
A suspect emerges, along with a theory of the crime. This episode originally published on February 17, 2025.
Loading summary
Lowe's Advertisement
Lowe's helps refresh your garden in time for Mother's Day. Right now get five bags of one and a half cubic foot Scott's Naturescapes Mulch for just ten dollars plus select one and a half gallon annuals. Hanging baskets make the perfect gift now two for only fifteen dollars. The best garden starts with great deals. Lowes we help you Save valid through 5 7. Selection varies by location while supplies last. Discount taken at time of purchase.
Strayer University Advertisement
At Strayer University, we help students like you go from is it possible To Anything is possible by offering access to up to 10 no cost gen Ed courses so you can reach your goals affordably and fast. Visit strayer.edu to learn more. No cost Gen Ed is provided by Strayer University Affiliate sophia. Eligibility rules apply. Connect with us for details. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
Keith Morrison
It was 1966 when the archetype of what would come to be known as the true crime novel barged into the culture. In no time at all, that book, In Cold Blood, was as famous as a book could be. And so was its author, Truman Capote. Unusual man, unusual book. In Cold Blood reads like a novel, though it was a true story, the mean, hard facts of it exhaustively reported. Literary critics called it a masterpiece. Though the story was as disturbing as a story could be, somehow Capote's masterpiece caught the mood of those turbulent years. In Cold Blood tells the story of a wealthy farm family called the Clutters, Herb, Bonnie, and their two children, murdered during an apparent robbery at night in their farmhouse in Kansas in 1959. The story was so influential, such a cultural touchstone, that even decades after its release, people just couldn't help but see the parallels between the Clutters and the Stock families. They were both good people, successful farmers in the middle of America, attacked in their sleep, murdered in cold blood. One line in particular, penned by Capote, seemed fitting to describe what had happened to Wayne and Charman's stock. They shared a doom against which virtue was no defense. Those days that followed the murders were dreadful ones for the three adult Stock children. There was shock and grief and confusion and anger, a whole catalog of emotions they tried to keep busy. There were arrangements to make a funeral to prepare. It was apparent that the local Methodist church would be too small to accommodate all those who wanted to pay their respects, so it was decided they'd have the funeral in the Murdoch High School gym. It was the right thing to do. The Place was packed to the rafters. There was speeches lauding the stocks and everything about them.
Tammy Stock
Daughter Tammy, I call them, pillars of the community.
Steve Stock
There was over 2,000 people at the funeral, so wow.
Keith Morrison
Son Steve.
Steve Stock
They filled the whole gymnasium and the floor and the stands and everything.
Keith Morrison
So what was that like, that funeral?
Steve Stock
It was a little overwhelming. We were off in a separate area, kind of secluded, and then when it started, they walked us in and it was just like, holy cow. It was just packed with people. It was really overwhelming.
Detective
Yeah, it was a great tribute.
CSI Chief David Coford
They were good people and loved by many.
Keith Morrison
Leading that huge crowd of mourners were of course, the many members of the Stock's large extended family, watched by a quiet, sharp eyed contingent of people from the sheriff's office. Detectives scanning the crowd. And not long after, they began to focus on one particular member of the family.
Steve Stock
I have my own suspicions.
Keith Morrison
Oh yes. Families can be complicated with their secret feelings, their resentments and private rages. I'm Keith Morrison and this is dateline's newest podcast, Murder in the Moonlight. Episode two Keep your enemies close. First of all, the fella investigators were keeping an eye on was not Andy Stock. In fact, the police cleared the Stock's youngest son and it didn't take very long. Andy's Easter weekend was entirely accounted for. He couldn't have been the one. So they returned the grief stricken man to his family. Now, the name of this man, this person of interest, was not Stock at all, even though he was family. His name was Matt Livers and he was wayne and Charman's 28 year old nephew. In fact, Matt attended the Easter dinner at the Stock farmhouse a few hours before the murders. But he wasn't there by virtue of being a family favorite. No. In fact, Matt Livers was considered something of a black sheep. Quite unlike the industrious Stocks. Matt had bounced around from one dead end job to another, never seeming to find his niche. Never seemed that interested in having a niche. Instead, he lived with his grandmother, took advantage of her. In the opinion of the rest of the family.
