The Husband

Summary

Blood and Water – Episode 2: "The Husband"

Podcast: Blood and Water (ABC News)
Release Date: May 5, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode delves into the immediate aftermath of Leslie Preer’s 2001 murder in her Chevy Chase, Maryland home. The focus is on the initial investigation, which centers on her husband, Sandy Preer. Through police interviews, family reminiscence, and expert commentary, the episode explores the evolving suspicions around Sandy, marriage dynamics hidden beneath family photographs, and the pivotal DNA evidence that shifts the trajectory of the case.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Crime Scene and Leslie’s Last Moments

• Blood as Narrative: Lauren Preer, Leslie’s daughter, describes returning to the house and seeing blood throughout the hallway and up the stairs, painting a harrowing picture of her mother’s final struggle.
  • [00:40] Lauren Preer: “She was running for her life. My parents had a long hallway… there was blood all over the hallway.”
• Luminol Reveals More: Investigators use luminol to detect blood traces hidden by attempted clean-up, indicating Leslie’s body was dragged upstairs after her death.
  • [01:12] Stephanie Ramos: “Big blue swoops and smears where someone had seemingly tried to clean up even more blood…”

2. Sandy Preer Under Scrutiny

• Family Bonds vs. Police Suspicion: Lauren objects to early suspicions of her father’s involvement.
  • [02:22] Lauren Preyer: “And the scary part was is that they tried to put it on my father. I said no. I'm like, my dad loved my mom…”
• Marriage Image: Early family photos and memories from Lauren and her friend Bryce Thomas paint a picture of a loving, connected family.
• Notable Quote – Family Nostalgia:
  • [06:49] Lauren Preyer: “They were the best parents… we just had so much love for each other and we had so much fun together.”

3. Tensions Beneath the Surface

• Contradictions Emerge: The marriage is revealed to be troubled, underlined by Leslie’s inebriation and frequent arguments.
  • [02:56] Sandy Preyer: “Was this a routine with her to get fairly well inebriated every night? Yes.”
• Accounts of Escalating Conflict: Sandy discusses frequent fights and one instance where he physically grabbed Leslie.
  • [13:37] Sandy Preyer: “I just didn't enjoy being with… someone who… had too much to drink… She just keep coming at you. And it was. It was… It wasn't fun.”
  • [14:28] Sandy Preyer: “…I'd grab her and just say, you know, you gotta snap out of, like, grabbing her by her shoulders… and she's burst in tears. And I'm thinking, God, what am I doing?”

4. The Timeline and Sandy’s Alibi

• Detailed but Questionable Account: Sandy provides a step-by-step recounting of the previous days but is shaky on small details.
  • [10:08] Sandy Preyer: “Oh, wait, I, okay, I know what I did… I was taking some computer stuff to the, to the dump Tuesday…”
• Wednesday Routine: Sandy insists Leslie was alive the next morning, including a call about toilet paper.
  • [17:47] Sandy Preyer: “Not upset in any way… She wanted to know if I had taken or put up the four-roll toilet paper pack…”

5. The Investigators’ Perspective

• Detectives’ View: Sandy’s confessions about arguments and marital strife, plus small unexplained injuries on his body, reinforce suspicion.
  • [19:10] Stephanie Ramos: “And yet… Sandy had done little to ease the detective suspicions or eliminate himself as a suspect.”
• Official Shift: Leslie’s death is confirmed as homicide by strangulation and blunt force trauma.
  • [21:06] Stephanie Ramos: “Leslie's cause of death was officially going to be reported as strangulation and blunt force trauma…”
• Telltale Evidence: Investigators spot discrepancies on Sandy’s account—timing of Leslie’s death remains unclear as water in the shower sped decomposition. Undigested pasta in her stomach raises doubts about when she died.

6. Community and Expert Reaction

• Statistical Realities: State’s Attorney John McCarthy explains that intimate partners are often the perpetrators in domestic homicides.
  • [23:14] John McCarthy: “Particularly if you're a woman… more than 50% of the time… the person… responsible… is your intimate partner.”
• Community Shock: In a safe suburban enclave, the community is rattled both by the brutal crime and suspicions about Sandy.
  • [24:34] John McCarthy: “The town of Chevy Chase has zero homicides and that you probably could count on one hand… over a 10 or 20 year period…”

7. Mounting Evidence Against Sandy

• Circumstantial Evidence: Eye-witness neighbors recall seeing Sandy at odd hours and behaving out of character.
  • [25:41] John McCarthy: “Was he trying to call attention? Was he trying to create some kind of timeline?”
• Polygraph and Phone Records: Sandy fails a polygraph; phone calls are unverified with early-2000s technology.
• Lauren’s Doubt: Even Leslie’s daughter briefly questions her father’s innocence.
  • [27:19] Lauren Preyer: “I mean, I had my moment where I questioned, could he really go that far?... I asked him, did you kill Mom? They said no. And I believed him.”

