BONUS: Patricia Aldridge and Mitchell Vickers (Snapped: Killer Couples)

Summary

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Snapped: Women Who Murder

Episode: BONUS: Patricia Aldridge and Mitchell Vickers (Snapped: Killer Couples)
Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Oxygen / Narrator

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Episode Overview

This bonus episode of Snapped: Killer Couples delves into the chilling murder of Millard Aldridge in Huntington, West Virginia. The case unravels a story of marital betrayal, a deadly love triangle, and a murder-for-hire plot fueled by greed and passion. As the investigation deepens, detectives uncover the roles played by Millard's wife, Patricia Aldridge, and her ex-lover, Mitchell Vickers, peeling back the layers of a well-crafted plan steeped in rage, lies, and cold calculation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance and Crime Scene (01:17–14:18)

• Millard Aldridge is reported missing by his wife, Patricia, after he fails to return home on June 25, 1998.
• Family recounts Patricia’s escalating concern:
  “You need to talk to Trish, there’s something wrong with your brother. He’s missing.” —Millard’s Brother [03:06]
• Blood stains and signs of a violent struggle are found in the couple's garage: “The blood splatter indicated that this was a very violent attack. It looked more like what we would typically refer to as a rage killer.” —Narrator [09:38]
• Discovery of Millard’s burned vehicle and, soon after, his brutally beaten body near 8th Street Road shocks the close-knit community.

2. The Investigation Deepens: Motives & Suspects (14:18–21:56)

• Autopsy confirms multiple blunt force injuries, indicating overkill—a crime of passion or rage.
• Detectives initially puzzle over motive given the absence of robbery or outside suspects.
• The first cracks emerge in Patricia’s story as Millard's stepdaughter, Jennifer, reveals her mother's affair with Mitchell Vickers. “Patricia had an affair with a guy named Mitchell Vickers.” —Narrator [17:49]
• Mitchell Vickers is revealed as a large, violent, career criminal, recently released from jail.

3. Mitchell Vickers’ Confession (22:29–29:11)

• During police questioning of Patricia, Vickers calls to confess: “I’m the one that did it. I’m the one that killed that s.o.b... just leave my lady alone. She didn’t have nothing to do with it.” —Mitchell Vickers [22:34]
• Vickers surrenders and offers a chilling, remorseless confession: “I went berserk. I went crazy. You know, I love this lady from my heart. How can I go to jail knowing that this ass is gonna be out here beating on her?” —Mitchell Vickers [26:56] “I grabbed a crescent wrench… I started beating him with the head. He was screaming, you know, ‘Trish, help.’ …I told him, ‘I’m sending you to hell, boy.’” —Mitchell Vickers [28:01]
• Claims Patricia told him Millard was abusive—a story no one corroborates.

4. Evidence Against Patricia Emerges (31:15–39:38)

• Forensics contradict Patricia’s statements, finding blood spatter in her van, suggesting she was present or complicit. “Made it very plain and obvious… that she was lying.” —Crime Scene Investigator [33:15]
• Friends Cheryl and Ronald Kowalski reveal Vickers previously tried to hire Ronald for $7,500 to kill Millard, and that Patricia also solicited his help. “Patricia asked Ron if he would be willing to kill her husband and described that she wanted him out of the picture.” —Narrator [35:16]
• Financial motive confirmed: Patricia stood to gain over $300,000 from life insurance and Millard’s 401k.

5. The Truth Unravels: Patricia’s Culpability (38:01–39:59)

• Vickers, confronted with the truth about Patricia’s manipulation, admits she planned the murder: “She offered me $10,000. She asked me to do it. Finally, I agreed... She disabled a motion light. She unlocked the door to the garage.” —Mitchell Vickers [38:44] “She was right behind me in her van... torched [the car], jumped in her [van]. We took off.” —Mitchell Vickers [39:25]
• Patricia is arrested for first-degree murder while attending Millard’s funeral—a moment described as “poetic justice.”
  “That was just karma.” —Family Member/Friend [40:47]

6. Trials, Verdicts, and Aftermath (41:09–44:37)

• Mitchell Vickers is tried and convicted of first-degree murder; sentenced to life without parole.
• Patricia’s trial reveals the depth of her involvement; Vickers recants his confession to spare her, but evidence prevails. “We had to connect all those dots to clearly show that she was intimately involved in the planning and the murder of her husband.” —Detective [41:52]
• Jury convicts Patricia of first-degree murder; she receives life without parole. “They got exactly what they deserved and I don’t lose a minute of sleep over it.” —Millard’s Brother [44:09]
• The episode closes with reflections on the destructive mix of greed and passion.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Violence of the Crime
  “For somebody to be not just beaten to death, but beaten multiple times to death indicates that there was a lot of rage involved in this crime.” —Narrator [16:09]

