelation of infidelity or apology, possible love triangle could be the first hint of a potential motive.

[Scott Weinberger]

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[Luis Mata Jr.]

Foreign.

[Scott Weinberger]

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[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

According to her husband Joel, Maria's death was likely the result of an intentional overdose on a powerful prescription medication. But evidence found at the couple's home was starting to raise suspicions about his story.

[Scott Weinberger]

Maria's body showed no signs of physical trauma, no bruises or cuts or blood on her or anywhere in the house. So you can imagine the results of an autopsy would be crucial in determining the exact cause and manner of death. But in the meantime, investigators hoped Joel could help shed more light on his his wife's mental state and the circumstances surrounded her apparent overdose.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So at that time, while he gave us the consent, we went to go interview him at the station so that we can get just some background information about his spouse, which is very routine.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

In the moments before the interview started, cameras recorded Joel alone in the interview room. And I have to say, he demonstrates some bizarre behavior, even when you consider the fact that justice. Hours before he had lost his wife, he was pacing, crying, even slamming furniture. And in a way, something you can't put into words, but when you watch, it just something seems off.

[Scott Weinberger]

And of course, you can never predict exactly how a grieving husband might react to the loss of his wife. But as a detective, you can compare his behavior to hundreds of previous experiences to conclude that this was out of the ordinary. And in a homicide investigation, anything out of the ordinary is suspicious.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I start off my interview with just the backstory of both of their relationship. And then I got the information as far as why they were separated. And he confessed to me that he had fallen in love with a co worker of his, and she had found out about the affair back in April, and they had agreed to separate until he, quote, decided what he was going to do.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The co worker's name was Janet, and it was her house where Joel had been staying. But according to Joel, he and Maria had made plans to have what he called a final heart to heart about the state of their marriage. And that explained why on that night, he had driven to Maria's house, not Janet's, after getting off of work.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I asked him for the events that transpired that day that led up to the death. And that is when I realized that he could not account for his time period. The most simplest questions of them all, such as, what time did you arrive? Well, I don't know. Okay. What did you do when you got there? Oh, I can't remember. I don't know. I go, did you shower? Yeah. Which restroom did you use? The master restroom. Okay. Why isn't there any steam there? Oh, I don't know. I don't know. Why do you. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. That was for everything. It was. I don't know.

[Scott Weinberger]

According to Joel, the couple had made up and had actually slept together before. He supposedly took a shower and then discovered her unconscious body in their bed.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

And I asked, well, why, if she was on the bed, did she end up in the loft? And he thought about it. He's like, I needed a flat surface. Okay, well, why wasn't the carpet or the floor on your bedroom used? Oh, I wanted to give the paramedics easier access so that they can go straight up.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

When asked about the syringes and IV equipment found in the home, Joel initially said they were work related, but couldn't explain why they were located outside of his medical bag, or why he would have brought his medical bag into the house to begin with.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I asked him, did you work? And he said, yeah, he worked. I go, what time did you get out? I don't know. Well, more or less. I think at 4 or 5. Okay. Where'd you go afterwards? I don't know. I don't know. Why are you asking me this? Like, my wife just died? And so he started becoming evasive and defensive.

[Scott Weinberger]

And remember when I said that Maria's body showed no signs of physical trauma? Well, as it turns out, that wasn't exactly true.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

While I'm there interviewing Joel, I find out that there was a suspicious needle prick mark on Maria's elbow crease. One mark, One not indicative of someone that uses repeatedly. It looked like it was fresh. It looked like somebody had just drawn blood from her. That was suspicious. And we found out that the paramedics that responded did not start an iv. So what in the hell is that mark doing there? Why is it fresh?

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

As an anesthetist, Joel administered IVs for a living. And police found both the equipment and the drugs of his trade in the house. A very dark picture of a potential crime was starting to emerge.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

About an hour into the interview is when I find NY confirmed. And I asked him about the needle pricking in her elbow crease. Joel, why is that there? I don't know. I asked him point blank that night. Joel, did you inject your wife with anesthesia? What? No. I love her. I love her.

