← Going West: True Crime
Going West: True Crime
Marcy West: The Fire Chief's Secret // 593
00:48:26
In January of 2024, a 48-year-old woman was pronounced dead in Washington after suffering a sudden seizure in the middle of the night… But when police arrived at the scene, it was clear there was more to the story than what the witness was telling them, and that she may have been murdered by someone they’d least expect to commit the crime: one of their own. This is the murder of Marcy West.
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- [00:01]
A
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- [01:44]
B
What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host he
- [01:47]
A
and I'm your host Daphne.
- [01:49]
B
And you're listening to Going West.
- [01:51]
A
Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well today. Big shout out to Brandon, Cass and Amy for recommending today's case. You all recommended it while the trial was happening and this was hitting the news and Keith and I were seeing that as well.
- [02:06]
B
Yeah. So thank you for staying on top of it.
- [02:08]
A
Yeah. So here we are finally with it. This happened a couple months ago. The trial did at least. So we do have some answers in this case and we're going to the Pacific Northwest today.
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B
Yes, we are.
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A
We're going west. Get it?
- [02:23]
B
That was terrible. Just kidding. No, I love it. Yes. Headed to the Pacific Northwest. Without further ado, this is episode 593 of Going West. So let's get into it.
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A
In January of 2020 a 48 year old woman was pronounced dead in Washington after suffering a sudden seizure in the middle of the Night. But when police arrived at the scene, it was clear there was more to the story than what the witness was telling them and that she may have been murdered by someone that they would least expect. One of their. This is the murder of Marcy West. Marcel Kathleen Mulder, who went by Marcy, was born on July 14, 1975, in Eugene, Oregon. Like our very own Heath Merriman was.
- [04:24]
B
Yep, I was born, just not in 1975.
- [04:27]
A
A little about 13 years later. Well, Marcy is remembered as warm and silly. She loved to travel. She adored music and enjoyed playing the violin. Her daughter Megan would later remember her as a loving and devoted mother, saying, quote, my mom was an incredible woman. Her life revolved around my brother and me. Everything she did, every sacrifice, every, every choice was rooted in love for her children. She showed up and always hurt deeply for those around her present nurturing and strong in the ways that matter. I was always told that no one is perfect, but to me, she was perfect. She was loving, and she was my favorite place. I think that's a really, really nice sentiment.
- [05:14]
B
Yeah. It really just goes to show you how much they really, really love their mother.
- [05:19]
A
Yeah. And her daughter Megan. We're going to be talking about her a lot today. We're going to have a quotes from her because she said so many amazing things throughout this case about Marcy. Well, after majoring in biology at the U of O or the University of Oregon, he knew it, knew it was coming. Marcy worked as a hospital administrator for two decades, and it was through work that she wound up meeting her future husband, paramedic and firefighter Kevin West. The pair were married on May 24, 2002, and they remained together until her death 22 years later. They welcomed two children together. Ted came first, and Megan joined the family two years later. The west family eventually settled in Washougal, Washington, which is a city of lush wildlife and scenic views situated right along the beautiful Columbia river, about 30 minutes northeast of downtown Portland, Oregon. So Kevin had spent his career as this trusted firefighter, and by his late 40s, he was the battalion chief of the Camas Washougal Fire Department and nearing retirement, which was exciting, of course, despite him loving his lifelong career. And of course, for anybody wondering, it's like he's nearing retirement already in his late 40s. Typical retirement age for a firefighter is between 50 and 57. And Kevin was almost 48. Of course, the job is physically demanding, so there's, you know, they don't want you to be too, too up there.
- [06:50]
B
Yeah, you can't be. You're not gonna be a firefighter when you're 75.
- [06:54]
A
Exactly. And then as the west rang in the new year of 2024, they celebrated how much they had to look forward to as their daughter Megan was getting married that coming July.
- [07:07]
B
So in the weeks before Marcy's death, Kevin claimed that they were enjoying being able to, quote, rediscover what we have, because Megan had recently relocated to Seattle for school and Ted was actually undertaking an internship at the fire department, following in his dad Kevin's footsteps. So they're somewhat empty nesters because the kids are around college age. And you gotta imagine this is probably very exciting for Kevin because Kevin really enjoyed his time being a firefighter. And now his son is like, my dad's my hero. I want to step into the same boots.
- [07:42]
A
Especially because it's such an admirable career, you know, I'm sure, I'm sure he's very proud.
- [07:47]
B
Well, the night before Marcy died, January 7, 2024, Kevin recalled that they had gotten Chinese takeout and watched three movies together. Though when he was questioned about this later, he couldn't remember what any of those movies were because, you know, I often watch three movies back to back and just can't remember a single one of them.
- [08:08]
A
No, right. I feel like I remember every movie I watched, even last year. Like, what the hell?