• On Motive
  “There are two basic motives. Plain old fashioned greed. Love gone wrong. Put those two things together, it's like pouring gasoline on fire.” —Narrator [02:00 & 44:16]

• On the Affair
  “Whereas Millard was a stable guy with a job, was a law abiding guy, and Mitchell Vickers was a bad boy in and out of prison.” —Detective [21:35]

• Vickers’ Chilling Words
  “I knew I was down here murdered man. I come here for a reason to kill him.” —Mitchell Vickers [41:23]

• On Patricia's Involvement
  “A death for hire, that’s what it was. She was the mastermind of it all.” —Millard's Brother [42:23]

• On Millard’s Legacy
  “My brother will be remembered in our family to me as one of the most loving, caring, devoted persons that you could ask for. Hopefully, his legacy, people will still remember and it will live on.” —Millard’s Brother [45:02]

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Timeline of Critical Segments

• [01:17] Crime scene investigation—the missing person becomes homicide.
• [09:07] Blood evidence discovered—a sense of imminent danger.
• [13:07] Burned car with matching plates—community joins the search.
• [14:00] Millard’s body found—family’s devastating identification.
• [17:39] Revelation of Patricia’s affair shifts suspicion.
• [22:34] Vickers’ phone confession—immediate escalation.
• [27:29–28:17] Vickers describes the murder in horrifying detail.
• [33:15] Forensic evidence exposes Patricia's lie.
• [35:16] Patricia directly solicits murder—friends report the plot.
• [38:44] Vickers’ second confession: Patricia orchestrated the murder.
• [40:47] Patricia’s arrest at the cemetery—community reacts.
• [41:09–44:09] Trials and verdicts—justice for Millard.
• [45:02] Family’s remembrance—episode’s emotional close.

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Tone and Language

The episode maintains the measured, investigative narrative style characteristic of Snapped, blending emotional interviews, law enforcement accounts, and somber reflection from friends and family. The episode is rife with frank admissions, raw grief, and stark revelations of betrayal.

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Conclusion

This episode stands as a powerful testament to the devastating consequences of greed and passion. The convergence of a calculated, financially motivated murder plot and the vulnerabilities of a fractured marriage created a case that shocked a community and destroyed a family—reminding listeners that, as the narrator chillingly puts it, “Love gone wrong and greed… pour gasoline on a fire.”

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Transcript

[Narrator]

Do I have time for men?

[Millard's Brother]

Yes, I do.

[Narrator]

Let's party.

[Narrator/Host]

I'm a baddie. The Real Housewives of Potomac are back.

[Detective]

I know she ain't bring TJ around just to get back with her men.

[Mitchell Vickers]

Oh, my God.

[Family Member/Friend]

Lied for a year.

[Narrator/Host]

Stacy, are we still talking about your situation?

[Mitchell Vickers]

Don't let this accent fool you.

[Narrator/Host]

Ooh.

[Detective]

I never trust you around my husband. You don't have one.

[Friend/Community Member]

I'm so confused.

[Narrator/Host]

All new, the Real Housewives of Potomac. Mondays watch Bravo on Peacock.

[Family Member/Friend]

We are the Mediterranean crew.

[Narrator/Host]

We have a standard, and that standard is excellence.

[Detective]

Below Deck Med raises the anchor.

[Narrator/Host]

There's eight courses. Delicious.

[Detective]

There's drama.

[Narrator/Host]

Go to the captain.

[Detective]

Who's got the medical stuff. Max needs attention in Espana. You really don't want to mess with me.

[Mitchell Vickers]

Under no circumstances can the guests go in the water.

[Family Member/Friend]

Doug, I gotta let you go.

[Detective]

The new season of Below deck Mediterranean.

[Narrator/Host]

You guys ready?

[Detective]

Every Monday on Bravo and streaming on Peacock.

[Narrator/Host]

Hi Snap listeners. We are bringing you a special bonus episode today from Oxygen's hit series Killer Couples. You can also watch full episodes live or on demand on the free Oxygen app or on Peacock by clicking the link in our description. Enjoy.

[Narrator]

We had a murder which was done with a particularly gruesome amount of violence. What we would typically refer to as a rage killing. Everybody loved him. No possible enemy. So why would somebody want to murder him?