[Scott Weinberger]

There was another disturbing fact that was not lost on Detective Mata. While Maria's body was being transported to the medical examiner and Joel was being interviewed by police, their two sons, just five and two, had been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

At no point did he say, I need to go back to my children. They're without their mom. No, you know what? His. His primary reason that wanting to leave was he needed to go get to Janet. He. I need to go to Janet's house. Can you drop me off at Janet's house? Keep in mind, their sons just lost their mom. But that was not his focus or his concern. His concern was to get back to his mistress.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

However, pending an autopsy and a full toxicology report, investigators still did not know the cause or manner of Maria's death. So even if they did suspect foul play, and clearly they did, there was still no evidence that a homicide had even taken place. And for that reason, Joel was released.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Begged the officer to drop him off at Janet's, but the officer didn't the officer took him back to his house, and while he's over there, I'm at Janet's house. So he was trying to beat me to Janet's.

[Scott Weinberger]

Just a few hours had elapsed since Maria had passed away from causes still unknown. But Luis was eager to meet Joel's love interest and get her statement before she had any chance to possibly communicate with Joel.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So I ride to Janet's at six in the morning, I ring the doorbell. She has a poodle or some type of schnauzer dog that was barking away, and she never answered the door. Apparently, she called the police on me, saying that there was a man outside ringing the doorbell repeatedly. And when the dispatcher told her, it's one of our detectives that's out there wanting to speak to you, it still took her roughly 10 minutes to come down. And then she came down. And she agreed to be interviewed at the station? Initially, yes. She seemed adamant of wanting to know why, what's going on? And I go, well, we'll tell you at the station. She kept asking, what's it about? And I go, we'll tell you at the station.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I am a firm believer that you can often learn more from someone's reaction to news than you can from their actual words. And according to Luis, news of Maria's death did not seem to take Janet by surprise.

[Scott Weinberger]

What did was the fact the police already knew about her relationship with Maria's husband, Joel.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

She initially was reluctant to say that she had a boyfriend. She finally incorporated that she had a boyfriend, Joelle, and she was initially under the belief that he had gone to work.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Janet admitted that Joel frequently stayed at her house, but denied seeing him before or or after Maria's estimated time of death.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I released Janet at roughly 7:30 in the morning, and she agrees to be cooperative. And I said, Janet, if needed, will I be able to get video from your home that just shows the ins and outs of that night? And in my mind, I wanted to make sure that if, if, because it was already getting suspicious, if this is a homicide, I want to find out if Joelle had been going back and forth or if Janet participated and they came back after the death to stage it together.

[Scott Weinberger]

But 48 hours later, Luis received a phone call, not from Janet, but from a local attorney.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Says, janet's retained our services. She's not going to talk to you anymore. If you need anything, talk to me.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And this is where the lawyer has to chime in and say that retaining a lawyer is anyone's right, and it is by no Means an indication of guilt. But of course, from an investigator's point of view, any perceived obstacle in an investigation does tend to fuel suspicions.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

We had suspected the possibility that Janet, whether directly or indirectly, was a participant in this. Whether it was by destroying the anesthesia, getting rid of the evidence, having knowledge, we suspected something that she knew that she wasn't telling us.

[Scott Weinberger]

Joel had claimed that despite their separation, there was no bad blood between he and his wife or Maria and Janet. But when police subpoenaed the ring doorbell footage from Janet's house, they found evidence to the contrary.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Footage from just three days before Maria's death showed Maria arriving at Janet's home, banging on the door and demanding that Joel come outside.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So she was going to confront them both to A, catch Joel in the act, catch him in his lie, and B, confront him with the news that she's getting a divorce. However, she never. Neither Joelle nor Janet answer the door. So Maria leaves.

[Scott Weinberger]

But that's not the end of it. Even as Maria was leaving, Janet escalated the situation.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

While Maria leaves, Janet calls the police department on Maria and says that there's the ex wife. This is what she described. The ex wife of her boyfriend harassing her and outside her door. So that prompts an officer to get this fixed there. So Joel's gone. By the time the officer gets there, the officer docs to Janet. He goes, okay, look, what I can do right now is give her what's called a criminal trespass warning. So when the officer calls Maria, hoping to talk to her, well, you can hear him in the background. Hang up the goddamn phone. I'm talking to you. And he's in a rage. And Maria hangs up the phone.