- [08:13]
B
Well, I guess the couple supposedly went to bed without issue and were even intimate, which apparently had become a rare occurrence for them. But in the early morning hours of January 8, 2024, around 4am, Kevin claimed that he was in the middle of a dream and awoke to hear their dog whining. And when he looked over at Marcy lying in their bed in the dark, she was suffering from a seizure. Then, as she came out of it and fell unconscious, Kevin performed CPR as he summoned paramedics to their house, telling them that his wife had had a seizure while they were sleeping. And although he was a trained paramedic and he apparently was helping her, as the seizure was happening, Marcy was just beyond saving. Kevin's colleagues arrived and tended to her. But 44 minutes after they arrived at the west family home, 48 year old Marcy was pronounced dead. But get this, and this part is really strange to me. It was noted by first responders that her bra strap was askew and her pants were on inside out.
- [09:24]
A
So weird.
- [09:26]
B
While initially Kevin told them that Marcy had been in ailing health lately, that she had been suffering from these recurring headaches, but that they hadn't known how serious it really was. He also admitted that she didn't have the healthiest diet, nor did he believe that she exercised enough. But he also claimed that she didn't smoke or drink and that aside from these headaches, she had been in pretty good health. But he did make sure to note that their son had given her an intense massage the night before. And Kevin wondered to his fellow paramedics if maybe it could have been some sort of, like, physical trauma from the massage that had possibly set off this seizure.
- [10:07]
A
Such a weird thing to note. I don't know, like, yeah, oh, maybe my son killed her.
- [10:12]
B
Yeah, it was the massage that did it.
- [10:15]
A
Yeah, I mean, I get it. In this type of situation, if you want to note everything, especially as a paramedic, he knows that maybe the smallest detail is the most important, but it just. I don't know, maybe. Maybe it's just because I know the ending of this.
- [10:27]
B
But anyway, one hell of a massage, I guess. Yeah.
- [10:30]
A
Well. Marcy was taken for an autopsy, but her cause of death was actually found to be inconclusive. A fluke seizure couldn't be ruled out, though the medical examiner noted that there was some bruising to her head and jaw. And though this seemed suspicious, given Kevin's standing in the community and his professional medical background, his approximation was taken at face value. But as more and more details called Kevin's retelling of events into question, investigators, their tight knit community, and even Marcy's own children began to have questions about what really happened that morning. In what seemed like a textbook case of a tragic and sudden health crisis, many people started to notice inconsistencies and strange behavior on Kevin's behalf. One of Kevin's co workers, who we're going to be talking about a bit today, her name is Casey Jones. She was later featured as a witness for the prosecution. Actually claimed that he complained frequently about his wife while at work and that he was desperate to end their marriage. They were in near constant tiffs over their finances and how to raise their kids, who obviously Heath said was they were like college age at this point. But he had been complaining about their relationship for years and how they were raising their kids when they were a little bit younger. And Kevin apparently said that their parenting styles were too different and complained that they were no longer intimate. He also felt that Marcy spent too much money on herself and he didn't care for the fact that she wasn't as social as he was. The couple's financial records reveal that they were $100,000 in debt. You know, this explains all the fighting. And they were also apparently struggling to make the mortgage payments on their home, which at that time was valued at around $720,000, leaving their mortgage around $7,000 a month. Remember, they're in Washington in a big house about 30 minutes outside of Portland, Oregon.
- [12:40]
B
Yeah. So $720,000 is quite a bit considering the area. I mean, just being in that general area of Portland, Oregon, and slash, like, Washington. So, yeah, I mean, having a $7,000 mortgage and now they're struggling to pay it, that's really just adding to all this stress between the two of them.
- [12:59]
A
Yeah. And Kevin wants to retire soon, and. Yeah, it's just. It's definitely adding onto his list of issues. Well, in one instance, Casey remembers hearing Kevin lie to Marcy on the phone about a company dinner they were holding at this, like, local pizza restaurant, telling her that spouses weren't invited.
- [13:19]
B
That is cold, because come to find out, spouses actually were invited to go. It's just he didn't want Marcy there.
- [13:26]
A
Yeah. And he even told his co workers at that restaurant later that Marcy never liked to come to these events with me. Never liked to.
- [13:36]
B
Yeah, it's her. It's like, oh, Marcy like to come to these events with me. But you told her not to come. I'm the one that said, don't come.
- [13:44]
A
So it's clear he just didn't want her there. But he still wanted to be able to complain about her.
- [13:49]
B
Yeah, definitely. Well, it wasn't just Kevin who was feeling the strain in the marriage, because a posthumous search of her phone revealed a note on her phone from 2016 that read, quote, not happy with me for a long time. 10 to 14 years. In 2023, she jotted down another note that said, you get angry frequently. And then later in 2023, she wrote yet another note that said, when we went to Seattle for a family weekend, you spent multiple hours in car talking
- [14:24]
A
to dad, and dad is in quote. So was he really talking to his dad?
- [14:29]
B
Yeah, she doesn't really believe that that was actually dad on the phone.