[Mitchell Vickers]

Y' all want the killer, come get me. I don't want to. Dinner. Let's go.

[Detective]

Go ahead to the 25th of June.

[Mitchell Vickers]

That's the day we got involved. I knew I was down here murdering man. I come there for a reason to kill me, you know. And I told him, I'm sending you to hell, boy.

[Narrator]

It was very shocking. Describing himself as being the murderer and the sole person responsible just didn't make sense. It just didn't sound reasonable. There are two basic motives. Plain old fashioned greed. Love gone wrong. Put those two things together, it's like pouring gasoline on fire.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I love this slave on my heart. Good. She has loved me.

[Narrator/Host]

Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Huntington, West Virginia is a quiet community with deep roots.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

This town sits right on the Ohio river, so it's a pretty location.

[Detective]

It's mostly middle class, working class people. It's a close, tight knit community.

[Narrator/Host]

On the afternoon of June 25, 1998, local resident Denny Aldrid receives a concerning phone call from his brother Millard's wife, Patricia Aldridge.

[Millard's Brother]

My wife answered the phone and kind of quiet for a minute and she said, you need to talk to Trish, there's something wrong with your brother. He's missing. I got on the phone with her, I said, if you don't know where he's at and you can't go. And I said, call the police.

[Narrator/Host]

Twenty minutes later, a Huntington police officer arrives at the Aldridge residence. Patricia explains that she last saw her 42 year old husband at 7:30 that morning.

[Millard's Brother]

My brother was supposed to have a recall on his car dime at 8 o'. Clock.

[Detective]

She stated that he had taken the van that she usually drove and parked it out on the street and then had given her a hug and told her he'd meet her for lunch at about 11 o'.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

Clock.

[Detective]

Patricia had gone to Walmart and to the bank and had returned home shortly before 11 o' clock and Millard was not there.

[Narrator]

She then proceeded on to work. Patricia said that while she was at work she made several phone calls trying to find Mill. Not able to do so.

[Family Member/Friend]

Miller, you could pretty much set a clock by. He was very reliable on his daily life.

[Narrator]

She became very worried and so about 2 o' clock that afternoon she returned home.

[Narrator/Host]

Patricia says her concerns grew when she entered the couple's detached garage.

[Narrator]

She went back to the garage to see if he was there and she found blood stains on the floor. She then contacted her brother and called the police.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

So what they originally thought might be a missing person became something more sinister in nature.

[Narrator/Host]

When detectives arrive, they begin processing the scene and speak with Patricia.

[Narrator]

She said that Millard was a cameraman for wsaz. At that point I recognized who he was.

[Detective]

He would come to the courthouse and interview process prosecutors after the conclusion of cases. He always seemed like a very nice guy.

[Narrator/Host]

Born and raised in Huntington, Millard Aldridge came from humble beginnings.

[Millard's Brother]

Our life was simple. We were country people. My dad worked every day, my mother was housewife and she did side jobs at times. I had one brother and I have one sister. We're only three years apart in ages, so we were pretty tight knit. We went to CK High School, but unfortunately he didn't get to graduate from there. My dad had got hurt and was off work and both of us ended up having to quit school and get jobs to make sure that we didn't lose our home. He had got a interview for a janitor's position for WSAZ Channel 3 and luckily he got it.

[Narrator/Host]

With a keen eye for photography, Millard quickly found a new career path.

[Family Member/Friend]

He worked his way up to be a journalist, photojournalist.

[Friend/Community Member]

He loved what he did. He felt like he was making A difference in our community by, you know, helping report the news in the Huntington area.

[Millard's Brother]

Him becoming a photojournalist like he did was destined to be his thing. That was his calling.

[Narrator/Host]

Two years into his career at wsaz, Millard married his high school sweetheart.

[Family Member/Friend]

They had a little girl first and then they had a little boy.

[Millard's Brother]

Millard was a great father. He loved his kids. He took care of his kids.

[Friend/Community Member]

Millard was such a caring person. He never put himself first. He was just an all around great man.

[Millard's Brother]

He gave it everything he had to make it work. But I ended up getting a divorce. He was probably single for about four years and then he met Trish. Next thing I know, he's in love and he wants to marry her.

[Friend/Community Member]

Trish was always out for a good time, you know, always laughing and making jokes. I thought she was great because she was making Millard happy.

[Millard's Brother]

She seemed like she was going to be a true partner for him for the rest of his life.

[Family Member/Friend]

Patricia had one child from a previous marriage and he treated her, Jennifer, like his own daughter. She loved Millard to death. It might not have been her birth dad, but that was her dad.