8. The DNA Bombshell

• Game-Changing Forensics: Months later, DNA evidence found under Leslie’s fingernails excludes Sandy as the attacker.
  • [28:17] John McCarthy: “There was DNA found in Leslie's fingernails.”
  • [28:22] Sandy Preyer: “And I'll just tell you one thing, you got the wrong guy.”
• Narrative Shift: The DNA of an “unknown male” changes the case direction and casts doubt on Sandy’s guilt.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• [00:40] Lauren Preyer: “She was running for her life… there was blood all over the hallway.”
• [02:22] Lauren Preyer: “They tried to put it on my father… my dad loved my mom… my dad would never kill my mom.”
• [10:44] Sandy Preyer: “I went to bed around 9:30 that night… Wife was home when I got there…Kissed me good night.”
• [12:20] Sandy Preyer: “She would have a lot [to drink]. And in all honesty, it's one of the reasons…I kind of come home late.”
• [14:28] Sandy Preyer: “I never… The most violent ever got was I'd grab her and just say, you know, you gotta snap out of it…”
• [23:14] John McCarthy: “If you're a woman… the person… responsible for taking your life is your intimate partner.”
• [27:19] Lauren Preyer: “I asked him, did you kill Mom? They said no. And I believed him.”
• [28:17] John McCarthy: “There was DNA found in Leslie's fingernails.”
• [28:22] Sandy Preyer: “And I'll just tell you one thing, you got the wrong guy.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:20 – 02:10: Lauren describes the crime scene and her mother’s last moments
• 02:22 – 03:57: Lauren and Sandy recall early family life and marriage
• 05:41 – 07:06: Family memories vs. the current tragic reality
• 08:48 – 11:29: Sandy’s police interview, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning alibi
• 12:20 – 14:12: Marital conflict and Leslie’s drinking
• 16:09 – 18:05: Sandy and Leslie’s last alleged conversation, discovery of the body
• 21:06 – 22:57: Official cause of death, suspicions harden on Sandy
• 23:03 – 24:53: Expert commentary on domestic violence homicide statistics and community reaction
• 25:41 – 26:46: Neighbors’ suspicions and odd behaviors recounted
• 27:19 – 28:22: Lauren’s doubts; the introduction of DNA evidence excluding Sandy

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Conclusion

This episode builds a meticulous portrait of the Preer family, contrasting public happiness with private turmoil. It tracks how, in the absence of clear leads, focus narrows on the spouse—a familiar narrative in homicide investigations. Yet, just as circumstantial evidence appears overwhelming, cutting-edge forensic work shifts the case’s direction with the discovery of foreign DNA, casting doubt on Sandy Preer’s guilt and re-igniting the unsolved question: if not Sandy, who killed Leslie Preer?

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For next week: The series will presumably follow new suspects and detail the breakthroughs made possible by forensic advancements.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

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[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

At a crime scene, blood can tell a story. When Lauren Prey was briefly allowed back into her parents house on Drummond Avenue to collect some of her things while the investigation continued, the blood she saw offered a terrifying account of her mother's last moments.

[Lauren Preyer]

She was running for her life. My parents had a long hallway between the front door and our kitchen. There was blood all over the hallway.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

It looked like Leslie Prier had struggled against an attacker. All across the ground floor until she couldn't.

[Lauren Preyer]

They know she was killed by the front door. There was like this like her. The back of her head was smashed against the wall and then there was like blood stains down the wall. I think she was just trying to escape.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

When investigators started trying to piece together what had happened, they too followed the blood. They sprayed a chemical called luminol all over the house. It glows blue when it comes into contact with even the smallest amount of blood. Thanks to the luminol, investigators now saw new clues previously undetectable to the naked eye. Big blue swoops and smears where someone had seemingly tried to clean up even more blood. The luminal showed that Leslie was likely already dead when someone had dragged her body up the stairs and into the shower.