[Scott Weinberger]

So, Ana Seeka, this clearly is some direct evidence that the story that Joel was giving, that the separation between he and his wife were amicable. This also shows that Joel's girlfriend, Janet was learning just how much Joel's wife didn't know about the relationship.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I mean, look, it's clear that it was contentious. Maria's not happy, and in Joel's eyes, she's giving him a hard time. Whether it's because he doesn't want to lose her, doesn't want to lose Janet, or just doesn't want the headache of a divorce. I mean, who knows where that lies? But one thing does seem clear, and that is that he was angry. But still, investigators did not have the evidence to prove that Joel or Janet were involved in Maria's death.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

That was the most frustrating part. And to Maria's family's credit, they Understood. And they were so patient. We were waiting for the toxicology giant. Joel's free. He's not charged.

[Scott Weinberger]

And unfortunately, getting the results of that full tox screen was going to take weeks, not days. But that didn't mean that detectives stopped investigating, focusing especially on whether Maria was displaying warning signs of depression or self harm in the weeks prior to her death.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So during that time, we're interviewing many, I want to say, character witnesses.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And according to those people who knew Maria, including her sister and close friends that she emailed with regularly, Mary. Maria had never contemplated taking her own life. And while she was upset over her husband's infidelity, she was also resolved to move on with her life.

[Scott Weinberger]

In fact, Maria had even begun making plans to restart her nursing career, studying to recertify her credentials in Texas. Not exactly the actions of a woman planning to end her own life.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

But the most telling information was provided by Maria's own journal, one in which she routinely confessed her private thoughts, even in the days leading up to her death.

[Scott Weinberger]

The diary revealed years of pain, betrayal, and emotional abuse suffered at the hands of her husband, Joel. But it also showed her resilience and a determination to leave him with no indication that she was severely depressed or suicidal, as Joel claimed.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

In addition to Maria's journal, investigators were able to search her phone records and recovered numerous, numerous messages between Maria and her friends documenting Joel's violent outbursts and her fears of his growing hostility. One chilling text, sent just the night before her death read, I just ask if you can pray for me Tonight we are going to talk.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

What was going to rule? Everything was a toxicology, and it wasn't a standard toxicology that our medical examiner checks for. This toxic toxicology was going to go more in depth.

[Scott Weinberger]

The growing consensus was that Joel not only had the opportunity and the means, he had the motive to somehow deliver a fatal dose of drugs against Maria's will. And Luis expected the tox screen would help prove it.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I'm anticipating it's going to show high potent anesthetics that are only found in a hospital setting. I was confident of that. The hardest part is proving that he injected her and that she wasn't a willing participant.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

In other words, the tox screen may show cause of death, but it would not necessarily prove the manner of death, specifically whether it was homicide, death by suicide, or accidental.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Poor Dr. Stern. I was being an annoying guy. I called her every day for almost a month straight.

[Scott Weinberger]

And then finally, four months after Maria's death, the results were in.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

She reads it, and she Says, okay, no clonazepam. That's very important.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Instead, her system showed a deadly cocktail of six other powerful drugs, positive for.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Propofol, Demerol, Verset, Narcan, Lidocaine, and ketamine.

[Scott Weinberger]

These, of course, are not over the counter medications. Some of them are powerful surgical anesthetics that are rarely administered outside of a hospital setting. And propofol in particular, which was determined to be the main cause of death, can only be administered by injection.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

There's just no plausible reason why Maria would have had access to those drugs. More importantly, the results of the tox screen directly contradicted statements Joel had made to police.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So he just kept saying she was very depressed, she was drinking every night. She was on a very hard depression. Okay, well, we find out during the toxicology that she had zero alcohol.

[Scott Weinberger]

The fact was, it was Joel Payote who had access to these powerful drugs. He had the tools to administer them, and he had the knowledge of exactly what they would do.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

We had interviewed several of Joel's co workers who are actually CRNAs, same profession as Joel. And I remember asking one of Joel's supervisors, I said, do you guys have the ability to kill us if you wanted to? Without hesitation? Oh, hell yeah. Hypothetically, if you wanted to kill me, if you wanted to kill somebody, how would you do it? And he said, you know what I do? If you really want to do it, you get somebody on ketamine and then you just go to town with them after that. That ketamine will put you to sleep. Ketamine. And I remember him saying that ketamine is the most important thing. Once you have them on ketamine, it's fair game. You can do whatever you want with them.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

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[Luis Mata Jr.]

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[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

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[Luis Mata Jr.]

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[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

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[Luis Mata Jr.]

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[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

A toxicology report revealed that Maria Munoz had a fatal mix of several powerful drugs in her system. And a single injection mark on her inner arm hinted at the delivery method without hesitation.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Our prosecutors and I this is murder. This is cold blooded murder at the highest degree.