[Friend/Community Member]

And then they had a son shortly after they were married.

[Millard's Brother]

He was happy and proud. That's what he wanted to be like. He wanted to be a loving father and a husband.

[Narrator/Host]

While Millard continued to build a successful career at WSA's, Patricia pursued her own interests.

[Millard's Brother]

She was real good, sewing and stuff like that. She had her own business, which was called A Stitch in time.

[Family Member/Friend]

She would make things for people, costumes and outfits and blankets and different things. Mildred and Trish, they seemed happy as a couple, like they were gonna grow old together and sit on the front porch in a rocking.

[Narrator/Host]

But after nearly two decades of marriage, the couple's future is suddenly in jeopardy.

[Narrator]

With the finding of the blood stains in the garage. That elevated things quite a bit.

[Detective]

Once the area was secured, then the forensic investigators came in.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

I observed a 55 gallon sized garbage can that had been turned over. Looked like a struggle took place.

[Narrator]

The blood splatter indicated that this was a very violent attack. It looked more like what we would typically refer to as a rage killer.

[Narrator/Host]

Coming up, authorities discover a second crime scene.

[Narrator]

Generally speaking, the purpose for burning a vehicle is to destroy evidence.

[Narrator/Host]

And a tip to law enforcement puts a suspect in their crosshairs.

[Detective]

When human emotions are set ablaze like this, you don't know where the fire is going to go.

[Narrator/Host]

Hours after 42 year old Millard Aldrich was reported missing by his wife Patricia, investigators in Huntington West Virginia find evidence of a violent attack in the couple's garage.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

We didn't find any weapons inside the garage, but there was a blood swipe on the floor. It looked to me like somebody had tried to use something to maybe clean up the blood pool.

[Detective]

What was reported missing from the garage was Millard Aldridge and Millard Aldrich's vehicle. But there were no reports that anything else significant was taken from the garage.

[Narrator]

There were no signs of break in at all. Didn't appear to be a robbery gone bad. Someone had gained entry, either had access to the garage or was familiar with it in some way.

[Narrator/Host]

Investigators canvassed the Aldrich's neighborhood, hoping that someone saw Millard leave home on his own.

[Narrator]

This is the Westmoreland neighborhood of Huntington. It's a kind of a bed and breakfast family neighborhood. So for this to have happened was very shocking. The canvas turned up no results. There was nothing unusual that was noted either during that day, the night before.

[Detective]

The next step the investigators would take would be to put him into the national crime database, the ncic, and it alerts law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for this missing person or this vehicle.

[Family Member/Friend]

Trish, she was worried about Millard, nervous because she didn't know where he was at. The whole family was hoping that he was still alive, but everybody was just in shock, total shock.

[Millard's Brother]

I felt I had to do something to try to help find my brother. Me and my sons and my nephew, we jumped in my van and we went on back roads that we used to run when we was kids.

[Family Member/Friend]

Our hearts were sinking, hoping still that he would be found alive. But there was less hope of that happening.

[Narrator/Host]

Nearly 24 hours into their search, Huntington police receive a call from neighboring Cabell County.

[Narrator]

A burnt vehicle was found up on 8th Street Road. Immediately, there was the suspicion that this might be Millard's missing car.

[Detective]

The vehicle was destroyed to such an extent that they could make any determination of what make, model or serial number might exist there.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

There was a license plate that had been burned in half, but you could still read the first three digits. And the first three digits on that license plate did correspond to the first three digits of Millard Aldrich's vehicle.

[Narrator]

So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. It was pretty safe to assume that this was Millard's vehicle. Generally speaking, the purpose for burning a vehicle is to destroy evidence, so it was prudent to do a search in that area. We had a lot of people out there. We had people from the sheriff's Department, a volunteer group. The news had camera crews out there covering as much of the search as they could. A lot of the people that he worked with, they were all there. And it was a somber moment for everybody.

[Detective]

West Virginia State Police, participants in the search of the area, and it included cadaver dogs.

[Narrator/Host]

Less than a quarter mile into the woods, investigators make a gruesome discovery.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

The body was maybe 10 to 15ft over an embankment over the hillside.

[Detective]

It was in a state of decomposition.

[Narrator]

And it was pretty apparent that there were some severe injuries to the face and head, enough to the point that he could not be immediately identified.

[Millard's Brother]

We got the phone call, said we found a body, and we think it's Miller. I was asked to go help identify the body. The hardest thing to do is identify your brother. But the only way I could do it was because when he was a young man, he thought he wanted a tattoo, an initial M on his shoulder. And another thing, he had a scar on his right leg. And that's basically how I was able to identify my brother. I didn't know what to do then. I mean, I kind of fell to my knees.

