Law & Disorder

Summary

Fear Thy Neighbor – "Law & Disorder" (June 15, 2026)

Host: ID
Location: Stevensville, Maryland

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Episode Overview

“Law & Disorder” delves into the dramatic escalation of neighborly conflict in a seemingly peaceful Maryland community, focusing on the tragic outcome between Mark Zander and his neighbor, former police officer Charles “Pete” Richter. The episode explores how initial neighborly friendliness devolves into years of tension, harassment, legal battles, property sabotage, and ultimately, fatal violence. Through firsthand accounts, interviews, and original 911 calls, the podcast dissects the complexities of how small disputes and inflamed personalities can bring devastation to ordinary lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Stevensville and Emory Circle

• Setting: Stevensville, Maryland, a picturesque, rural community described as "law-abiding" and tightly knit. (03:03)
  • Quote: “Stevensville, Maryland, would be considered a rural area. Typically, law abiding citizens respect the police, respect the law.” – Rob Penney (03:03)
• Community: Large lots promote privacy, with families enjoying communal activities and neighborly rapport.
  • Quote: “We’d have cookouts and… just visit each other back and forth.” – Barbara Sea (04:32)

2. Arrival of Pete and Barbara Richter

• Background: Charles “Pete” Richter (retired Baltimore police officer) and his wife move in, initially welcomed by the neighborhood.
• Early impressions: Pete is described as "boisterous and loud," but his musical background and social demeanor are initially seen as eccentricities rather than warning signs. (05:15)
  • Quote: “Mr. Richter was boisterous and loud and aggressive, but we figured he was just excited.” – Diane Zander (05:15)
  • “We were just hoping to get along and be friends.” – Diane Zander (06:06)

3. First Signs of Trouble: Vandalism & False Accusations

• Incident: The Richter home is vandalized during renovations (06:31). Pete immediately suspects neighbors, particularly Mark Zander, despite lack of evidence.
  • Quote: “He practically admitted that he and his buddy did it.” – Pete Richter (07:13)
  • “He had accused all the neighbors... I mean you just don’t do that.” – Barbara Sea (08:10)
• Aftermath: Pete's distrust grows, cataloging perceived slights, escalating interpersonal conflict, and continually pressing authorities, who find no proof. (08:38)

4. Rules, Covenant Disputes & Power Struggles

• Tractor Trailer Tensions: Pete targets a neighbor who parks a tractor trailer at home, escalating to enforcing neighborhood covenants. (09:23–10:11)
  • Quote: “You’re either with me or you’re against me. And if you’re against me, I will make your life hell.” – Pete Richter, as relayed by Diane Zander (10:11)
• Theme: Pete seeks authority, pressuring compliance and reporting minor infractions.

5. Harassment & Courtroom Battles

• Pattern of Intimidation:
  • Macing neighbor Linda Austin's dog after ongoing complaints about barking (13:38–15:40).
    • Quote: “What kind of bully are you, macing a dog?” – Linda Austin via Diane Zander (14:47)
  • Constant surveillance and video-taping of neighbors. (15:17)
  • Suing neighbors over property line stakes, basketball noise, and other grievances.
• Legal Escalation: Repeated court cases initiated by Richter, often thrown out or minimally settled. (18:16–18:38)
  • Quote: “He certainly wanted everything prosecuted. He enjoyed being in court. He enjoyed the adversarial nature of litigation.” – Lance Richardson (18:38)
• Winner-takes-all mentality: Richter escalates when criticized or unsupported, threatening violence.
  • Quote: “Richter once said, ‘Bullets will fly and people will die and I’ll take my neighbors down with me.’” – Barbara Sea (24:00)

6. Escalation to Violence: Property Damage and Psychological Warfare

• Intimidation Tactics:
  • High beam headlights into neighbors’ bedrooms at night (19:06–19:34).
  • Accusations of vandalism and distributing slanderous flyers after Zander's house burns (29:44).
    • Quote: “‘Hey Mark, you got what you deserve.’” – Pete Richter (29:10)
• Physical Endangerment:
  • Both Zander and Sea families lose homes to fires, both declared mulch fires, but suspicions linger due to mysterious circumstances. (29:32–30:31)

7. The Fatal Confrontation

• Lead-Up:
  • Repeated provocations involve Mark's dog, Lena, and fabricated claims of attacks. (31:07–33:19)
  • Use of a dog whistle by Pete to lure Lena, escalating tension and fear. (32:59)
• Protective Actions:
  • Zander family obtains a peace order against Richter, but he continues harassment with gestures, taunts, and threats at the property line. (34:03–34:21)
• Shooting:
  • On April 3, 2011, after using a whistle to bring Lena onto his property, Richter confronts Mark Zander, shooting him fatally in the back as he tries to retrieve his dog. (34:40–36:06)
    • Quote: “He just turned around and walked away. And that’s when Richter shot him in the back.” – Diane Zander (41:05)