Steve Stock
Him and dad kind of had a lot of falling outs about him staying with grandma and dad, didn't think he should be, or that he needed to find a job of his own and get out and put a little more effort into things maybe, or something. So they kind of butt ahead us a little bit.
Keith Morrison
Even so, Matt's Uncle Wayne had frequently gone out of his way to help the young man get going in life. Not that it did much good.
Steve Stock
One time I was at work and dad Called me and said, wanted to know if he could stop by and see me. So he did, and he had matt with him. And he'd spent the whole day driving matt around lincoln applying for jobs. And I was like, you know, wow. And there's another guy there working with me. When they left, he's like, I don't know anybody that would do that. You know anybody that would take their nephew out and drive all over town helping him find a job. He goes, that's really cool that your.
Keith Morrison
Dad would do that still. When family members learned that detectives were looking at matt, they had opinions. For one thing, they told police, he seemed a bit slow and different. But more to the point, some of them had noticed problems between matt lyers and the stocks. They. They described heated disagreements, Said charman disliked matt, but said the surviving stocks, their parents didn't complain about him, not openly, anyway.
Tammy Stock
In our family, they didn't bother us with the little things. They never made anything into a big production.
Keith Morrison
No drama household.
Tammy Stock
No drama household.
Keith Morrison
Still, after the murders, well, everyone was a suspect, and Matt was no different in that respect. Again, the stock son, Steve.
Steve Stock
I think in my head, I went to it a little bit, just knowing that they hadn't got along real well.
Keith Morrison
So. A few days after the murders, detectives visited Matt lyra's former employer, Asked about his personality, asked about rumors that he had a temper. They assigned officers to keep watch on him. They even went through his garbage. And then on April 25, eight days after the murders, investigators asked matt to come down to the station and answer some questions.
Detective
You're not being drugged in here. You were invited in here, right?
Keith Morrison
Right.
Detective
Came here of your own free will.
Keith Morrison
Certainly, said matt, happy to help. And he took a seat in the interrogation room. The conversation was recorded.
Detective
You're free to leave at any time. Well, I'm here to cooperate with you gentlemen. Okay?
Keith Morrison
He was, or seemed to be, courteous, deferential. He said, almost with a sense of childlike wonder, that he'd never been interviewed by police before. Things proceeded from there.
Detective
I'd like to know why.
Keith Morrison
But who?
Detective
What, when, where and how and why.
Keith Morrison
Of course, the investigators wanted to know where Matt livers was when the murders happened. Who could vouch for him? And he told them that after the big family easter dinner with the stocks, he drove to lincoln, nebraska, about a half an hour away and tucked in with his girlfriend Sarah. Stayed there all night. Sarah could confirm it, he said. Oh, and Sarah's young son and a roommate were there, too. Mind you, he told the investigators he hadn't always been in his Uncle Wayne Stark's good books. He knew he was not exactly a family favorite. And he and his uncle had disagreed about a thing or two. A tiff. Matt called it a minor thing. But this questioning session went on for quite some time. Five hours, in fact. So naturally, a lot of those questions were asked again and again and again. Just a different way of putting it each time. Why so long? Well, there was a reason for that. Matt seemed to know more than he was saying. It seemed like he was hiding something. So finally, the detective asked him if he'd agree to take a polygraph. And Matt said, yes, he would. So they hooked him up. And here he was getting and answering the big question.
Detective
Do you know the share of food cost?
Keith Morrison
We bought the wine, folks.
Detective
Now.
Keith Morrison
With that simple no. Mad Libers tried to put an end to it. Surely those cops who'd been badgering him for all these hours, who didn't seem to believe him, would be convinced by the polygraph, right? It would prove he was telling the truth. Matt believed. And now he could finally get out of there and go home. And, well, the police believed in the polygraph. Yes, they did. But not quite the way Matt was hoping for. Because the polygrapher told Matt, quite bluntly, he failed.