[Narrator]

That immediately changed things from a missing person to a homicide investigation. When the body was carried out of the woods, Patricia was there with a couple of family members, and she did breakdown, kind of collapsed.

[Friend/Community Member]

She was just absolutely devastated. I mean, crying beyond consoling. It was just a sick feeling. How could someone do something to take his life?

[Detective]

The sad irony of Millard's career, which was to put the stories of others on camera, is that his horrible and untimely death played out on camera and in the media that he served.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

They had EMTs to transport Miller to the medical examiner's office to have an autopsy done on him.

[Detective]

The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was the severe blunt force trauma to the head.

[Narrator]

This is consistent with the blood evidence that was found at the crime scene. And the Emmys report described a dozen injuries, one of which was so severe it caused several fractures to the head and face. For somebody to be not just beaten to death, but beaten multiple times to death indicates that there was a lot of rage involved in this crime.

[Detective]

It didn't look like it could be a random type of crime. It looked more overkill. It seems very personal.

[Narrator]

It was somebody of either size or strength or both. And so clearly, we're probably not looking at a woman or somebody of small stature. That caused us to go back and talk to family members and try to get an idea of who might be responsible for this type of a crime.

[Family Member/Friend]

We're racking our brain trying to figure out who would want to hurt him. He was the best man you could ask for as a friend, a father, a son, a brother. Nobody in the family or the neighborhood would ever guess that somebody would hate him. Nobody.

[Narrator/Host]

While interviewing Millard's family, detectives sit down with his 18 year old stepdaughter, Jennifer.

[Detective]

Jennifer had information she might be able to provide with regard to the relationship between her mother and father.

[Narrator]

By all outward appearances, this was an ideal marriage.

[Narrator/Host]

But Jennifer exposes a crack in her family's picture perfect veneer.

[Narrator]

In speaking to her, detectives learned that Patricia had an affair with a guy named Mitchell Vickers.

[Detective]

Given the statements, they have to explore Mitch Vickers. Who's Mitch Vickers? Is he the type of person that could have harmed Millard Aldrich because of this affair?

[Narrator/Host]

Two days into Millard Aldridge's murder investigation, authorities in Huntington, West Virginia have a promising lead. According to Millard's stepdaughter Jennifer, his wife Patricia was having an affair with a man named Mitchell Vickers.

[Narrator]

In speaking to her, detectives learned that Patricia would meet with Mitchell Vickers at Jennifer's apartment. Jennifer had disclosed to us that she'd have knowledge about the affair, just her general dislike and suspicions of Vickers and this box of letters that she got from Patricia, a bunch of love letters between Patricia and Vickers. Jennifer mentioned that Vickers had threatened her if she disclosed the relationship to Millard Aldridge. She was scared of him. We ran his name, ended up pulling a jacket on him. Vickers had a fairly extensive record. He was what you might call a career criminal.

[Detective]

Mitch Vickers was from the Barbersville area of Cabell county, which is just east of of city of Huntington. He'd been involved in a lot of thefts and things like that and had had legal trouble in Florida and had been incarcerated there.

[Narrator]

He had recently, we discovered, been convicted of a couple of burglaries and had worked out a plea deal. Having pled guilty to those charges, he had asked for a delayed report date because his mother was in bad health.

[Detective]

He was permitted to be released from jail and was to report on June 29 to the authorities in Cabell county to be transported to the prison.

[Narrator/Host]

Detectives realized Mitchell had been released nearly a week before Millard was reported missing.

[Narrator]

Mitchell Vickers is a person who is very large. He is strong, he's capable of extreme violence. And so the nature of the injuries combined with the knowledge of the affair immediately moved Mitchell Vickers up to the top of the possible suspects list. It raises questions. With the discovery of the affair, it's now necessary to go back and talk to Patricia.

[Narrator/Host]

Detectives immediately contact Patricia at her home and press her about the state of her marriage.

[Detective]

Very shortly after the investigators begin to question her, she admits to the affair with Mitch Vickers.

[Narrator/Host]

Patricia admits that the affair began less than a year earlier, in December of 1997, but her ties to Mitchell Vickers began decades earlier.

[Detective]

Mitch Vickers and Patricia Aldridge had a relationship when they were much younger, back in the 70s. Mitch Vickers had moved away and they separated. But when Mitch returned to town in 1997, they were reacquainted by one of Patricia's friends.