8. Investigation & Verdict

• Richter’s Defense:
  • Claims self-defense and attempts to paint himself as the victim on the 911 recording. (36:27–36:46)
  • Police and prosecutors find inconsistencies, lack of evidence for a struggle, and ample evidence of Richter’s premeditated obsession.
    • Quote: “It was obvious to us that Pete shot this man in cold blood and then tried to come up with... a self-defense fabricated story to save himself.” – Lance Richardson (39:56)
• Conviction:
  • Jury finds Richter guilty of second-degree murder and additional firearm charges; sentenced to 25 years. (41:24–41:32)

9. Aftermath & Advocacy

• Community Support:
  • The tragedy rallies the neighborhood together; Mark Zander’s family receives an outpouring of support. (41:53)
    • Quote: “It made me realize there’s far more love... than there is evil.” – Christopher Zander (41:53)
• Diane Zander’s Legacy:
  • She pushes for “Mark’s Law" to ensure gun permit holders cannot regain licenses after revocation. (42:18)
    • Quote: “I want so badly to try and prevent the pain my family and friends have carried... from happening to another family or another neighborhood.” – Diane Zander (42:18)
• Reflection on Community and Loss:
  • Enduring grief and changes, but a sense of resilience and honor for Mark’s memory.
    • Quote: “We did. Raised two wonderful human beings... My beautiful grandson Caleb was born in 2018... he is everything.” – Diane Zander (46:46)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “You’re either with me or you’re against me. And if you’re against me, I will make your life hell.” – Pete Richter via Diane Zander (10:11)
• “Richter once said, ‘Bullets will fly and people will die and I’ll take my neighbors down with me.’” – Barbara Sea (24:00)
• “Hey Mark, you got what you deserve.” – Charles 'Pete' Richter (29:10)
• “He just turned around and walked away. And that’s when Richter shot him in the back.” – Diane Zander (41:05)
• “It made me realize there’s far more love in the world and support than there is evil.” – Christopher Zander (41:53)
• “I want so badly to try and prevent the pain... from happening to another family or another neighborhood.” – Diane Zander (42:18)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Community Introduction: 03:03–04:43
• Richters Move In: 05:15–06:06
• Vandalism & Accusations: 06:31–08:38
• Tractor Trailer Dispute/Covenant Arguments: 09:23–10:47
• Mace Incident & Escalating Legal Battles: 13:38–18:46
• Fire & Slanderous Flyers: 28:31–30:44
• Dog Conflict & Fatal Shooting: 31:07–36:17
• 911 Call & Investigation: 36:27–41:14
• Legal Verdict & Aftermath: 41:24–42:36

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Recurring Themes & Takeaways

• How Quickly Trust Erodes: Peaceful neighborhoods can be upended by just one hostile, obsessive individual.
• Limits of Legal Intervention: Courts and authorities are often ill-equipped or unable to prevent escalation before tragedy.
• Resilience and Advocacy: Even after years of harassment and the ultimate loss, families and communities can channel grief into positive change.

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Final Words

This episode is a haunting testament to how persistent neighborly disputes, stoked by controlling and aggressive personalities, can result in devastating consequences even in the most idyllic settings. Through firsthand accounts, legal insight, and chilling 911 calls, “Law & Disorder” reminds listeners that real horror sometimes lives next door — and stresses the importance of early intervention and legislative reform to protect communities.

Transcript

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[Narrator / Host]

Most violent crimes that capture the public's imagination are about serial killers, mass shooters, or crimes of passion. Yet some of the most shocking conflicts we encounter are between everyday neighbors and ordinary neighborhoods. What makes a good neighbor go bad? We may never truly know, but heed this warning about the terrible things that can happen when even the pettiest disagreements pass the point of no return. We're in Maryland, in a lovely Chesapeake enclave with big properties and bigger hearted residents. A family who settled here years ago is happy to welcome the neighborhood's newest couple, and it doesn't hurt to learn the man of the house is a former police officer. Unfortunately, this former officer keeps the neighborhood on edge, with residents feeling more vulnerable and unprotected than before. Minor breaches are cataloged and reported, and bullying behavior becomes the order of the day every day. Once the point of no return is reached, lies will be told and tragedy will course through the once happy neighborhood for years to come. This is fear thy neighbor, Law and disorder. Stevensville, Maryland A friendly community situated just off the Chesapeake Bay offers a beautiful, rustic way of life. Rob Penney, chief of staff for the Queen Anne's County State's Attorney describes the place.

[Rob Penney]

Stevensville, Maryland, would be considered a rural area. Typically, law abiding citizens respect the police, respect the law.

[Narrator / Host]

Within Stevensville, Emory Circle is a cherished cul de sac neighborhood. Barbara Sea is a longtime resident.

[Barbara Sea]

All the lots are at least like acre, 2 acres, 3 acres, so you're not really shoved up against each other. And it's a real, very nice community. Everybody gets along great. We like the area and we like the lot, and we thought it would be a nice place to live and for our kids.

[Narrator / Host]

Barbara's neighbors, Mark and Diane Zander, put roots down in Emory Circle seven years ago with their sons Chris and Jason, and the family dog, Lena. Here's Diane.

[Diane Zander]

In 1990, we had our home built and we moved there, and we were so proud. We knew each other from high school, and I always had a crush on that man. Actually, Mark offered to fix my car for me, and it was all uphill from there, and we were very, very happy.