[Lauren Preyer]

I had to walk through that. There was still luminol all over the hallway, all the way up the stairs through the bedroom, my parents master bedroom. And I stopped at their bed. I couldn't do it. I couldn't go in the bathroom. I couldn't do it. I couldn't.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Leslie's last moments were painfully clear to Lauren. But other parts of the story were still a mystery. Like who was Leslie Prear trying to escape from.

[Lauren Preyer]

And the scary part was is that they tried to put it on my father. I said no. I'm like my dad loved my mom, loved, adored her. I said my dad would never kill my mom.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

In the days after Leslie's death, investigators turned their attention to Sandy Preyer. And just as the luminal had uncovered new details about the story of Leslie's death, there were more revelations to come. This time about the preior's marriage.

[Sandy Preyer]

Was this a routine with her to get fairly well inebriated every night? Yes.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

From ABC Audio and 2020 I'm Stephanie Ramos. And this is Blood and water. Episode 2 the Husband the time of her death, Leslie had been married to Sandy for 27 years. They met as students in Pensacola, Florida and got married right out of College in 1974. Their daughter Lauren was born a few years later. She showed me family photos of those early days. Who's in this photo?

[Lauren Preyer]

Well, that's me. Oh, I know. So we're talking. This might must have been 1977 when I was born. And this is my Sandy.

[Sandy Preyer]

Gosh.

[Lauren Preyer]

And then my mom. So we are a happy family, the three of us.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

In one of the pictures, Sandy and Leslie sit on a sofa together with baby Lauren on their laps. Leslie looks radiant. Sandy, with his big smile and thick rimmed glasses, has his arm around her. They look happy.

[Lauren Preyer]

This is Scott. Oh my God, he's so young there. And this is Harlan. So these are the four brothers and four sisters.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Leslie was one of eight siblings. So Lauren grew up with a lot of cousins and the family was close. They would go on vacation together. In laws like Sandy were welcomed in and became part of the family too. Sandy would write long emails to Leslie's parents littered with jokes tailored to the recipient. He was funny in a goofy way. Lauren says her dad could be spontaneous. She showed me pictures of the two of them together.

[Lauren Preyer]

This is the Montgomery county fair. I was home from college and my dad and I just said, let's go to the fair.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

So off they went. Did all the rides in the picture. Lawrence leaning on Sandy's shoulder. Both of them holding fried food and grinning.

[Lauren Preyer]

That's the kind of father my dad was on a dime. He was a. If I said let's go to the fair, he'd be like, let's go to the fair.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Before she worked at the advertising company, Lauren's mom had been a court reporter. Sandy worked at a consultancy firm. A suit and tie job dealing with defense contracts. The three of them moved into the house on Drummond Avenue in 1993 when Lauren was in high school. What was Lauren like back then?

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

Sweet, soft spoken, outgoing, mischievous. Definitely mischievous.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Bryce Thomas was one of Lauren Prior's best friends back then. They're still close today. When Lauren was in high school, she and her friends would congregate at the prey house. The whole gang got to know Leslie and Sandy Preer. The couple seemed solid. They were a rare mix. Interested in their daughter's life, but cool enough to hang out with.

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

Mrs. Pier was always so engaging, you know, it made you feel welcome, you know. You know, you don't think about these things too much as a kid, but now when you look back at it, you're like, yeah, she was more involved, really wanted to meet us and figure out who are these kids hanging out with my daughter, you know?

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

The core group that was often together included Lauren Bryce, Lauren's best friend Lisa, and Lauren's boyfriend Eugene, a kid from the neighborhood. The pictures Lauren showed me include awkward teen group photos, but also a lot of her and her parents. Lauren says that as a teenager she had some rebellious moments, but her relationship with her parents was always good. When you see photos like these, what

[Lauren Preyer]

comes to mind that they were the best parents. We just had so much love for each other and we had so much fun together. A lot of people or friends don't have the same relationship with their parents. Do you know what I mean?