[Narrator]

They reconnected, and that grew from there into a full fledged physical affair.

[Detective]

I have to believe that the attraction to Mitchell Vickers, to Patricia was the fact that he was almost the polar opposite of Millard. Whereas Millard was a stable guy with a job, was a law abiding guy, and Mitchell Vickers was a bad boy in and out of prison.

[Narrator]

Patricia talked about Vickers being rearrested in February of 98. And so when he goes back into jail, she told detectives that she ended the affair with Vickers.

[Detective]

She insists that she's not involved. She's innocent. She loved her husband. And at that point, Patricia indicates that she's not sure if Mitchell Vickers is involved.

[Narrator/Host]

As detectives are wrapping up their interview, Patricia steps away to take a phone call.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

Patricia says, hey, I've got somebody wants to talk to you.

[Detective]

The person identifies as Mitchell Vickers on the phone. And he said, I'm the one that did it. I'm the one that killed that sop.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

He said, just leave my lady alone. She didn't have nothing to do with it.

[Narrator]

The obvious reaction immediately is just amazement.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

We didn't know if it was a love story gone bad. We didn't know exactly what the motive was.

[Narrator]

We had a little bit of a suspicion that perhaps Patricia had called him and convinced him to talk to the police. In addition to confessing, Vickers had also offered to surrender himself and gave us an address, a location to find him.

[Detective]

The detectives immediately leave to try to make contact with Mr. Vickers.

[Narrator]

@ this point, he's not just a suspect, he's the suspect.

[Narrator/Host]

Coming up, detectives come face to face with Mitchell Vickers, and an unexpected motive emerges.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I love his way. How can I go to jail knowing that this ass is going to be out here beating on.

[Detective]

I never had a confession that was quite like this.

[Narrator]

He had no remorse whatsoever. Wednesday on NBC one Chicago is back with three can't miss hours. Let's roll Chicago mid fire and pd.

[Mitchell Vickers]

We run toward the danger, not away from it. With Everyday heroes risking it all. And unforgettable emotional moments on and off the job. You don't want to miss Chicago.

[Narrator]

Wednesday we made a vow to protect this city. One night, one family, one Chicago. Gear up.

[Mitchell Vickers]

We're going in hard.

[Narrator]

Wednesday on NBC.

[Family Member/Friend]

The detective said missing kids usually come home. What happens when they don't?

[Detective]

Based on a true story.

[Millard's Brother]

Police looking for John Gacy.

[Mitchell Vickers]

We discovered bodies by the looks of it. The younger men.

[Detective]

The things he did to those kids.

[Millard's Brother]

He's sick.

[Narrator/Host]

The system failed these families.

[Detective]

Devil in disguise. John Wayne Gacy. Streaming now only on Peacock.

[Millard's Brother]

Do you know how many there are? Up to you to find out.

[Narrator/Host]

48 hours after Huntington police recovered Millard Aldrich's body, his wife's lover, 40 year old Mitchell Vickers, surrenders to authorities.

[Narrator]

It gives a location for them to pick him up. When they encounter him, he's in a truck. He gets out of the truck, he's shirtless and they obviously put him in a cruiser and transported him to be interviewed.

[Detective]

The detectives take him to the barracks in Cabell county and Mitchell Vickers voluntarily gives a statement at that time. In his statement, Mitchell Vickers talked about his relationship with Patricia Aldrich and the fact that they were in love with each other.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I run around with some friends of mine. Their girlfriend knows Trish and. And somehow my name came up and we decided that we would meet and just kind of discuss what you've been doing with your life for the last 18 years. First time we met, we met at Conno Lodge. That's before Christmas. It's very obvious we still had feelings for each other. One thing led to another, you know, I fell back in Holland.

[Narrator]

Pickers stated that the reason why he killed Millard Aldridge was because Patricia had told him that Millard was very abusive.

[Mitchell Vickers]

She has told me things. For instance, that Millard was nothing but a drug dealer. He slaps her around, he treats her like a piece of.

[Narrator/Host]

According to Mitchell, things came to a head when he was recently sentenced for his burglary charges.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I went berserk. I went crazy. You know, I love this lady from my heart. How can I go to jail knowing that this ass is gonna be out here beating on her? And I decided, man, no, I'm going to prison. I'm gonna put a stop to this, you know, I mean, I can't have her, you know, I know I can't. I'm a goddamn. I'm not gonna let nobody else have her.

[Detective]

What did you decide to do?

[Mitchell Vickers]

I signed her address, I went down.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

There.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I walked in their garage approximately 4:30 that morning.