[Scott Weinberger]

But if this was indeed a homicide, the only question that remained was how her husband could have injected her against her will.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

The toxicology report also showed us was that Maria had a high amount of caffeine. Maria was a big avid fan of coffee. I believe that he spiked her coffee and then went to town, got her unresponsive, got her in a paralytic state. And once she was under the influence of ketamine and some Verset, that's all tasteless, he went to town and he killed her with propofol.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The official cause of death was determined to be acute intoxication, but the medical examiner listed the manner of death as undetermined.

[Scott Weinberger]

In other words, there was nothing in the autopsy or toxicology that could definitively prove, however unlikely, that these medications were not self administered.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

The problem that Dr. Stern had was we needed to prove that Maria was not a willing participant. And that's when we just present our evidence, present our case presentation before a jury.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

So you know, Scott, and we say this all the time, you have to think about this from the defense perspective before you go into court or even file the charges. In many cases you should. And I can also see it if I'm looking at the other way. At least you have to be able to think about they're gonna come with this like that she is so distraught because of the marriage breakup, him being with this other woman that it's almost like, hey, you know, please, like I love you, you don't wanna be with me, like, please End this for me. Like, you can make it painless. You know how to do that. Or maybe they were, like, taking drugs together. He gave much. Doesn't sound like that to me at all. But it is things investigators need to rule out because the defense may well go there. If they don't, and if the science.

[Scott Weinberger]

Anasega, can't help the investigators here make this determination of whether it was self inflicted or whether it was intentional, which would be homicide, they have to have a snapshot of her life and talk to the people closest to her and get really a determination of where the marriage was. What was her life like at the time? Was she severely depressed? Was there any indications or examinations that she may have had prior to her death that indicated that she may be interested in taking her own life? And you have to combine that part of the investigation with the science part of the investigation to really make a determination of where you go from here.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The challenge in this case for prosecutors, the biggest one, it wouldn't be proving who killed Maria Munoz if that was the fact, but if a murder had been committed at all, there was significant.

[Scott Weinberger]

Circumstantial evidence to help make their case. But what they really needed was corroboration, and eventually that's exactly what they got.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

We had our ace in the hole and ended up being none other than Janet.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And with the realization that she could be held accountable for withholding key evidence or possibly even being complicit in a plan to cover up the murder, Joel's girlfriend was convinced it was time to make a deal.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So our prosecutor, who we have a great relationship with, reached out to Janet's counsel, and we made a agreement that if she, in exchange for her testimony, in exchange for her being a witness, she was kind of given an immunity.

[Scott Weinberger]

The one exception to that immunity deal being if prosecutors discovered she had helped to plan, carry out or cover up the murder.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

So Janet took up that offer and became our witness. And once we got the toxicology back, she came in for an interview and she confessed to us that Joelle had basically gone over there to talk to her and he injected her.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

According to Janet, Joel had claimed that Maria's death was not suicide or homicide, but rather a terrible accident.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

His side of the story was that he went over there to tell Maria that it was over, that he chose Janet, that he's in love with Janet. And he told Janet that when he told Maria that, that Maria started having an anxiety attack and started screaming. So that he calmed her down and said, here, take some ketamine, relax and that she just passed away accidentally.

[Scott Weinberger]

But he conveniently left out the rest of the deadly drug cocktail found in her system. And Piot's attempts to cover up this supposed accident, lie to police, and get rid of damage evidence also belied his claims that he did not kill his wife.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I did ask her, I go, did you get rid of anything? And she said, I believe I did. But unbeknownst, because when he came back, he brought a bag that he had hidden and I threw it away. What that bag contained, she's like, I believe it contained the medicine that he injected her with, but I didn't know that at the time.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Janet's account of Payo's actions painted the picture not just of a manipulative, abusive husband, but a cold, calculating killer.

[Scott Weinberger]

In March of 2023, after four months of investigation, Payotte was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife and mother of his two children, Maria Munoz.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Laredo Police.

[Scott Weinberger]

And we're going to break down the door.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

The other remained silent.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

In his trial, prosecutors would argue that Payot intentionally and deliberately incapacitated his wife and injected her with a deadly mix of powerful drugs, then attempted to stage her murder as a death by suicide.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

The defense was that Maria and Joelle would do drugs together, that they would having marital problems, that they resorted to doing anesthetics recreationally, and that on that night, Joelle administered Maria, but it was an accident that she passed away.