- [14:33]
A
And I think it's. It's interesting to note that she was writing these notes. It's almost like she's keeping tabs on her feelings. Almost like a diary. I'm sure a lot of us use our notes for those types of purposes or thoughts, whatever. I mean, that's literally what it's for.
- [14:47]
B
Yeah, she's keeping tabs because you never know if she's gonna need to look back at these for whatever reason, you know, they get a divorce or whatever happens. Well, In December of 2023, just a month before she died, Kevin texted her, I've been nothing more than a paycheck. Marcy then responded, you have made yourself very clear that I have made you unhappy for 23 years.
- [15:17]
A
Aww, poor Marcy.
- [15:18]
B
Yeah, it's. It's pretty sad. Well, all the way back in 2020, Kevin told his coworker, again, this is Casey Jones, that he was ready to seek a divorce, except for the fact that he was anxious about Marcy gaining access to his retirement fund and keeping him from retiring when he wanted to. Now, because the marriage had lasted more than 20 years, he estimated that he would have to pay forward about $4,500 a month in alimony, which Casey said really upset Kevin.
- [15:49]
A
I mean, understandably so. That's a lot of money.
- [15:51]
B
Yeah, it is. And Kevin later told multiple co workers that a divorce would result in him having only 1600-1800amonth left over for himself. Now, Kevin had done pretty well for himself, earning about $160,000 a year at his current position, and had no interest in having to share the income or work longer than he was planning to. He was so agitated on the day that he learned this, in fact, that he went home early from work after the news broke of Marcy's sudden passing. Casey Jones actually stopped by Kevin's house to bring over dinner and was shocked to find him in what she described as an enthusiastic state. And actually, more specifically, she said, he was unquestionably happier than I had almost ever seen him. He took me on a tour of his garage bar. He demonstrated to me a bottle opener made out of a deer's hind end. There were moments that Kevin covered his face and pretended to cry, but he would very quickly shift back to just a very enthusiastic disposition. So he's fake crying in the club, or should I say the garage bar?
- [17:06]
A
Yeah. And just the fact that she noticed he was enthusiastic, she's probably like, oh, my God, he's mourning. I'm gonna bring him a casserole.
- [17:14]
B
That's what I was gonna say. She's like, oh, my God, this guy just lost his wife. I should probably bring him some dinner. He's probably just shattered, and he's like, so nice. Hey, you want to see this fucking bottle opener out of this deer's ass
- [17:26]
A
that I fucking made crazy. Well, Casey maintained that she had seen Kevin cry before and that this whole crying thing that he was doing in the garage, appeared totally different, and even called the act of him covering his face quote theatrics.
- [17:43]
B
Yeah, so she was catching on very quick.
- [17:45]
A
Another friend and coworker reported that Kevin told him that he was relieved in the aftermath of Marcy's death and that he felt as if a burden had been lifted. Maybe keep that to yourself.
- [17:57]
B
Not really what you want to be telling your co workers after your partner
- [18:00]
A
dies, even if he's not being suspected in it. Like, oh my God, have a frickin soul. So this same friend went over to Kevin's house just a week or two after Marcy's death to help him like purge Marcy's stuff from the house and load them up in a truck, actually taking them to his house where he sold them on Facebook Marketplace on behalf of Kevin. Again, everybody around him is trying to help him out and say, you know, you don't need to be surrounded by her stuff. I'll help you get rid of it. You can move on. Cause Kevin very much is telling friends that he was ready to move on and even asked if it was too soon to remove the pictures of her around the house. So by this point, his friends and neighbors were already talking. But the suspicion among the local police force really deepened when an anonymous tipster reached out to them to inform them that prior to his wife's death, Kevin west had been having a long standing affair.
- [18:58]
B
Of course he was.
- [19:00]
A
Of freaking course. When police caught wind of this, rumors obviously swirled even more and thus a second autopsy was ordered. So this tip like really flipped everything on its head. Well, sure enough, the second autopsy concluded a cause of death. In Marcy's case, it was actually asphyxia with blunt force trauma to the neck. Remember before it was inconclusive and her manner of death was adjusted to homicide. Furthermore, Kevin's phone and health tracking app showed that he had not been sleeping during those hours that he said he was lying next to his wife, but instead engaging in activity akin to pacing for hours leading up to the 911 call.
- [19:51]
B
Damn. It's. That's so crazy that a health app, it became your undoing.
- [19:57]
A
I love when that happens. Like, I think that's such a cool technological advancement because we've seen this in many other cases where it's like the Fitbit or the Apple Watch.
- [20:04]
B
He's like, oh no, I was actually sleeping. It's like, well, according to.
- [20:07]
A
To your running with. When you sleep running.
- [20:11]
B
Yeah.
- [20:12]
A
So then police arrived to speak with him at home on January 20, 2024. And saw the car of the woman that he was having an affair with, a woman named Cynthia, parked out front, Though she declined to come to the door with him. So she's.