[Narrator / Host]

Diane is the assistant vice president at a local bank. Mark runs his own auto detailing business. Their son Christopher agrees that Emory Circle is a great place to grow up. Here he is now.

[Christopher Zander]

Everybody that we lived around were, you know, fabulous people. You know, it was a very, like, peaceful place, for sure, a friendly place.

[Barbara Sea]

We'd have cookouts and, you know, just visit each other back and forth.

[Narrator / Host]

And now the cherished neighborhood is about to gain some new members. On the lot right next to Mark and Diane.

[Diane Zander]

They pulled up and Mark and I said, you know, we should go over and say hi.

[Narrator / Host]

Where are your neighbors?

[Diane Zander]

Next door.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Nice meeting you, Charles, but everyone calls

[Narrator / Host]

me Pete, and I'm Barbara, his better half. Charles Richter, AKA Pete, is a former Baltimore police officer now working as a security guard. His wife, also named Barbara, is a baker with two grown children. Out of the nest, the couple are renovating their new place to make it their retirement home.

[Diane Zander]

Mr. Richter was boisterous and loud and aggressive, but we figured he was just excited.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

I'll tell you, you know what? We're really looking forward to spending our retirement year somewhere really nice and peaceful.

[Diane Zander]

He told us that he worked at night, and Mark and I looked at

[Mark Zander]

each other just letting you know. Our son Christopher likes to play the

[Narrator / Host]

drums, and our son Jason really likes to play the guitar. But please let us know if it's an issue.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Your sons are musicians. So am I. I like to play, play a little piano, sing a little bit.

[Diane Zander]

He talked to us about the fact that he had friends that would gather and play music.

[Barbara Sea]

He did play music sometimes for senior Citizens.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

I'm liking this place already.

[Mark Zander]

We're having a barbecue. All the other neighbors are going to be there.

[Narrator / Host]

Yeah, come. It's at 6 o'.

[Angie Hicks]

Clock.

[Narrator / Host]

We'd love to have you there.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Oh, we'd love to.

[Narrator / Host]

Great. See you there.

[Diane Zander]

We were just hoping to get along and be friends. They were our next door neighbors and we just needed to get along.

[Narrator / Host]

Relations between everyone start off as well as could be hoped for. The renovations on Pete and Barbara Richter's home are likewise going smoothly. Until one day they come home to a disturbing discovery. Oh my God.

[Diane Zander]

The Richter's home was vandalized.

[Narrator / Host]

Who would do such a thing?

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Oh my God.

[Lance Richardson]

I'll take care of things.

[Narrator / Host]

Police are summoned. They question Mark and Diane.

[Christopher Zander]

Did you see anyone near the Richters house lately?

[Mark Zander]

Me and a friend went over there the other day to look around, but we didn't see anyone.

[Narrator / Host]

Yeah, that's right.

[Diane Zander]

My husband and another neighbor, being curious, not up to anything malicious, walked over and peeked in their porch window and just to see what the layout was looking like.

[Narrator / Host]

But Pete, upon hearing that Mark had ventured over for a look at his construction, jumps to an alarming conclusion.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

He practically admitted that he and his buddy did it.

[Rob Penney]

Sir, take him in.

[Diane Zander]

From that escalated the fact that from Richter that clearly we were guilty.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Aren't you at least going to bring him in for questioning?

[Christopher Zander]

We'll let you know if we turn up any leads.

[Narrator / Host]

This response is nowhere near good enough for Pete, recalls Rob Penny.

[Rob Penney]

Pete claimed that the officers either didn't do a good job or tried to destroy evidence so they didn't have to do a good job. And I think he would accuse the police of looking the other way to that crime.

[Narrator / Host]

Chris Schwink is an investigating officer familiar with the incident.

[Chris Schwink]

I know nobody was ever charged with the burglary and I think that's what set Pete Richter over the edge.

[Narrator / Host]

And as Diane explains, Pete refuses to let the incident go.

[Diane Zander]

Mr. Richter would not leave the vandalism alone. He didn't understand the word no and so he just kept on and on and on.

[Barbara Sea]

He had accused all the neighbors of that. And I mean that didn't make sense. I mean you just don't do that. I mean it was ridiculous.

[Diane Zander]

When you're not guilty of something, when you're innocent and you're being targeted, after a while it does get upsetting.

[Narrator / Host]

The community is rattled by Pete Richter's quick descent into animosity and unfounded allegations. Yet Mark and Diane are determined to keep the peace on the street. They've Called home for years.

[Diane Zander]

Most of us just thought it would calm down and we would give it a try. You have to work sometimes at relationships. But it never calmed down. It only escalated.

[Narrator / Host]

Whoever vandalized Pete's house has gotten away with it. So now he keeps a close watch for anything that crosses the line.

[Diane Zander]

One of our neighbors drove a tractor trailer for a living. That was his livelihood. That's what he did. And on the weekends, he would sometimes bring the trailer home. It wasn't the prettiest sight to look at as you're sitting on your front porch. We all agreed to that and we talked about it. But he didn't have any place else to park it on the weekends. As long as it was only there

[Barbara Sea]

a little bit of time, you know, just for an overnight or something. Wasn't bad yet.