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Lauren remembers her family as closer than most and their red brick house on Drummond Avenue as the setting for a lot of these happy scenes. But what had been Lauren's home was now a crime scene with new pictures taken by investigators. Instead of a smiling family, inside there were luminal smears and blood drops. And as the investigators began to piece together the facts of the case, it became clear Sandy and Leslie Prayer were far from picture perfect.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Make another smart choice with Auto quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in a states. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

From the crime scene, it seemed clear that Leslie Prier was murdered, but investigators hadn't announced it officially yet. Two days after the 911 call, the police were still grappling with what the blood was trying to tell them. They wanted to establish a timeline of the days before Leslie's death. And for that they turned to Sandy

[Sandy Preyer]

Pryor k. Today is May 4, 2001, and it is 1105am this is Jim Drury with the county police and also Michael Turner, and we're talking with.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Investigators interviewed Sandy Prior in his hotel room. Their tone in the recordings from that day is calm but not warm. They asked Sandy to tell them about what he'd been doing the day before the body was found. It was a Tuesday, and Sandy said he'd gotten up and gone to work as usual. Afterwards, he said he didn't go straight home. He had some errands to run.

[Sandy Preyer]

I went to the mall, Montgomery Mall, to Circuit City Express, and did I go someplace else or did I just go to the mall?

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

At first, Sandy didn't seem to remember the evening all that clearly. But then it all came back to him.

[Sandy Preyer]

Oh, wait, I, okay, I know what I did. I, I, I was taking some computer stuff to the, to the dump Tuesday because I was members. I got to get there by 8 o'.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Clock.

[Sandy Preyer]

Got to get there by 8. And I said, okay, I need to leave here by 7 or 7:15 in order to make sure that I get out there. So we had some spare computer equipment.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Sandy told detectives in detail about needing to find camera parts and recycle electronic waste. He said he didn't get home until late, around 9pm I was really beaten.

[Sandy Preyer]

I went to bed, I went to bed around 9:30 that night. It was Tuesday night. Your wife was home when you Wife was, Wife was home when I got there. Kissed me good night. You have dinner? No. No. Do you know she had dinner? She would, she would cook. She would cook like every other day, every third day or something like that. She would always cook pasta or some chicken or something like that. But that night I didn't have dinner. I'm not sure if she cooked it and I'm not sure if she, she had it. I just can't remember. Just wasn't right to bed.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Sandy said that he recalled Leslie coming to bed after him and waking in the night. Lately, he said she'd been having trouble sleeping. The detectives asked him about another part of Leslie's daily routine. Alcohol. Sandy said she would have wine when she got home. And he said, not just one glass.

[Sandy Preyer]

How many. Is this, is this important? She would have a lot. She would have a lot. And in all honesty, it's one of the reasons why I kind of come home late because I, I just really, it was just kind of, it was kind of, it was getting hard to deal with.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Sandy told detectives that he would often come home to find Leslie had had a lot to drink.

[Sandy Preyer]

He.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

He said she would slur her words and that her personality would change. He found her difficult to be around.

[Sandy Preyer]

Were these a source of arguments between. Sure, sure, definitely. I think you. We talked just briefly the other day in the driveway, and we were asking about the stain on the ceiling. Right. You said that was from wine. It was from wine. And what that came from was she had too much to drink that night. And there was a wet glass of wine on the counter. And, you know, I just. Just flossed it, just slung it, like. Just slung the wine, the glass, and I didn't let go of the glass. I just slung the liquid. And I said something along the line, you don't need any more of this. How long ago was that? I would say that was within two weeks. It was. It's been pretty. It was been pretty recent.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Sandy described how these arguments were getting worse in the weeks leading up to Leslie's death. He said that her drinking had put a strain on their relationship.

[Sandy Preyer]

I just didn't enjoy being with. With someone who. In that condition, who had too much to drink. I mean, you had to make sure you. Whatever you said. Because she could take it any. Any other way when she got cranked up, man, it was. It was. Shut it down. You could shut. You couldn't shut. Get away from whatever that subject she may be on. She just keep. Just. Just bam, bam, bam. Just keep coming at you. Just keep coming at you. And it was. It was. It wasn't fun.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

It wasn't just the arguments. Sandy described one time when he and Leslie had been in an argument, and he said he turned away from her. He felt Leslie's fist hit him right in his back.