Detective
Your subconscious body is telling the machine. You cannot fool it. I didn't have anything to do with this. You did. I did not. You did. I did not. Bill, you did. I'm sorry. You did.
Keith Morrison
So they went back to the interview room, where the tone of the questions became quite pointed. Accusing, even.
Detective
Like I said, I want to get my name out of this. I had nothing to do with this.
Keith Morrison
Again and again, Matt denied having anything to do with murdering Wayne and Charmin stock more than 100 times.
Detective
All I remember is sleeping in bed that night. I never did anything.
Keith Morrison
I. Gosh.
Detective
I mean, my goodness.
Keith Morrison
But the more he said it and the more insistent he was.
Detective
Guys, I meant nothing to do with this. Let's just get this out the over, okay?
Keith Morrison
The more sure the detectives were that Matt was lying. They were quite certain. In fact, we've had so many people.
Detective
Sitting in that chair, okay, that think that they're smarter than us. And you're not? No. Okay. No, you're not. Dumb as a brick. Okay? You made a mistake. You did you up, and now you gotta pay for it.
Keith Morrison
Why were investigators in Nebraska so convinced Matt Levers was lying? Well, in addition to the polygraph, there was a state profiler who suggested that this was the kind of crime committed by young males who knew their victims. And add to that, said the profiler, this was the sort of crime that appeared to be very personal. Two executions. A crime very likely. Driven by intense personal emotion toward the victims. Feelings like jealousy, anger, a revenge. Finally, there was this. The Starks lived in the middle of nowhere. And it made sense that a family member would know exactly where to find them. But a stranger. A stranger would have no idea if those factors were. Bells. Matt Lyvers rang more bells than a royal wedding. Loudly. And in that interview room, detectives were losing patience.
Detective
You religious man? And what's God gonna say, huh?
Keith Morrison
Eventually, they got quite explicit, telling Matt that he was headed for death row unless he would start giving them what they knew to be true.
Detective
I'm telling you right now, I'm going to do everything I can. If I walk out that door right now and you don't cop to this, you don't admit to me exactly what you've done, I'm gonna walk out that door and I'm doing my level best to hang your ass from the highest tree. You're done. I'll go after the death penalty. I'll push. I'll push and I'll push until I get everything I need to make sure you go down hard for this. This is your one shot. Look at the olive branch out right now and attempt to help you. Okay? Electric chair, gas, Lethal injection. That's what kind of case this is.
Keith Morrison
And it was that technique that finally produced the desired effect. Rough, perhaps, yes. But Matt Livers admitted it, as if his denial was too heavy a load to carry. It happened rather suddenly here.
Detective
You got a gun right along, right?
Keith Morrison
Among the traits of a good detective is persistence. And it is prized because once the door is opened, things spill out. And spill out they did.
Lowe's Advertisement
Lowe's helps refresh your garden in time for Mother's Day. Right now, get five bags of one and a half cubic foot Scott's Naturescapes mulch for just $10. Plus select one and a half gallon annuals. Hanging baskets make the perfect gift. Now two for only $15. The best garden starts with great deals.
Keith Morrison
Lowe's.
Lowe's Advertisement
We help you Save. Valid through 5, 7. Selection varies by location while supplies last. Discount taken at time of purchase.
Strayer University Advertisement
At Strayer University, we help students like you go from Will I To why not? For over 130 years, we've been innovating higher education to make it more affordable, accessible and attainable so you can reach your goals. Go from thinking, can I? To yes, I can. And keep striving Visit strayer. Edu to learn more. Strayer university is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and its many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia. Businesswoman, entrepreneur and supermodel Cindy Crawford founded Meaningful Beauty with world renowned cosmetic specialist Dr. Sabah to share his age, maintenance focused skin care treatments and formulas. After using meaningful beauty for eight weeks, 100% of women said their skin looks vibrant and bright. Tomorrow's gorgeous starts today. Go to meaningfulbeauty.com beauty to receive 25% off and get the targeted treatment duo gift set for free. Meaningfulbeauty.com beauty that's meaningfulbeauty.com beauty.