[Millard's Brother]

And how did you get into their garage?

[Mitchell Vickers]

The door was open, I waited and away daylight came and Jose probably at night o' clock, I guess he finally come out of the garage and carrying a bag of trash with him.

[Narrator]

Vickers said that when Millard entered the garage, Vickers attacked him first with a pipe and then beat him with a claw hammer and then stabbed him with a screwdriver.

[Mitchell Vickers]

And then I grabbed a crescent wrench which was hanging on the wall. I grabbed it, I started beating with head. He was screaming, you know Trish hell. Trish hell. And I told her, I'm saying you to hell boy you.

[Detective]

This one was a chilling confession because of the cold and calculating manner in which he spoke about murdering someone. I never had a confession that was quite like this.

[Mitchell Vickers]

When I knew that he was dead, I dug him around, throwing him in a chalkboard, walked over because I was trying to clean up my mess, you know, look, blood trail from there. Okay, what did you do after that?

[Narrator]

Vickers describes driving the car up to 8th Street Road near Skyview Drive. He disposed of the body, dropping it over the side of the hill and then poured gasoline on the car and set it on fire. Then hitched a ride back to town.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I didn't know I would do anything like this. But I cannot let you. Somebody beautiful. Somebody I love.

[Detective]

He seemed to be extremely proud. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded, shirtless, as if he was bragging about what he'd done.

[Narrator]

Almost as if he's trying to make himself out to be the hero rather than the bad guy in this.

[Mitchell Vickers]

Trish ain't got no piece of. Now I'm saying it all on my own, you know, Trish didn't know anything about this.

[Narrator]

Vickers was extremely adamant about taking all of the blame himself. And that just even more raised suspicions because if Patricia wasn't involved, there would be no reason for him to even mention her.

[Narrator/Host]

Following his confession, Mitchell is transported to the Huntington Police Department to be charged with first degree murder. News crews eagerly await his arrival.

[Mitchell Vickers]

A suspect reportedly called police to confess to the murder of WSAZ photographer Miller. Where does he belong?

[Narrator]

In hell.

[Mitchell Vickers]

Just where I sent him.

[Family Member/Friend]

I was at Millard's house with Trish and Miller's mom and it come on the news and Mitch Vickers is on there. They've got him in handcuffs. He's cussing everybody, saying that Millard was a terrible person, he deserved to die. He was a wife beater and a child abuser. I mean, we're all in shock. Glad that they Arrested him. But where did he get this information from?

[Mitchell Vickers]

He also apparently had a motive.

[Millard's Brother]

He said it was over a relationship with a.

[Narrator]

With a woman.

[Narrator/Host]

When investigators circle back to Millard's family members, they say that, in hindsight, they believe Millard must have been suspicious of his wife's infidelity.

[Millard's Brother]

I could tell that something was bothering him a lot. Patricia wasn't really paying attention to him like she was, and she wasn't the happy go lucky smile. I think he might have kind of knew, but he didn't want to know. He didn't want it to be real.

[Family Member/Friend]

You could tell Patricia was a little bit nervous about all of it, but she was still trying to act like the innocent person in all this. A lot of what I felt was a gut feeling that she wasn't being truthful.

[Narrator/Host]

Family members are adamant that millard has never been abusive.

[Family Member/Friend]

Everybody that knows him knows he wasn't.

[Narrator]

All of that kind of raised red flags. Everything we had up to that point said, no, that's not true.

[Narrator/Host]

Since Patricia had allegedly fed this information to Mitchell, Investigators have grossly doubts about her story. Looking for clues, they compare her previous statements to the forensic evidence found at the scene and hit pay dirt.

[Narrator]

Luminol was applied to the crime scene in the garage, and it was apparent that there had been a vehicle parked where the violence had taken place. It cast a lot of doubt to the explanation Patricia gave about Millard parking the van in front of the house before leaving. So we wanted to take a closer look at the van.

[Detective]

There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

Patricia had made a statement that the last time she saw Millard Was when he pulled her vehicle from the garage around to the front of the house and parked it along the curb. We went back to examine Patricia's van, and it didn't take long to find some blood stains. There was a couple of stains that were on the passenger side rear view mirror. But then I looked up in the wheel well, up above the tire, and that's where I saw a lot of impact spatter, Meaning that that portion of the vehicle would have been adjacent to the beating as the beating was taking place.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

That says the van had to be in the garage when the blood got on.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

Made it very plain and obvious to me at that point that she was lying.

[Narrator/Host]

Investigators immediately bring Patricia aldridge into the station for questioning.