- [20:28]
B
You know, she's like, I'm not involved in this.
- [20:31]
A
Yeah, she's staying inside the house. Later, Cynthia would testify in court that there was a simple explanation for this. You know, why she's at the house, that Marcy obviously had just died, and she actually felt uncomfortable being in the house at all. So when she would go over, they would spend time in their garage, which had a seating area and was like a designated gathering place in the west home. So she's saying, yes, I would go over there, but I wasn't really in the house. I was just in the garage, and I stayed in the garage. And I don't know.
- [21:02]
B
There's some really weird.
- [21:03]
A
Who cares what room you're in?
- [21:05]
B
Well, I think probably because. Whether. I don't know. This is really suspicious to me, though, because we're gonna talk about how Kevin and Cynthia actually spent quite a bit of time together.
- [21:16]
A
Oh, yeah?
- [21:16]
B
Yeah. So much so that there was some things that were very questionable where you're like, did. Did she know, though, what was happening?
- [21:24]
A
Well, Cynthia maintained at this point that it was less about hiding from the police and more about being respectful to the loss of Marcy and letting police do their due diligence. So she's saying, I just didn't want to talk to police because I didn't want to get involved because I have nothing to do with this. And she's. She's at this point kind of claiming that Marcy died tragically and that Kevin wasn't involved either.
- [21:49]
B
Right, Right.
- [21:50]
A
When police pressured him for answers, though, about the affair, of course they want to know this. He begrudgingly admitted that this was actually his second affair with Cynthia. Cause they had first met back in 2004 while working for the same station. Cynthia as a volunteer firefighter and Kevin as a paramedic, which is just so
- [22:12]
B
sketchy considering the fact that they got married in 2002. And so two years into his marriage, he's already cheating on Marcy?
- [22:21]
A
Well, yeah, actually. So two years ago, they got married. And within six months to a year of him meeting Cynthia is when a sexual relationship started. So it's like, yeah, he. He was cheating on Marcy basically from the beginning, but he claims that this only lasted a few months, as if that makes it any better. Well, in 2023, he reached out to her on Facebook. Cynthia, of course, to say hi so, like, two decades later. And then they officially reconnected in August of 2023, which, of course, is only a few months before Marcy happens to die. According to Cynthia, it started slowly chatting and catching up on the last two decades. But Kevin had never forgotten about her and seemed to be holding out hope that they would rekindle what they had.
- [23:14]
B
And surprisingly, they weren't keeping secrets either. One tip claimed to have seen them flirty at a bowling alley months before Marcy's death. They began talking every week, and after a month or two, they met up again in person at a hotel. Now, Cynthia was also in a relationship at the time, and they used WhatsApp to circumvent their partners finding out, because she said that her partner checked her phone. They then started meeting up in person, starting with a rendezvous at a hotel. And during this period of time, they even went so far as to take multiple trips together. Cynthia's mother was in ailing health at the time, so she flew down to see her and wanted Kevin to meet her, too, in case, you know, anything happened. So he and Cynthia also took a romantic trip to the beach, as well as joining her siblings and their spouses on a trip to look at property to buy.
- [24:12]
A
That's freaking nuts.
- [24:13]
B
See, this is why I was talking about this earlier, about the fact that, like, did Cynthia kind of know that there was some. I mean, obviously. But here's the thing. I mean, obviously we're gonna talk about the fact that Kevin was saying, like, oh, yeah, you know, I'm gonna leave Marcy, blah, blah, blah. But it just seems so weird that the deed hasn't been done yet. And not only Cynthia, are you cheating on your partner, but heaven is also doing the same, and now you're hanging out with each other's family.
- [24:44]
A
Well, I feel like more. So we see there is a sexual relationship in when people are married. And, like, this feels like they're married. Like, it feels like they're in a full blown separate relationship, both of them.
- [24:57]
B
They're taking trips together.
- [24:59]
A
Yeah. Even though. And they're hanging out with the family, which is so odd to me.
- [25:03]
B
Well, get this. So wanting to live communally, Cynthia and her parents and siblings hatched this idea to, like, purchase land and live in a compound situation. But obviously, Kevin still had his wife and two kids at home, though Cynthia argued that this was a plan for eight to 10 years down the road and that she would be buying it herself. Not necessarily with Kevin, though he was welcome to join if he wanted to.
- [25:31]
A
So she's Kind of planning long haul with him if she's telling him about something a whole decade away.
- [25:36]
B
Yeah. She's like, hey, we're planning to have this commune where we're gonna have a bunch of houses on this one property. Do you maybe wanna join? Like, this is going to be 10 years down the road. And it actually seemed like Kevin was into this because those who knew about the affair described Kevin as obsessed with Cynthia. He even introduced her to his mom and sister, and his mom later gushed about how much she loved her.