[Sandy Preyer]

Did that ever. No, I didn't react to it, if that's what you're going to ask me. Right. No, I mean, I never. The most violent ever got was I'd grab her and just say, you know, you gotta snap out of, like, grabbing her by her shoulders, you know, you know, you gotta snap out of it. But that I. I did that, you know, one time, and it, you know, really. And she, you know, hit the wall. Nothing, you know, smashing or anything hit the wall, and she's burst in tears. And I'm thinking, God, what am I doing? So. So I pretty much controlled myself to where I just. I wasn't going there. I was not going to go there.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

You can see how Sandy's reactions to what was happening around him might have looked odd to investigators. Remember, right after Sandy had first Seen the blood in the foyer. And the officers had arrived at the house to investigate the. Sandy had made a joke. You mean business, he'd said. And now in a police interview about his wife's death, Sandy was volunteering descriptions of heated arguments he'd had with Leslie, some in the weeks before her death. And at this point, Leslie's death had not been formally announced as a homicide. 48 hours out, the official language was that the case was being treated as suspicious. But it's hard to believe that Sandy didn't realize how his description of his marriage must have looked to investigators.

[Sandy Preyer]

Did either of you ever discuss divorce or separation? We never seriously discussed it because we loved each other dearly. There were times where I'd say, I didn't screw you, I'm divorcing you. To me, that's not a discussion. It's not where we sit would sit down like this and talk about seriously, seriously getting a divorce. And I don't think there would be. Even though things are really starting to really start to escalate.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

If detectives thought these revelations about the prayers relationship were surprising, they hid it well and kept on moving through the timeline of events. They zeroed in on the morning of Wednesday, May 2, the most important window for the investigation. Sandy said it was just like any other day.

[Sandy Preyer]

Okay, so you both got up about 7am you just. Did you shower? Oh yeah, yeah. Which shower did you use? The. I always, always use the one in the master bed.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Sandy was just as detailed about Wednesday morning as he had been about Tuesday evening. He said that after he showered he left for work. It was around 7:35am he remembered specifically because he had a board meeting that day and wanted to be there early. He got to his office at around 7:50. At 9am he said his secretary put a call from Leslie through to his office phone.

[Sandy Preyer]

Did she sound distressed? Not upset in any way? Nope, nope, not in the least. What did she say? She wanted to know if I had taken or put up the four roll toilet paper pack that she had put that was on the stairways.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Stairway going up to the room in Sandy's telling. This conversation about toilet paper was the last conversation of their 27 year marriage. At around 11:30 that morning, Leslie's boss Brett Reedy called him to say she hadn't shown up at work. And an hour after that, Sandy described standing outside the house waiting for police to finish their search.

[Sandy Preyer]

And Officer Barnett came out and I'll never forget, I can't remember if he said, Mr. Prior, sir, he said, your wife's dead and you know, of course broke up right then, but. The finality of it right there just wasn't explained. Expecting.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

In his hour and a half interview with the detectives, Sandy broke down twice. Once when he talked about the scene inside the front door at Drummond Avenue, and once about being told that his wife was dead. In those moments in the interview, Sandy's emotions seemed to match his situation, a husband who'd lost his wife just two days earlier. And yet, as the interview wrapped up, it was clear that Sandy had done little to ease the detective suspicions or eliminate himself as a suspect. And evidence from the crime scene was about to make things even worse for Sandy. Prayer. When it's time to scale your business, it's time for Shopify. Get everything you need to grow the way you want. Like all the way. Stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet. Track your cha chings from every channel right in one spot and turn real time reporting into big time opportunities. Take your business to a whole new level. Switch to Shopify. Start your free trial today.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

We know what happened right after this interview from entries in the detectives notes from that day. Just after the recording stopped, detectives received word their department would be giving a statement on the case to the press. Leslie's cause of death was officially going to be reported as strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to investigators. The autopsy had also said that it was possible that Leslie Preyer was killed on Tuesday night, the night before her body was found. Leslie's body was left under hot running water in the shower after her death, likely as part of an attempt by the perpetrator to clean up the scene. The temperature of the water had sped up the decomposition process, making it hard to be sure of the exact time that Leslie died. And there was undigested food in Leslie's stomach. Pasta. It fit with Leslie being killed a short time after eating the very dinner that Sandy had just told detectives his wife often made. Sandy's recollection of his Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning was now in question. If Leslie had been killed on Tuesday night, and it was still an if, had Sandy driven around town to give himself an alibi? His entire story depended on Leslie being alive on Wednesday morning, and detectives thought that the evidence suggested otherwise. In his hotel room, detectives told Sandy what would soon be public information. Leslie was murdered. They wrote in their notes that Sandy hung his head for around a minute and then said, I think I know where this is going.