[Narrator / Host]

Pete's not putting up with this eyesore.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

It's been out there for days. Makes the whole street look like a garbage dump. We should get it towed away.

[Mark Zander]

Whoa, take it easy, Pete. Trailer belongs to one of our neighbors here.

[Narrator / Host]

But Pete makes a fair point. The residents of Emory Circle have agreed to abide by a set of covenants, explains neighbor Barbara Saya.

[Barbara Sea]

The covenants are like, the house has to be a certain size. You can't have extra buildings on your property, that kind of thing.

[Diane Zander]

It was done so to keep the neighborhood nice.

[Narrator / Host]

But Diane and Mark don't want to make life more difficult for their neighbors. Much to Pete's chagrin, they refused to side with him and his mounting campaign to remove the tractor trailer.

[Diane Zander]

When we wouldn't side with him for him, that was defiance. And he looked right at me and said, you're either with me or you're against me. And if you're against me, I will make your life hell.

[Mark Zander]

Clear down, Pete. Things will sort themselves out.

[Narrator / Host]

But Pete isn't about to let things sort out on their own.

[Diane Zander]

Richter had the county come and post a sign that said you couldn't park in excess of so many. And it made it harder for this man that was, you know, trying to earn a living for his family.

[Barbara Sea]

I guess he thought he was going to be the boss of everybody.

[Narrator / Host]

As Pete tries to lay down the law, things will only go from bad to worse in the tight knit community.

[Rob Penney]

If you were on board with Pete, hey, it was great. But if you weren't on board with Pete, there was going to be hell to pay.

[Narrator / Host]

From a neighbor standpoint, Emory Circle is an attractive place because of the wide open lots of yet for Pete, Richter, his neighbors, and especially their dogs are still too close for comfort.

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[Narrator / Host]

Linda Austin's property runs behind Pete's house, and as neighbor Barbara Sea explains, Pete begins to turn his ire towards her.

[Barbara Sea]

And so he started picking on her. And he said he didn't like dogs.

[Narrator / Host]

Mark Zander claims to witness a troubling event involving Pete and Linda's pets.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Get away. Leave me alone.

[Diane Zander]

Were the dogs barking? Sure. But those dogs were fenced in. They weren't in a position to jump the fence.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Leave me alone. Go.

[Narrator / Host]

According to Mark, Pete pulls out a spray can.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Eat this.

[Narrator / Host]

To subdue one of the dogs. Max.

[Mark Zander]

Hey.

[Diane Zander]

He was standing there shooting this can at her dog. And Mark observed this.

[Mark Zander]

Stop that.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

What?

[Narrator / Host]

Mark and Diane have already decided as much as possible not to escalate things with Pete directly. But Mark needs to let Linda know what he saw.

[Diane Zander]

Mark thought that it had to be mace, so he wrote a note and put it in our neighbor's mailbox to let her know when she came home what he observed so that she would have some idea of what might have happened to her dog.

[Narrator / Host]

And Linda wastes no time putting Pete in his place.

[Diane Zander]

What kind of bully are you macing a dog? Linda? She's a strong willed individual. She was furious. I'm pressing charges of animal cruelty.

[Mark Zander]

I told her what you did.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Your dog was barking and bothering me. You need to get it under control.

[Diane Zander]

You could have blinded Max.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Both of you off my property.

[Barbara Sea]

Now, I don't know if it's because he thought from he had been in the city as a police officer, he could be the boss or do whatever he wanted.

[Narrator / Host]

Then Pete pulls out a video camera and begins filming the altercation.

[Barbara Sea]

He always had a camera. He would hold it up, looking all the time to see what you were doing. He was always wanting to take pictures.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

I've got you both on camera as trespassing. Now I advise you to leave before I call the police.

[Diane Zander]

This isn't over. I'm going to charge you over what you did to my dog.

[Narrator / Host]

Linda makes good on her threat, but in court, Pete that he used mace against her canine.

[Diane Zander]

I know that. They ended up in court over that and Mark was subpoenaed. But unfortunately, since he couldn't read the labeling on the can, the case was thrown out. Richter was never charged with anything. As time went on, he'd make comments to us about how he was the rooster on his block in Baltimore, and he would be the rooster in Emory's circle.

[Narrator / Host]

In this ongoing dispute, property lines turn into battle lines. As Mark and Diane's son Christopher and State Attorney Lance Richardson explain, there's one activity in particular that Pete dislikes.

[Christopher Zander]

My brother and his friends were playing basketball.

[Lance Richardson]

He disliked the boys because they played basketball. He didn't like the sound of a ball dribbling.

[Diane Zander]

The basketball hoop was very close to their property line. And so he would stand there with a video camera and wait for the ball to trespass onto his property. And the Richters just couldn't wait. For that ball to go over there,

[Narrator / Host]

it's just a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

[Christopher Zander]

The basketball, like, missed the basket and rolled over into his yard.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

That's it. Hey, you bozos. Tiny. Making noise and acting like you own the street.

[Diane Zander]

Richter was harassing the kids. So I went out there.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Anything that comes onto my property belongs to me.

[Lance Richardson]

He would say, you're trespassing. If you tried to retrieve the ball.