- [26:03]
A
Again, how are both families meeting these people and not like, hello, yeah, hello.
- [26:09]
B
This is, like, not good. This is not a good idea.
- [26:12]
A
Especially the mom. Like, imagine if, you know, obviously we're married. Imagine if you were having an affair and Beatrice meets this other woman and she's like, oh, my God, she's so great.
- [26:21]
B
I'm like, beatrice?
- [26:21]
A
What the hell?
- [26:22]
B
Beatrice would. Beatrice would whoop my ass.
- [26:24]
A
No, she would.
- [26:25]
B
She would.
- [26:25]
A
And God bless her for it.
- [26:27]
B
Well, when questioned about all this by the police, Kevin seemed at least somewhat bad about having an affair. But the timeline was messy, and the fact that he was bringing his girlfriend into the house that he shared with his late wife just three weeks after her death was pretty concerning to investigators. When he was asked if he was planning to divorce his wife for Cynthia, he said, no, explaining, I talked about divorce, but there's no way I could go through with it. Marcy and I had too much together.
- [27:00]
A
You mean I don't want to pay alimony, but yeah, I'm kind of like best of both worlds ing it while not having to pay alimony because I'm staying married and I'm in a freaking marriage with somebody else.
- [27:10]
B
Yeah, but the whole thing is also, like, you're saying we had too much
- [27:15]
A
together, but of course he's gonna say that to the police. He's like, oh, my God. What? No, we were gonna make it work.
- [27:21]
B
We had a perfect marriage, actually. Well, the second autopsy, which was much more comprehensive, contradicted the findings of the first and found that she had actually died from asphyxiation and blunt force trauma, contrary to what Kevin wanted everybody else to believe. Now, for some reason, the first autopsy had glossed over the bleeding that was present under the skin and the bruises on her neck and around her jaw. Marcy had also even suffered hemorrhaging in her eyes. So detectives quietly opened a homicide investigation with Kevin as their prime suspect.
- [28:07]
A
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to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Critics and audiences agree. What the hell is this place? Only three letters describe they WILL kill you. Wtf? Splendid. USA Today calls it bloody and bunkers. Are you ready to die? IGN declares it's electrifying. Action cinema and popcorn entertainment to the max. How many of you are there? It begs to be seen in a packed theater. Please remember to clean up the blood. Wow. They will kill you. Now playing only in theaters. Rated R. Under 17 not admitted without parent. ThirdLove makes bras that actually fit. So they know if your bra feels uncomfortable, the problem isn't your body body, it's the bra. ThirdLove designs for comfort. First soft fabrics support that doesn't dig, pinch or slip Bras that feel good and look good under everything you wear. Shop ThirdLove and explore over 60 sizes including double A through H and half cup sizes you won't find anywhere else. Get $15 off your first purchase@thirdlove.com with code podcast15all of us strands are in real danger. And whatever it is, it's closing in. It started with just a few lost hairs here and there, but now more and more of us are disappearing every day. But listen, we think we have a plan. A way to stop the shedding. Pantene Abundant and strong. Go now. It's not too late. Pantene Abundant and Strong. It's a three step system that reduces hair loss by 85%. Only the strongest will survive the shedding. Two and a half months after Marcy died, Kevin's devices were searched for any possible evidence that he had something to do with plotting to kill her. And they found evidence that he had tried to hide that proved that he was making plans. In a tap of his phone, they recovered deleted text messages that explained that he planned to leave his wife despite, like we just said, him telling police, no, we had too much. Well, your texts say otherwise.
- [33:34]
B
Yeah, I was never going to do that.
- [33:35]
A
Well, no, because in the days after his wife's death, he had actually attempted to wipe his phone clean of their entire text history as well as Marcy's phone number. Sergeant Christopher Skidmore explained Mr. West gave several interviews to detectives. And so the statements that he had made versus what they were able to find through the search warrants got information from phone conversations and text messages that maybe painted a different picture. Not necessarily about what events took place, but kind of the timeline was a piece of it. Well, Kevin's promises to Cynthia tell a very different story than the one he was telling to police. A search of his house revealed multiple love letters between the two, including one written by Kevin that read, next year, 2024 will be our year. We will be together, celebrating every day with love and understanding of what it means for you and I to be together. Our story will ring in the new year, loud for all to hear. Another said, there have been so many special memories we have shared in such a short period of time. Just imagine what memories we will create having each other every day. You and I were seamlessly created for each other. I want you more and more every day. I love you more and more every day. And you know what really pisses me off about this? Like, sometimes shit doesn't work out, right? And how amazing that you were able to find somebody that you have this great connection with and you love them and they fit with your lifestyle and you spent decades with Marcy, but you guys just don't want to be together anymore. Then do the right, normal thing, get
- [35:32]
B
a divorce and just be.
- [35:34]
A
Let yourself be with this person. What a beautiful letter.
- [35:36]
B
I know. If you love this person so much like you, you literally just messed everything up.