Keith Morrison
Six hours. Enough time to cook an 18 pound turkey or watch two professional football games. And six hours was enough time in the face of intense questioning by the detectives for Matt Livers to finally break and begin to admit his involvement in the murders of his aunt and uncle Wayne and Charman Stock.
Detective
You got a gun right along, right? And you took that gun back to your uncle in that Charles house, right?
Keith Morrison
Right or wrong?
Detective
Come on, man. Right?
Keith Morrison
Now that the cat was out of the bag, Matt began filling in more of the blanks, the awful specifics of how he killed them, for one thing.
Detective
Put the gun to her face and blew it away. Okay. And then as I headed out, I just ducked it to him and blew him away. I was already fired up and, you know, had a guess. I had a grudge to sew, I guess.
Keith Morrison
And then a bonus. Remember that blood spatter and the void on the wall behind that was clear evidence that a second killer was involved. And Matt Livers filled in the blank.
Detective
You weren't alone that night. Is that right or wrong? Right. There was somebody else with you, wasn't there? Yeah.
Keith Morrison
And who was that second person? Matt was beyond denial now, beyond hesitation. He simply offered the name, gave it up without protest.
Detective
Who was with you that night? Nick Sampson.
Keith Morrison
Nick Sampson. He was a 21 year old cousin on another branch of that big family tree. And that is how the interview ended. They cuffed Matt, then led him off to the county jail. And they sent someone to pick up Nick Sampson. And they charged them both with murder. It was late in the evening when Andy Stock answered his phone and heard the news from one of the detectives. And he called his sister Tammy.
Tammy Stock
It was about 12:30 at night. He says, tam, I need you to be awake. Are you awake? And I said, yeah. And he says, are you sure? And I said, yes, I'm awake. What's going on? And he said, they arrested Matt And Nick and I said, matt. Nick who? And he said, our cousin Matt and Nick Sampson.
Keith Morrison
And thus, yet another emotion was added to Tammy's grief.
Tammy Stock
My husband had given me the phone. I was sitting up in bed, and I said, should I be shaking? And he said, that's normal, the shock.
Keith Morrison
But Matt Lyvers had been with them at Easter dinner. And then just a few hours later, according to him, he returned with Nick Sampson in tow to kill his aunt and uncle. Her parents. Tammy tried to focus. Things needed doing.
Tammy Stock
Our first reaction was, is Grandma, somebody needs to tell our grandma she had just lost her only son and her grandson is being arrested for this. And we thought, what 80 year old has to go through this? And pretty much we were up at dawn and we called the pastor and said, you need to meet us because we need to tell Grandma and we don't know how to do it. And so we went over and talked to grandma that next day and told her. And just like us, she's like, I don't. I don't understand. And I said, grandma, none of us understand any of this.
Keith Morrison
Tammy's brother Steve, did it give you any sense of, oh, well, at least somebody has been. Is found responsible to make it feel any better?
Steve Stock
I think there was. I had quite a bit of that. I was like, well, at least we're moving on to the next phase of this. We're not going to wander for the rest of our lives. So I was relieved, I guess, to know that they had somebody.
Keith Morrison
And just who was the accomplice? Nick Sampson. Just an ordinary guy. The investigators figured, unlike Matt, he had a job. Two jobs, in fact. By day, he reconditioned propane gas cylinders. Evenings, he was a cook at Bulldogs Bar in Murdoch. Anyway, once he was printed and processed, they sat him down in an interview room, and they asked him straight out, why did he think they were talking to him? But Nick Sampson was not like Matt Livers. Well, Matt initially denied any involvement before changing his story and confessing. Nick stuck with one story and one story only, you know, have absolutely nothing.