[Narrator / Host]

Hey, why don't you leave him alone and stop being such a grouch?

[Diane Zander]

And I said, if the ball goes on his property and he feels the need to keep it, have at it, but let the kids just play ball.

[Lance Richardson]

He would try to overwhelm people with his personality. And if you stood up to him, he didn't like it.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Get out of here.

[Diane Zander]

We really thought if we didn't engage in conversation with this man, that eventually he would just leave us alone, that he would give up, that he would stop. But he never did.

[Narrator / Host]

Day in and day out, Pete uses his video camera to keep watch on his property line with the Zanders.

[Lance Richardson]

He was on a large lot, and for some reason, that seemed to incite him to be more territorial.

[Christopher Zander]

Mr. Richter had put up, like, stakes marking the property lines, and I think one of them was, like, in my father's way. And he just, like, picked it up and, like, threw it for Pete.

[Narrator / Host]

This is just one more bad neighbor breaking the rules, and he won't take it lying down.

[Christopher Zander]

Pete thought that it was me, and so he sued me, took me to court, and that one basically got thrown out because the judge was like, this obviously wasn't me that was on that video.

[Diane Zander]

The sad thing is, it wasn't just our family. There were other neighbors that were also taken to court. So it seemed like Richter was in court all the time.

[Lance Richardson]

He certainly wanted everything prosecuted. He enjoyed being in court. He enjoyed the adversarial nature of litigation.

[Narrator / Host]

Rob Penny, chief of staff for the county estate's attorney, concurs.

[Rob Penney]

And I think that also fueled Mr. Richter's fire and just continued to agitate and agitate this situation.

[Narrator / Host]

Agitating situations seems to be what Pete Richter does best.

[Diane Zander]

As a security guard, he worked at night, and so he would sit in his car 10, 15 minutes before he had to leave, and he would just shine his high beams at our home and our bedroom window, unfortunately, faced in that direction.

[Christopher Zander]

It went on for months and months.

[Narrator / Host]

Pull the curtains, ignore them, come back to bed.

[Diane Zander]

And then he would go to the other neighbors, and he would sit in front of their driveway, and we'd come

[Barbara Sea]

down to our house and he'd shine the lights on our house. And I called the police and they said, well, there's nothing we can do. He hasn't done anything. And I said, but it's like he's trying to intimidate everybody. I guess you can do whatever you want until somebody gets hurt.

[Narrator / Host]

Once again, the Zanders opt to suffer through the harassment in silence.

[Diane Zander]

What do we need to do to keep him from hating us so badly? We weren't trying to annoy him, but nothing was working.

[Barbara Sea]

It was just constant tension. It was just like unreal.

[Narrator / Host]

Every little thing triggers another explosion across the property line. This time it's Christopher and Jason Zander making music in the garage.

[Diane Zander]

Granted, my son did play and granted you could hear him from the garage even though he kept the garage door shut. And unfortunately our garage door faced their property line.

[Christopher Zander]

He heard me playing drums and he was very angry about that. He wanted my parents to soundproof the garage, which they didn't have the money for.

[Narrator / Host]

He'll stop soon. Don't make a fuss, Pete. Don't come back.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Open up.

[Christopher Zander]

I think I was overwhelmed by how angry he seemed. You could actually just see it in his face.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Tired of this racket, I offered to insulate this place for your parents and they still didn't do nothing.

[Diane Zander]

It scared Jason. So he called me.

[Narrator / Host]

Hello?

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Hey, Mom.

[Diane Zander]

And said that Richter was there with his finger in our son Chris's face about the drums.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Richter.

[Narrator / Host]

She was talking to Krister. What? What? No, no, no. Put Richter on.

[Christopher Zander]

My mom wants to talk to you.

[Diane Zander]

And I told Richter, we can talk about this if you'd like when Mark and I come home. But you are to leave my property immediately and you are to never come and approach my sons unless I'm home.

[Narrator / Host]

You leave my boys alone right now. Do we understand each other?

[Diane Zander]

The boy said he was clearly vividly perturbed and angry with me.

[Narrator / Host]

State's Attorney Lance Richardson recounts how Pete Richter wouldn't let the incident go.

[Lance Richardson]

Mr. Richter did actually sue his neighbors civilly over the exander young boy playing the drums. They had a week long jury trial.

[Diane Zander]

Mr. Richter was suing for over $40,000. And the jury found us in violation of a noise ordinance and awarded Richter $5,000. But in the end, the judge decided that my son could still play the drums. He just had to do it within a specific amount of time.

[Lance Richardson]

I think ultimately the family across the board tried not to engage this man, tried not to provoke him in any way, shape or form. They wanted to live their lives, but it was very difficult because he was so venomous.

[Narrator / Host]

Investigator Chris Schwink supports this assessment.

[Chris Schwink]

It got to the point where if Mark was cutting the trees and came around, Richter would scream at him for being on his property and just a

[Rob Penney]

constant agitated state that Pete laid in, as usual.

[Narrator / Host]

It's not just the Zander suffering the consequences of Pete's obsessions. Barbara Sea should know.