- [35:42]
A
Yes. And it's so frustrating. Like, reading this letter is like, oh, that's beautiful, but I can't look at it that way because of the horrors behind it.
- [35:53]
B
Well, on the morning of the murder, Cynthia claimed that she didn't hear from Kevin between midnight and 4:30am because why would she? So she texted him saying good morning and asking how he was doing, but didn't hear back for a while.
- [36:08]
A
And remember, Marcy died at about 4am
- [36:11]
B
well, then it was. It wasn't till about 9am when he let her know that he was going to Seattle to retrieve his daughter Megan. When asked what his game plan was while juggling the two women, he changed his tune and admitted, eventually, I was going to leave Marcy at some point. I don't know when that would have been exactly.
- [36:32]
A
So this is interesting. This would have been after Marcy died. And he's saying, yeah, I was gonna leave her. I don't know when have done that, but yeah, like, that's not my plan anymore. Just by the way, I didn't want to leave my wife. Just. Just so I have that on the record.
- [36:44]
B
Well, apparently, according to Cynthia, he was wanting to make sure that he was available to see Megan get married, which, remember, was happening about six months later. But he had even promised Cynthia's family that he would leave his wife and file for divorce. Telling them that this would be done by Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at the latest, which happened to be one day after Marcy was murdered. Subsequently deleted text between Kevin and his mom depicted that she too was supportive of the affair and that he had every intention of marrying Cynthia and that he had consulted a divorce lawyer. He told Cynthia's brother in law in the days before Marcy's death, I'm moving out on Monday. Adding papers, done Tuesday.
- [37:35]
A
So he's saying he wants to leave her on the day she ended up dying.
- [37:40]
B
Yeah, that's definitely not suspicious at all. Well, on January 3, 2024. So about five days before Marcy's death, he texted Cynthia's mom saying, I'm meeting my attorney on the 9th and I will have options to decide from. And I'm very excited. I will also be moving out on the 8th. Next week will be a big week for she and I to celebrate. I love you.
- [38:06]
A
Literally telling everybody the 8th.
- [38:09]
B
And it's crazy because he's. Now he's saying I love you to Cynthia's mom.
- [38:13]
A
Why is nobody like, you're scummy.
- [38:16]
B
Yeah.
- [38:17]
A
Like you're cheating on your wife. She doesn't know. Again, if you want to go be with somebody else, fine.
- [38:21]
B
But here's, but here's the thing. Wouldn't Cynthia's mom, like, look at this? Like, that's what I mean, if he can do this to Marcy, what's going to stop him from doing it to Cynthia?
- [38:30]
A
That's what I'm saying. Why is everybody supporting this? I mean, I guess Cynthia is doing the same thing. To be, to be fair, she can look at her daughter and think the same thing, and maybe it's like, oh, well, they're unhappy, but they're still good people. No, not here.
- [38:44]
B
No, Definitely not. Well, though Megan began distancing herself from her dad, Kevin, as evidence was kind of piling up here based on her fear and suspicion that her dad was probably guilty. Her brother Ted and his fiance remained in the home with Kevin. So this is where we were kind of talking about. There's a little, almost a little tiff between the two siblings here. And according to Cynthia, she and Kevin became engaged eight months after Marcy's death in September of 2024. So he's, he's really moving on super quick. I mean, you just like, he was
- [39:23]
A
used over it the day of.
- [39:25]
B
No, I know. You just got out of like a 23 year marriage and boom, you're already engaged. Yikes. And actually, Megan, his daughter, definitely did agree with this. She thought that it was exceedingly distasteful as Kevin quickly moved her into the west family home and then paraded Cynthia around as his new wife.
- [39:45]
A
And here's Megan again saying, like, my mom just died. You might have done it. And like, what the hell are you doing?
- [39:54]
B
You can't even imagine just the, the amount of betrayal you would feel watching your dad move on so quickly to Cynthia and then moving her into the house after your mom just died.
- [40:07]
A
Also the fact that he's not, he's like, putting himself and his love life first and Cynthia before his kids. Here's his daughter, so distraught and upset, of course, but you don't give a shit about me. You're just going off with Cynthia and getting married and la, la, la, everything's great. It's like, what about us?
- [40:25]
B
And in his mind, you know, going back to the retirement shit, like, he, he was thinking to himself, like, oh, this is my opportunity. I'm about to retire. I'm going to live this perfect dream life with Cynthia. We're going to take all these trips together. And it's like, well, that's not gonna happen.
- [40:45]
A
Well, based on the evidence piling up around him, Kevin was arrested on March 29, 2024. But Cynthia quickly posted bail and he returned home to await trial. Kevin's attorney, Brian Walker, maintained that the only thing he was guilty of was an affair, stating, quote, when he was later asked about the name of the other woman, he fully admitted he had had this affair. He wasn't hiding it. He was just never asked about it and was not eager to talk about it. Kevin's trial began In January of 2026, two years after Marcy's death.