Detective
To do with this.
Keith Morrison
During three hours of questioning, Nick denied everything.
Detective
What I need from you is absolute honesty. I am being 100% honest.
Keith Morrison
Then one of the detectives employed a frequently used and often successful technique, the what if question.
Detective
If something's left of that house, okay, with your DNA and. Or your prince, how are you gonna explain how I got there? I'm not. Cause I don't think you have my DNA anywhere near that house. Cause I've never been in that house. Never ever once in my entire life have I ever been inside their house.
Keith Morrison
Then, like Matt, Nick agreed. In fact, he volunteered to take a polygraph.
Detective
I have absolutely nothing to do with this.
Keith Morrison
But again, the result wasn't quite what Nick was obviously hoping for.
Lowe's Advertisement
Lowe's helps refresh your garden in time for Mother's Day. Right now get five bags of one and a half cubic foot Scott's Naturescapes mulch for just ten dollars plus select one and a half gallon annuals. Hanging baskets make the perfect gift. Now two for only fifteen dollars. The best garden starts with great deals. Lowes we help you save ballot through 5 7. Selection varies by location while supplies last Discount taken at time of purchase.
Strayer University Advertisement
At Strayer University, we help students like you go from Will I to why not? For over 130 years we've been innovating higher education to make it more affordable, accessible and attainable so you can reach your goals. Go from thinking can I? To Yes I can and keep striving. Visit strayer.edu to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and its many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
Mochi Health Advertisement
Hi, we're emoji Health, your long term weight loss solution. We'll connect you with a board certified provider to discuss your unique goals. Eligible patients can Access custom formulated GLP1 medications at an affordable fixed price delivered to their door monthly. Take our free eligibility quiz@joinmochi.com and use code AUDIO40 at checkout for $40 off your first month of membership. That's join M O C h-I.com results may vary. Eligible GLP1 patients typically lose 1-2 lb per week in their first six months with Mochi when combined with a healthy lifestyle.
Keith Morrison
The polygrapher said the test showed that Nick Sampson was deceptive when he denied being at Wayne Stark's home. When Wayne was shot, just as he had done with Matt Libers, the polygrapher told Nick his own subconscious body had done the confessing for him.
Detective
Your body's telling me you were there. All the information that's come in through the law enforcement is showing you were there. Your body, you have no way of controlling that. Your body is telling me you were there, but I know I wasn't.
Keith Morrison
Polygraph results in hand, the detectives went back at it. Hard this time.
Detective
We were at the house when he was killed. No, no, your body's telling me otherwise. So we need to get past that. What's going on there? I honest to God was not at this house when they were two.
Keith Morrison
But the investigators did not believe Nick Sampson after all. Matt Lyrus had already told them Nick was there behind the whole thing. Actually, Matt said they planned it all out in the two days or so before the murder. They talked it through on their cell phones. So said the detectives, they knew Nick Sampson was lying, just like the polygrapher said.
Detective
You were there when he was shot. Nobody's arms. He told me that. I was not there. Believe me. You said in the machine, I have to go with my charts. All the years I've been doing that, the charts have been right on. Oh, I wasn't there. That is to swear to God's truth. I was not there. I was nowhere around Murdoch. I want you to understand how the system works. I do understand I'm getting framed for something I didn't even do.
Keith Morrison
But was he? Because the test results from all that physical evidence at the murder scene were beginning to come back. And as was the background check on Nick Sampson. Sampson, all of 21 years old at the time, had a problem with marijuana. As a teenager, he had done two separate stints in boys homes. And while he denied being a marijuana user anymore, remember investigators had found that marijuana pipe at the scene of the crime. Then when detectives visited Nick's grandfather in Murdoch, the old man told them that a month before the murders, nick had borrowed a 12 gauge shotgun from him. That's the same gauge weapon that was used in the murders. Then investigators executed a search warrant at Sampson's home. And among the items seized from under the bed, that very 12 gauge shotgun borrowed from his grandfather. And a pair of blue jeans. Which were examined by CSI chief David Coford's team. Remember Cofode was the big city CSI guy from Omaha who had been brought in to help.