[Scott Weinberger]

Witnesses refuted this claim that Maria was a drug user. And after his pattern of lying to police, Piot's credibility was shot. About the only thing Luis believed was peyote's admission that it was him that administered the deadly injection.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Right off the bat, I was ecstatic inside because just by me getting him to say that he injected her, I knew and I was confident with our prosecution team and our investigators. We were so certain that a jury would see right through this killer's eyes and find him guilty just by him even admitting that he injected her.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

As for motive, prosecutors argued that it went beyond Payott's desire to be with another woman. They believed his motive might have also been financial.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

I believe when he found out that she's going to go to an attorney, that attorney is going to do that's best for his client. So what is she entitled to in Texas? 50%. 50% of his assets. And I can tell you this, that CRNA position is probably the highest, if not one of, if not the highest medical positions, salaries that you can have in Laredo, because there's so much in high demand that they give him so much bonuses. We believe that Joel was grossing maybe 600, 000 a year. So imagine Maria taking half of that. Plus, Joel had properties in San antonio, Texas. He had assets of properties here. He had land. So I believe that's. He came to the realization that, you know, Maria was going to take him to the house on the financial side, and I don't believe that he could accept that.

[Scott Weinberger]

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering their decision.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

45 minutes. We came back with a guilty verdict. The punishment took a little bit longer, about three hours, and we were able to secure a 99 year sentence.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Throughout the trial, payot refused to admit any wrongdoing and showed little remorse for the murder of his wife.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

Joel, throughout the trial would pretend that he was crying. And I don't believe for one second that during the trial that those tears were real because they were the same type of tears that were shared the night of the incident. However, when Maria's sister Marisol looked Joel in the eye and told him, I loved you like a brother and this is how you repaid us. Maria loved you. Maria loved you and would have taken a bullet for you. She died literally for you and for you to kill her. That is the only time in the investigation of me having this case for up to that point, three years that Joel's tears were real. Because he broke down for at least a moment, he realized what he'd done.

[Scott Weinberger]

Another example of how powerful and necessary victim impact statements can be both in sentencing and bringing a sense of justice for the survivors of deadly violence.

[Luis Mata Jr.]

People ask, well, how can you do this? You know, how can you see what you see and then go home and yeah, I'm, I'm not going to lie to you. It's. Sometimes it's tough in what you see, but when you get justice and you put a lot of hard work into a simple case that starts out as a overdose, suicide, death, and it leads you to this, and you see the satisfaction of bringing justice for your victim, you know, it makes it all worthwhile.

[Scott Weinberger]

Here was Maria, carefully documenting her thoughts, fears, and daily life in the quiet pages of a journal, Likely never imagining those very pages could become the key to uncovering her own killer. The true irony is that Maria's thoughts, those private moments, the ones she believed no one else would ever see, became the very thing that brought her justice. It's as if Maria reached out beyond the boundaries of life and death, her words, and led investigators to the truth she could no longer speak Maria Munoz.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Was a mother, a wife, a woman navigating her way through a marriage that wasn't working with a husband who was in a relationship with someone else. None of it's easy. And unfortunately, too many people understand the type of pain Maria was living. But that's the key. She should have lived. She should have left him or stayed. They should have divorced or not. But that's it. That's the type of decision people in relationships make. Whether difficult or no longer viable, those are the reasonable choices for every person to consider. Not murder, not taking a mother from her young kids, not taking a woman's life. Maria Munoz, we remember you. We hope that your boys are well and that they remember your strength, all the good qualities you surely passed down to them, and most importantly, that they still remember and feel your love for them both. Tune in next week for another new episode of An Anatomy of Murder.

[Scott Weinberger]

Anatomy of Murder is an audio Chuck.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Original, produced and created by Weinberger Media and Frasetti Media.

[Scott Weinberger]

Ashley Flowers is executive producer.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

This episode was written and produced by Walker Lamond, researched by Kate Cooper, edited by Ali Sierra and Phil Jean Grande. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? On Christmas Eve, 1991, Dana Ireland was riding her bike on Hawaii's Big Island. Hours later, she was discovered brutally attacked. Her murder sent shockwaves through the community and under intense pressure, police accused not one, but three men. None of them committed the crime. I'm Amanda Knox. In season two of three, we uncover the truth and explore how three families were forever changed by injustice. Listen to three now. Wherever you get your podcasts.