- [41:26]
B
Can I say something real quick about that last sentence?
- [41:28]
A
Yeah.
- [41:29]
B
Scott Peterson always comes to mind. Of course, right there.
- [41:32]
A
Which should be fair. I'm sure there are many people who are engaged in affairs and then their spouse is. Does die of health, ailments or what have you.
- [41:41]
B
I'm sure it does happen.
- [41:42]
A
And maybe they're not totally fully distraught because now they're like, wait, this, like, low key worked out for me, as horrible as that is to think or say.
- [41:50]
B
But this is the picture that's being painted right now is that, hey, you know, yes, did have an affair, but didn't have anything to do with the murder.
- [41:57]
A
And that's also though, like, not what's happening. Because if that was true, that's one thing, but what's actually going on is that you're being suspected because you were caught Lying. Saying she had a seizure and she was found to have been murdered. And you said you were sleeping, and your watch says you're. You're pacing around the house.
- [42:18]
B
You're going on a 10K.
- [42:20]
A
Yeah. So it's. You're lying, and that's why you're going to trial.
- [42:24]
B
Yeah. Because it's not like there's any other. There wasn't any other person in the house. It wasn't like, oh, maybe there was an intruder or something. No. You described how you were laying next to her.
- [42:34]
A
Right.
- [42:35]
B
She had a seizure. It got upgraded to homicide. There's really only one suspect here. It's you.
- [42:40]
A
Yeah. His story wasn't. I was out of town for the night, and I don't know what happened. He had a full story that didn't match up at all. So Kevin's trial again, it started January 2026. That's. This just happened. And when the defense attempted to shift some of the blame onto the first responders, who apparently bungled the scene of Marcy's death, one of the first to the scene, actually, a co worker of Kevin's argued, I was a paramedic for 40 years. This was the worst call of my entire career. And it was made unbearable by his lies. He violated the brotherhood and sisterhood of the fire department. The defense's team attempted to flesh out the unlikely theory that Marcy's death was some freak medical mishap after a therapeutic massage became too intense and left her with internal injuries. Which is kind of freaking nuts because Ted is, like, on his dad's side, and his dad's team is essentially saying, yeah, it was Ted by accident. That's what they're saying.
- [43:50]
B
Yeah. Ted's apparent hulk arms apparently gave her too rough of a massage, and she just happened to have this strange seizure in the middle of the night. Because of that, it's just wild.
- [44:01]
A
And Brian Walker and his defense team went as far to have Ted demonstrate the massage, including where he focused his strength and what the intensity was on a mannequin in front of the courtroom. And Ted is doing it like, ted, are you okay, bud?
- [44:17]
B
Yeah. I mean, literally. Kevin watched his own son take responsibility for his mom's death, at least in the eyes of the defense team, in
- [44:26]
A
front of a courtroom and all the people that he loved like that. That breaks my heart a little bit. Despite all of this, again, though, Ted maintained his belief that his father was kind and selfless and above all, innocent, stating, he has given me many reasons to trust him, not only through his words, but through his actions now, sadly,
- [44:51]
B
as I already kinda hinted to the court, proceedings drove a wedge between the couple's two children, with their son testifying on their father's behalf as a character witness and their daughter speaking out against him. Meghan responded to the growing rift between them by saying, I will always love my brother and always be there for him, but it is sickening to know he has been led by the lies and manipulation of my family, and I hope he soon realizes the truth and that I will always be there for him. Ted described Kevin as a loving and very devoted father who strived to work his hardest to provide for the family and attend every single one of their activities and obligations, which can also be
- [45:35]
A
true, by the way.
- [45:36]
B
Yeah, it can. He told the court. I have had the privilege of knowing my father for 23 years. He's always been empathetic and loving. I respectfully ask that you take his character and his positive impact into consideration. Megan, on the other hand, was not impressed by her father's pleas of innocence. And she didn't mince words in her victim impact statement telling the courtroom, my father's action took my mom's life. They took my future with her. They took moments, memories, and milestones that will never exist. No sentencing can bring her back. But acknowledging the harm done to her matters. After my mom's death, I was never allowed to be angry. Every time I reached out to you, desperate for comfort, desperate for a father, I was often shut down. You would say, I can't handle this right now, or you would be too busy with your mistress to care that your daughter was falling apart. You made my pain an inconvenience. You made my grief something I had to carry alone. I swallowed my anger for years because there was no space for it in your world. But you don't get to take my mom from me and then expect my silence. You do not get to decide when my emotions are acceptable. I'm allowing myself to feel my anger, and I will not be quiet about it anymore. What hurts in a way that I will never fully be able to put into words is that you didn't just take my mom from me. You had the nerve to look me in the eyes days later and ask if I was relieved that she was dead. Relieved? After you killed her? That question is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It was cruel. It was heartless. It was inhuman. You didn't just kill my mom. You tried to steal my right to grieve her. You killed the person who Loved me, who raised me, and who was my home. And then you attempted to twist that devastation into something that I should somehow feel thankful for.