CSI Chief David Coford
We had a pair of pants. It looked like blood on him. We had tested that and that was positive. Now that was the real smoking gun. I mean, you've got him.
Keith Morrison
And there was even more. More evidence. Remember that car apparently seen by the newspaper carrier, parked just a mile from the farmhouse on the night of the murders? The one described as tan or light brown. A sedan that later passed the newspaper carrier going pretty fast, 60 or 70 miles an hour on a gravel road. Well, detectives found it. A 1997 Ford Contour owned, believe it or not, by Nick Sampson's brother. And the car had been cleaned, detailed actually at 5:30 Easter Monday morning. Which was just a few hours after Wayne and Charman Stock were gunned to death. Who details the car at 5:30 in the morning.
CSI Chief David Coford
That's exactly why the detectives thought it was pretty suspicious.
Keith Morrison
So the CSI team searched the car and found nothing. But then CSI Chief Cofode got a call from one of the lead investigators.
CSI Chief David Coford
When Matt confessed, he said they threw the shotgun in the back seat of the Ford Contour. And he said, maybe you can find some, you know, transfer evidence there. Maybe just take another look at it, you know. And I said, well, maybe we missed it.
Keith Morrison
So they examined the car again. And Coford himself, using sterile filter paper, wiped the interior surfaces of the car. And just below the steering wheel on the dashboard, he found it. A stain. And it looked like blood.
CSI Chief David Coford
I just took it along that edge and wiped it because I figured that way I wouldn't miss anything. And it reacted.
Keith Morrison
So you got a hit, though?
CSI Chief David Coford
I got a presumptive positive, yes.
Keith Morrison
And before long, tests confirmed that what the CSI chief found under the dashboard was indeed blood. The blood of Wayne Stock, the victim. And the only way anyone could figure out how it got there was via Matt Livers and Nick Sampson. So there it was. Persistence had paid off. With a confession and some real physical evidence to back it up. The murders of Wayne and Charman Stock had been solved. So it certainly seemed. And of course, around the sheriff's office, they felt pretty good about that. Certainty set in. They'd bet their careers on it now. And the whole apparatus of the law began to relax a little. Except. Except for the one who found. Stumbled on it, really, and overlooked little curiosity. Everyone else missed somehow. It was a ring. A gold ring, just like lying there in the farmhouse, quite unobtrusively, in a place it had no business being. And no one seemed to have any idea who the thing belonged to. Such a mystery. Coming up in future episodes of Murder in the Moonlight. There were three words in the inscription. Two names and three tiny letters. A puzzle. The key to a secret. And the start of a very strange trip. That must have been a shocker to get that information, to have it across your desk.
Detective
A huge shocker that pretty much sends a chill down your spine.
Tammy Stock
Foreign.
Keith Morrison
The moonlight is a production of Dateline and NBC News. Shane Bishop is the producer. Brian Drew, Kelly Laudeen, Bruce Berger, Marshall Housefeld and Candace Goldman are audio editors. Brittany Morris is field producer. Leslie Grossman is program coordinator. Adam Gorfin is co executive producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer, and Liz Cole is senior executive producer from NBC News. Audio sound mixing by Bob Mallory and Katie Lau. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.
Strayer University Advertisement
At Strayer University. We help students like you go from will I to? Why not? For over 130 years, we've been innovating higher education to make it more affordable, accessible and attainable so you can reach your goals. Go from thinking, Can I? To Yes, I can and keep striving. Visit Strayer. Edu to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chevinus. Many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
Dateline Originals: Murder in the Moonlight - Episode 2: Keep Your Enemies Close
Introduction
In the gripping second episode of Dateline Originals titled "Murder in the Moonlight: Keep Your Enemies Close," NBC News delves deeper into the harrowing case surrounding the tragic murders of Wayne and Charman Stock. Released on April 30, 2025, this episode masterfully blends investigative journalism with compelling storytelling to uncover the layers of deceit, familial tension, and relentless pursuit of justice that define this true crime saga.