[Barbara Sea]

My one son had a dune buggy. It didn't have tags, but I mean he was just trying it out in our yard and then he went out into the circle. Not on the highway or anything, but we ended up in court over that and it was so ridiculous he saw you on the roads with doo tags.

[Lance Richardson]

I do believe Mr. Richter charged most of his neighbors at one time or another with something, whether it was a civil violation, an animal violation, allegations of not keeping their yard properly maintained. Whatever he could find, he pursued.

[Narrator / Host]

As the battle between neighbors continues, many in the neighborhood start to see Pete as a constant menacing presence. But avoiding the former cop is next to impossible. And things are only going to escalate from here.

[Barbara Sea]

Richter once said, bullets will fly and people will die and I'll take my neighbors down with me.

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[Narrator / Host]

Charles Pete Richter is alienating and intimidating everyone in Emory's circle in Steven, Maryland, especially his next door neighbors, Mark and Diane Zander and their family investigator Chris Schwink. Diane and neighbor Barbara Sea describe life on the street getting intolerably stressful.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Lovely day, isn't it, Mark?

[Chris Schwink]

He would entice people into conversations and then start recording them, trying to provoke them to do something to him.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

How's your pig of a wife today?

[Diane Zander]

He would make it a point to call me names. He would do stuff like that, hoping to get a rise out of Mark. He was hoping that Mark would just fly off and come after him. But Mark never did.

[Narrator / Host]

In this tense environment, Pete is on constant alert for any threat.

[Barbara Sea]

He said somebody threw nails on his

[Narrator / Host]

driveway, just like when his house was vandalized. Pete believes the Zanders are responsible.

[Barbara Sea]

That didn't even make sense. I think it was more like maybe construction or something. Maybe they dropped a box of nails or something. I just don't believe anybody did that.

[Narrator / Host]

Pete calls the police, but is foiled yet again. Chief of staff for Queens County State Attorney's office Rob Penney and his colleague, attorney Lance Richardson, weigh in.

[Rob Penney]

And Mr. Richter, I think, just got to the point where he felt as though his repetitive complaints were met with deaf ears, when in reality, you know, the matters were looked into. It's just that the evidence didn't support his claims.

[Lance Richardson]

So he'd come in with his video camera alleging corruption, wanting to know why I wasn't prosecuting these cases. And I'd have to tell him, Mr. Richter, turn your camera off. I'll talk to you civilly, but I don't need to be recorded. Every time we have a meeting or a conversation, he would harass my staff. Ultimately, I had to tell him, you need to get out of my office. You're being disruptive. This is nonsense. I saw him as a narcissist, kind of antisocial personality and a sociopath.

[Narrator / Host]

In 2001, the simmering hostilities rise To a whole new level, says Christopher Zander.

[Christopher Zander]

A neighbor knocked on the door and my father was the one who answered.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Mark, you have to get out of there.

[Narrator / Host]

Your house is on fire.

[Mark Zander]

What? Oh, my God.

[Narrator / Host]

Diane. Firefighters are unable to save the burning residents.

[Christopher Zander]

I was at work at the time, actually, and somebody told me that my family's home had burnt down. And I was just in shock.

[Barbara Sea]

It was so fast and it started like at the top, and the whole house, you know, it was just burned.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Hey, Mark, you got what you deserve.

[Diane Zander]

You would think that one would have compassion for a family that just lost everything they owned. But he was just so hateful.

[Lance Richardson]

The fire marshal investigated, but they couldn't determine the point of origin.

[Diane Zander]

Ultimately, the investigation, the fire marshal closed it as a mulch fire.

[Lance Richardson]

It was a mysterious fire. I don't know how mulch would spontaneously combust, so that was suspicious.

[Narrator / Host]

After the blaze, a bizarre rumor is spread through the neighborhood.

[Rob Penney]

There were flyers that were put into members of the cul de sacs mailboxes that the allegation was that the Xander's house burnt down because they had a meth lab in the basement. And there was always the belief that Pete Richter was the person behind those flyers being distributed.

[Diane Zander]

Just another lie, another way for him to twist the truth and try to proceed with making us look bad. And he put those flyers everywhere.

[Narrator / Host]

There's no proof Richter was responsible for the fire or the flyer. But soon after, in a strange, strange coincidence, Barbara Sea's house also catches fire. But her family is luckier than the Zanders.

[Barbara Sea]

The next door neighbor got the fire under control before the fire department got there or our house would have burned.

[Narrator / Host]

Once again, it's deemed a mulch fire and no one has any hard evidence to prove otherwise.

[Diane Zander]

After the house fire, we entertained moving, but we couldn't find anything and we missed our neighbors. In hindsight, I wished we would have moved. A few of the other neighbors did move, but we loved our home. Our children practically grew up there. And we loved the neighbors that did stay, so we didn't move.

[Narrator / Host]

It takes six months for the home to be rebuilt. No sooner have the Zanders returned to live in it when neighbor Pete Richter unleashes new provocations. Now using the Zander family dog, my

[Christopher Zander]

father saw that Lena was gone and then went looking for Lena.

[Mark Zander]

Lena.

[Diane Zander]

That particular day, I can't remember why the dog went over there, but I believe she was in chase with a rabbit.