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

Unfortunately, when it comes to homicides, domestic partner homicides are not rare.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

This estate's attorney, John McCarthy, he's worked in Maryland law enforcement for 45 years. He says he understands why investigators were focused on Sandy prior.

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

Quite candidly, if you look at the cataloging of homicides over the time that I've been in the office here, I would say that particularly if you're a woman, more than 50% of the time, if you're a homicide victim in this county, the person who's responsible for taking your life is your intimate partner.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

That's been McCarthy's professional experience, and it's supported by national statistics. According to the Department of Justice, women are five times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than male murder victims. And the marriage that Sandy had described was volatile. So when Sandy insisted to investigators that Leslie had been alive when he left her on Wednesday morning, the detectives weren't convinced. In their notes, they wrote that Sandy told them, I have been honest with you. To the best of my knowledge, I didn't kill my wife. The phrase to the best of my knowledge was underlined twice. From this moment on, the focus on Sandy would be much more pointed. What they wanted from him now was a confession. Even before word spread that Sandy Preer was a suspect, Leslie's death had rocked their quiet suburban community.

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

The town of Chevy Chase has zero homicides and that you probably could count on one hand the number of homicides maybe over a 10 or 20 year period of time in a town like Chevy Chase. So as you can imagine, when something like this does become public, it sometimes comes with a lot of panic.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Detectives had questioned the neighbors along Drummond Avenue on the day Leslie's body was found. At the time, none of them reported anything unusual, just shock at what had happened. With the increased scrutiny of Sandy, things started to change. One month after the murder, a neighbor told police that he remembered seeing all the lights on in the prayer house at 2am the day the body was found. He thought it was odd. Two months after the killing, another neighbor told investigators that she remembered Sandy leaving the house around 7:35am as he told detectives. But she thought Sandy seemed like he was making an effort to have eye contact with her, which she said seemed out of character.

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

Was he trying to call attention? Was he trying to create some kind of, you think through these things to determine whether or not in some way does that play into someone trying to cover up, develop a timeline and things like that?

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

There were two more pieces of the puzzle that detectives thought looked bad for Sandy. The first, phone records back in 2001. Call records were harder to verify, so investigators couldn't confirm that 9am calls Sandy said Leslie had made to him about the toilet paper. And then there was the polygraph. In the days after Leslie's death, Sandy cooperated with everything the police asked of him. He gave them access to his work computer and his phone. He allowed them to take photographs of small cuts on his body. And he volunteered to take a polygraph test. Perhaps he thought it would help with the suspicions growing around him. But it didn't. Because Sandy failed. Investigators told me that failing a polygraph test by itself might not have meant much. Polygraphs are, after all, notoriously unreliable. But taken with all the other odd details from Sandy's interactions with police, his position as number one suspect was assured. It wasn't just the detectives. A lot of people were looking at Sandy and wondering what he was capable of. Even his daughter, Lauren.

[Lauren Preyer]

I mean, I had my moment or I questioned, could he really go that far? Not that they ever had any major. You know, every married, long term married couple has their arguments. But they never argued in front of me. But I could hear them. Sometimes when I was upstairs in my room, I asked him, did you kill Mom? They said no. And I believed him.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

Lauren's moment of doubt passed. But to pretty much everyone else, Sandy Prear looked guilty. The story the blood told wasn't finished, though. There was one more piece of evidence, one small detail that would change the entire narrative of this case.

[Sandy Preyer]

The police came to us in August

[Expert/Commentator (e.g., John McCarthy or Bryce Thomas)]

telling us there was DNA found in Leslie's fingernails.

[Sandy Preyer]

And I'll just tell you one thing, you got the wrong guy.

[Narrator (Stephanie Ramos)]

New evidence will throw Sandy Preyer a lifeline. But if he didn't kill Leslie Prier, who did? Blood and water is a production of abc audio in 2020 hosted by me, stephanie ramos produced by madeline wood, shane mckeon and kiara powell with help from emily shutz and caitlin schiffer. Edited by gianna palmer. Our supervising producer is susie lu. Music by evan viola. Mixing and mastering by bob mallory. Scoring by kiara powell. Special thanks to katie dendoz, janice johnston, sean dooley, chris donovan, camille peterson, christina corbin, gail deutsch, amanda carr, ellie joestad, ng adam and michelle margulis. Josh cohan is our director of podcast programming. Eamon mcniff is our executive producer.

[Sandy Preyer]

Foreign.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

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