- [47:45]
A
Megan also informed the court that in the two years since her mother's death, the grief and stress had landed her in the hospital with seizures. And instead of being a loving and concerned father, Kevin saw this condition with glee. Because that meant that he could use it to fuel the story that he had concocted about his wife's death. You know, seizures must be a genetic condition in their family. So, like it almost gave credence to his scheme, Megan also laid into him for ignoring the trauma of his children when they needed him most, saying, you had the audacity to call me when you were drunk, apologizing and dumping your emotions like I was your parent. You never said what you were sorry for, but in that moment, I knew you were guilty. She also proudly showed off the arm tattoo that she got in honor of her mom, which were Marcy's favorite flowers. And obviously, this whole statement of hers, it's so powerful. It's so powerful. It's so heartbreaking. It's so honest. Like, I can't imagine how hard that would have been to stand up there and say that to the guy that's been your dad your whole life after everything that you've been through. But it made such an impact in the courtroom that a man in the gallery shouted back, well said. And the courtroom responded with two minutes of applause. Pretty fucking incredible.
- [49:15]
B
Amazing.
- [49:16]
A
Well, in his statement to the court, Kevin said, quote, I made every effort to save her life. I owe you all an apology for my affair, my only wrongdoing.
- [49:27]
B
Oh, yeah, right. Shut up.
- [49:29]
A
Oh, God. A mockery has been made of my wife's passing through all of the social media craze and national attention. I don't think you have the right to say that your wife's death has been made a mockery and that. That bothers you. When you. You asked your daughter if she was relieved after Marcy died. You happily had your mistress come over. You told everybody how happy you were, and you wanted to get rid of her stuff, and you were moved on. Like, you made a mockery of her death.
- [50:04]
B
Yeah. I can't even imagine how much of a piece of shit you have to be to ask your own daughter if she's relieved that her mother is dead.
- [50:13]
A
This is a real piece of shit.
- [50:15]
B
Sickening.
- [50:16]
A
When asked what it was like to face her father and speak out against him, Meghan said sadly, it was hard seeing him, because even Though I saw my father, I didn't recognize him one bit. I saw a stranger in my eyes. Well, Kevin west was found guilty of both first and second degree murder after jurors deliberated for just two hours. And obviously, you realize how fast that is. The. The case that we covered last Friday, which was fricking nuts, by the way.
- [50:50]
B
Yeah, it was 14 days.
- [50:51]
A
14 days. Days. This was two hours. Marcy's friend Wendy Chun claimed that she felt that justice had been served, but that. I feel really bad for the kids. They lost both parents in this situation. Kevin west was sentenced to 25 years in prison on February 27, 2026. When he learned his fate, Kevin cried and clung to his sister as he was marched out of the courtroom. One man yelled after him, good riddance. Kevin's team plans to appeal the court's decision, of course, but have not yet announced plans to do so. Both he and Cynthia have declined to make any public statement since the announcement of the verdict, but he will likely be eligible for parole after serving about 90% of his sentence. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.
- [52:00]
B
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this very frustrating episode of Going West. It really pisses me off because it feels like Kevin, I mean, despite him not really wanting to be. Be with Marcy, it feels like he had everything in life going for him. He was close to retirement. He had a great job. He had great kids who were successful, and you ruined all of it, and you shattered everybody's lives.
- [52:25]
A
It seems like it really was all about the alimony. He just didn't want to lose out on his money, and he wanted to split up from Marcy. You know, usually we see it's about the kids or they end up wanting to get, like, the life insurance, but it's. It seems to me, like he really just did not want to have to pay that alimony. And instead of figuring a way around it or having an earnest conversation with Marcy, he took her life instead and destroyed the lives of his kids and his own. It's just nuts.
- [52:53]
B
Yeah. It's so stupid. I don't know why these people think that when they do something like this, it's going to make their life better. Like, no, you're going to get caught. Just get a divorce. Move on with your life. Be happy.
- [53:05]
A
Now you have no money, no mistress, and basically no relationship with your children.
- [53:10]
B
You've got nothing. Yeah.
- [53:11]
A
Yeah. Anyway, thank you guys so much again for listening. Big shout out to Brandon, Cass, and Amy for recommending this case. Of course, our hearts really go out to Megan and Ted and everybody in their family that was affected by this and continue to be affected by it, especially because this only happened a couple years ago and that, you know, he was only sentenced less than a month before we're recording this. So it's just, it's just a terrible, terrible story. But if you want to see photos of Marcy, go check out our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast. We're also on Facebook and we're on TikTok.
- [53:46]
B
Yes. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. And I think that's all I've got for you guys today. All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the
- [53:54]
A
world, don't be a stranger. Foreign.
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B
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