[Mark Zander]

Where are you?

[Narrator / Host]

Mark realizes Lena is barking from inside pete's garage.

[Mark Zander]

Pete.

[Diane Zander]

Mr. Richter grabbed it dog. He chained her, and then he called animal control.

[Mark Zander]

Hey, Pete. What's the matter with you? Let my dog out of there.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Your dog attacked my wife. He could have killed her.

[Narrator / Host]

According to Pete, when he and his wife returned home from an outing, Lena bolted onto their property.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Get away from her, you damn butt.

[Diane Zander]

Go.

[Narrator / Host]

Come here.

[Lance Richardson]

Mr. Richter claimed his neighbor's dog attacked his wife and bloodied her nose.

[Narrator / Host]

But his claim quickly falls apart when

[Diane Zander]

animal control went over. She had a bloody nose. Animal Control asked her if she was okay. She said, yes, I'm fine. I just had some sinus surgery done.

[Lance Richardson]

Their stories were conflicting. On scene, we could tell he was fabricating these allegations that the neighbor's dog had attacked her.

[Diane Zander]

We had to go to court for it. And the end result of that was I was told to be more careful with the dog. And that never pleased Richter because he wanted something serious to happen. He wanted us to be, you know, mandated to chain our dogs.

[Narrator / Host]

Diane is about to learn that her neighbor can teach an old dog new tricks.

[Lance Richardson]

Marky Zander, a had special whistle that he used to call his dog. Mr. Richter learned that whistle, learned to mock that whistle, would try to get the dog to come onto his property.

[Diane Zander]

And she went to the whistle.

[Narrator / Host]

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Lena, that's not Mark. And now there's something even more disturbing to worry about.

[Diane Zander]

Mr. Richter carried a.22 caliber Derringer, and he made us aware of that on numerous occasions. I believe Richter targeted Mark the most because he didn't carry a weapon. The other neighbors, they all had weapons. Mark and I, we never believed in weapons. Mark didn't hunt. And of course, we were an easy target because we were right next door.

[Mark Zander]

Maybe we should have a gun, too.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

No, no.

[Mark Zander]

For protection.

[Narrator / Host]

No, no, no. That's not the answer. I know what to do. Diane turns to the courts to keep her neighbor at a safe distance.

[Diane Zander]

We obtained a no trespassing order for him.

[Lance Richardson]

Peace order was to keep him off her property, keep him from contacting her, harassing her, speaking to her.

[Narrator / Host]

But the peace order won't work if both parties don't follow the rules.

[Diane Zander]

He'd still come to that property line and make hand gestures and start, you know, calling names and, hey, Xander, I

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

want you, your damn dog, your family on that side of the property. You try going over here. It'll be the last time.

[Narrator / Host]

No property line or court demand will stop this ticking time bomb. And the madness comes to a head. On April 3, 2011, Mark came home.

[Diane Zander]

He gave me a kiss. He told Me, he was going to go trim the hedges that we had in the back. And I said okay. And that was it. He left. And of course the dog followed him.

[Narrator / Host]

Investigator Chris Schwink helps tell the story.

[Chris Schwink]

And then at that point sometime Richter imitated the dog whistle and the dog ran across the property.

[Mark Zander]

Lena, where are you going?

[Christopher Zander]

He was well aware that Pete would bait her. You know, this had happened before.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Your damn dog's been on my property again. Mark.

[Chris Schwink]

Mark came over to try to get the dog. That's when they got into the confrontation.

[Diane Zander]

You know, it's odd because when I was in the kitchen starting dinner, something told me to take Mark a beer or check on him or let him know that we were going to eat dinner. Early that night, out of nowhere, the police officers were everywhere. The fire truck. Ma', am, this has been an incident.

[Adam Grant]

It's involving your husband.

[Narrator / Host]

What?

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

What?

[Diane Zander]

And that's when I noticed Mark laying in the front yard.

[Rob Penney]

Mark Zander had been shot.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Mark.

[Diane Zander]

And I screamed, you let me go. That's my husband.

[Narrator / Host]

Emergency crews worked desperately to save Mark's life.

[Diane Zander]

I could tell by their actions that it was horribly, horribly going wrong.

[Chris Schwink]

They loaded him into the ambulance, took off up the road.

[Diane Zander]

Jason and I went to the hospital. And that's when we were immediately told that we had lost Mark. That he didn't make it, that he was gone.

[Narrator / Host]

The man who shot and killed Mark Zander is next door neighbor, Pete Richter. And it's he who called 911 to report it. This is the actual recording.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Queen 911 location. Emergency. Send a police. Tell me exactly what's going on. My neighbor just come in my house, attacked me and I. I shot him with a.22. The guy that you shot, is he hurt? He. He. He ran out of here. Send the police. Man, I'm out of breath. This fighting with this guy.

[Narrator / Host]

Authorities arrived to see that Pete has set up his video camera to record in his garage.

[Chris Schwink]

Richter was sitting on a stool. He was spinning the gun around his finger. Just sitting there, kind of nonchalantly spinning the pistol.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Hands up where I can see them. Keep them up. Keep your hands up where I can see.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Damn, man.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

You calm down.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Calm down.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Stand up.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Turn around.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. Turn around. Help us.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

What happened, man? That guy came into my house here and jumped me.