The Stock Family and the Crime
The episode opens with host Keith Morrison setting the stage by reflecting on the cultural impact of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (00:01-03:24), drawing parallels between the Clutter family's tragedy and that of the Stock family. The Starks, depicted as pillars of their Kansas community—wealthy, successful farmers—were brutally murdered in their farmhouse in 1959 during what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.
The Overwhelming Funeral
In the aftermath of the murders, the Stock family faced immense grief and public scrutiny. The local Methodist church was too small to accommodate the wave of mourners, leading to a funeral held in the Murdoch High School gym, which was packed with over 2,000 attendees (03:24-07:32).
Personal Accounts: Tammy and Steve Stock
Tammy and Steve Stock, the children of the deceased, provide personal insights into the family's dynamics and the impact of the murders:
Initial Investigation and Suspect: Matt Livers
As detectives scoured the crowd for potential suspects, attention soon turned to Matt Livers, a 28-year-old nephew of Wayne and Charman. Unlike his industrious relatives, Matt was considered a black sheep, often seen as lazy and incapable of maintaining steady employment. His strained relationship with the family made him a person of interest (04:22-07:32).
Steve Stock revealed familial frustrations with Matt:
Steve Stock (06:07): "He and dad kind of had a lot of falling outs about him staying with grandma and dad, didn't think he should be, or that he needed to find a job of his own and get out..."
Despite Matt's presence at the Easter dinner, investigators initially found him unconnected to the murders, but suspicions persisted due to his erratic behavior and past conflicts within the family.
The Interrogation Process
Eight days post-murders, Matt Livers was brought in for questioning (07:46-10:31). His initial demeanor was cooperative yet seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation:
Matt Livers (08:24): "Certainly, happy to help. I've never been interviewed by police before."
However, as the interrogation progressed, Matt's evasiveness and inconsistency raised red flags. The detectives employed rigorous questioning techniques, ultimately leading Matt to consent to a polygraph test (09:03-10:37). Contrary to his hopes, Matt failed the polygraph, prompting detectives to intensify their interrogation:
Detective (11:11): "You cannot fool it. I didn't have anything to do with this. You did. I did not. You did. I did not. Bill, you did."
Evidence Against Matt Livers
Detective Chief David Coford introduced critical evidence linking Matt to the murders (27:51-29:46):
Further Investigation: Nick Sampson
Simultaneously, Nick Sampson, a 21-year-old cousin with a troubled past, emerged as an accomplice. Unlike Matt, Nick remained steadfast in his innocence throughout his interrogation, even after failing a polygraph test (21:54-25:40). However, mounting physical evidence began to undermine his denials:
The Breakthrough
Despite Nick's continued denials, Detective Coford's persistence led to the discovery of blood under the dashboard of the Ford Contour (29:05-29:46). This pivotal evidence corroborated Matt’s confession and solidified the detectives' case against both Matt and Nick.
Conclusion and Cliffhanger
With confessions and undeniable physical evidence, the case against Matt Livers and Nick Sampson seemed airtight. However, the episode concludes on a suspenseful note with the discovery of a mysterious gold ring inscribed with three words, two names, and three letters—hinting at a deeper conspiracy and setting the stage for future episodes (30:00-32:24).
Notable Quotes
Closing Thoughts
Episode two of Murder in the Moonlight exemplifies the relentless pursuit of truth in the face of familial discord and deception. Through meticulous investigation and unwavering determination, the detectives unravel the complexities of the Stock murders, only to unearth new mysteries that promise to keep listeners on the edge of their seats.
For those who haven't listened, this episode offers a profound exploration of how personal vendettas and concealed motives can culminate in tragic consequences, all while highlighting the intricate dance between law enforcement and the elusive nature of truth in true crime narratives.