[Narrator / Host]

Rob Penny tells us. Pete's version is that Mark's dog trespassed onto his property.

[Rob Penney]

He then claims that he is bringing the dog back to the garage as he's done in the past to phone animal control.

[Chris Schwink]

So Mark, according to Pete, went to get the dog, got into a fight with him in the garage.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

What the hell are you doing with my dog?

[Rob Penney]

He's tying this dog up in his garage and he's now attacked from behind by Mr. Zander.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Sick of your crap.

[Narrator / Host]

This ends now.

[Lance Richardson]

Pete Richter claimed that he was trying to shoot Mark Exander in the butt. That's what he said.

[Chris Schwink]

According to Richter, Mark took off running across the the yard, made it through the tree line and collapsed.

[Rob Penney]

And look, let's face it, if Mr. Richter is attacked in his home, he has a right to protect his home, his property, his family. And maybe the shooting is justified.

[Narrator / Host]

More actual audio reveals Pete making his case to law enforcement.

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

Man came in my garage and attacked me, okay? And had a struggle, okay? So he's trying to hurt me. We're fighting. He's broke my hammer, okay?

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

What are you guys fighting about?

[911 Operator / Emergency Caller]

This has been going on for 13 years, okay? He should come in my house and attack.

[Chris Schwink]

Pete was very calm, unaffected by anything he said. It had just happened. He was very nonchalant. Act as if nothing happened. I know if I just shot somebody I'd be a little hysterical about it but. But it didn't seem to faze him at all.

[Narrator / Host]

Attorney Lance Richardson and Rob Penny outline results from the search of Pete's residence.

[Lance Richardson]

They found lots of ammunition. He had all these videos of the neighbors which showed he was obsessive. The most telling thing though was that we found a picture of the Exanders burned house.

[Rob Penney]

The top of that had written on that photograph like the Lord works in mysterious ways. And at the bottom said what goes around comes around.

[Lance Richardson]

That shows you that he relished the fact that their house burned down.

[Narrator / Host]

Pete Richter's framing of the events is soon refuted. There is no blood or any signs of struggle in the garage. Mark could not have been shot there as Pete argued. It's concluded that he was struck in the back on his property.

[Lance Richardson]

The medical examiner and the other forensic investigator didn't believe that Mark Exander could have traveled very far with injuries like this. That defied Pete Richter's theory that Mark Exander ran all the way from his garage back into his own yard. He couldn't have gone that far. I mean it was obvious to us that Pete shot this man in cold blood and then tried to come up with his best self defense fabricated story to save himself.

[Diane Zander]

I do believe that Pete, when he came home that day, he saw an opportunity because he saw Mark trimming the hedges. And he did what he had done in the past. He baited our dog.

[Mark Zander]

Lena, where are you going?

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Your damn dog's on my property again. And you're trespassing on my property.

[Mark Zander]

Now give me my dog back right now.

[Charles 'Pete' Richter]

Are you threatening me?

[Diane Zander]

Richter was standing there and said something to Mark, hoping that Mark would approach him and come into his garage. But Mark didn't.

[Mark Zander]

I'm calling the cops. Let's go, Lena.

[Diane Zander]

He just turned around and walked away. And that's when Richter shot him in the back.

[Narrator / Host]

To increase the chances of conviction, prosecutors charged with with both first and second degree murder and with the use of a firearm in the commission of an act of violence.

[Diane Zander]

Thank God the jury saw through him. It didn't take the jury long to find him guilty of second degree murder.

[Rob Penney]

Mr. Richter was sentenced to 20 years in prison and then consecutively five years for the use of the handgun in the commission of the felony.

[Narrator / Host]

The Zander family and friends take some comfort from the decision. All continue to mourn Mark's tragic death. Says his son Christopher.

[Christopher Zander]

It was pretty incredible how the community came together and supported my family and showed their respects to my father. It made me realize that there's far more love in the world and support than there is evil.

[Narrator / Host]

In honor of her husband, Diane is working to get Mark's Law passed in the Maryland state legislature. Under this provision, gun owners would not be allowed to regain a gun permit if it had been revoked.

[Diane Zander]

I want so badly to try and prevent the pain my family and friends have carried for almost 10 years from happening to another family or another neighborhood. I deeply feel when Mark's Law is passed, others will be spared the pain that we have seen.

[Barbara Sea]

I think in the beginning, everything was so numb. Some people have moved away and a lot of things have changed, but we're still there and Diane's still there.

[Diane Zander]

I met my husband when I was just 18. What the heck do you know? At 18? But we managed to stay happily married up until he was murdered and had two wonderful boys. We used to tease each other and say if we didn't do anything else right? We did. Raised two wonderful human beings. My beautiful grandson Caleb was born in 2018. And so I retired. And he is my sunshine. He is everything.

[Narrator / Host]

This podcast is produced by Cream Productions in association with Fremantle Media and id. You can check out Fear Thy Neighbor on Max discovery and id.

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[Kat and Nat from Catnat Unfiltered]

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