[Detective]

At this time, Patricia was confronted with this evidence, and she indicates that she wants a lawyer.

[Narrator]

Clearly, she knew about it and had some kind of involvement in it.

[Narrator/Host]

Investigators don't have enough evidence to hold Patricia, so they let her go. On June 27, a local couple contacts police after seeing Vickers arrest on the news.

[Detective]

The day after Mitchell Vickers was arrested, the police received a telephone call from Cheryl Kowalski.

[Narrator]

Cheryl Kowalski is a friend of Patricia's. Cheryl's husband Ronald had spent time in jail with Mitchell Vickers.

[Narrator/Host]

Cheryl says In January of 1998, Mitchell contacted her husband Ronald with a proposal.

[Detective]

Cheryl tells police that Mitchell Vickers had approached her husband and offered money to kill Millard Aldrich.

[Narrator]

So detectives interviewed Ronald Gwal. He provided the corroborating information.

[Detective]

He had a video that showed Patricia Aldrich and Mitchell Vickers at his home Christmas of 1997.

[Narrator]

Patricia was sitting on Vickers lap and kissing him, hugging him, essentially carrying on like teenagers.

[Narrator/Host]

A month later, Mitchell had returned to Ron and Cheryl's home.

[Narrator]

Ron said that Vickers had approached him, asked him if he wanted to earn some money.

[Detective]

He had been offered $7,500 to kill Millard Aldrich, but he refuses.

[Narrator/Host]

According to Ronald, it wasn't just Mitchell who wanted Millard dead.

[Narrator]

According to Ron, there was another time where he was approached. This time Patricia Aldridge and Vickers together. Patricia asked Ron if he would be willing to kill her husband and described that she wanted him out of the picture.

[Detective]

The statement of the Kowalskis are important because it doesn't isolate Mitchell Vickers as being a lone person seeking to have Miller Aldrich killed. It clearly shows that this was a joint enterprise on their part.

[Narrator/Host]

As for why Patricia wanted her husband dead, her friends believe they know the answer.

[Narrator]

Patricia had described that the reason she couldn't leave her husband was because it all boiled down to money. She couldn't make it financially on her own.

[Narrator/Host]

When investigators obtain the Aldrich's financial records.

[Detective]

They learn why Patricia was the samester. She had a business called Stitch and Tie that eventually went bankrupt and closed.

[Interviewer/Police Dispatcher]

Millard Aldrich worked for WSAZ TV here in Huntington. And they had a policy that if their employee got killed, they would pay a year's salary to that employee's beneficiary. I was talking with the bookkeeper wsaz and I will never forget what the lady said to me. She said, honey, that's not where the money is. She said, it's in his 401k. I said, how much? And she said around $250,000.

[Narrator/Host]

Mitchell Vickers is in custody for the confessed murder of Millard Aldridge. But now friends of Millard's wife Patricia have come forward, accusing her of being a co conspirator.

[Detective]

Patricia indicates to some friends that she was not financially able to make it on her own by merely divorcing him and that eliminating him was the solution to her problem. She would have been the beneficiary of the 401 in the life insurance policy. So there was at least $300,000 there that she would have received. On July 1, 1998, through his attorney, Mitchell Vickers had made contact with the prosecuting attorney's office and agreed to give an additional statement.

[Narrator]

He's been informed that the original motive that he gave, the belief that Millard was abusive towards Patricia, was false. Once he's confronted with that information, it becomes clear to him that at least in some part, he was used by Patricia. And so he's no longer shielding her from everything that happened.

[Mitchell Vickers]

Oh, Trish, I love a slave on my heart could it she made us buffalo me she got me to believe in, without a doubt, her husband was a real threat. I don't even know the man.

[Detective]

He detailed the motive for the crime being the financial motive.

[Mitchell Vickers]

She'd been wanting to get rid of it for a long time. She offered me $10,000. She asked me to do it. Finally, I grieved.

[Narrator]

And so he describes Patricia having set things up at the house. She disabled a motion light. She unlocked the door to the garage.

[Detective]

He explained that he committed the act after Millard walked into the garage and that he stuffed Millard's body in the trunk, took the car up to 8th Street Road, Skyview Drive area, dump Millard's body out.

[Mitchell Vickers]

She was right behind me in her van with gas all over the car, inside out, torched it, jumped in her man. We took off.

[Narrator]

Patricia then drove him to Walmart where she gets him a change of clothes.

[Mitchell Vickers]

And she took me to the mayor, took me over to a buddy of mine's house, come by and drop me off. That's when guess, she went off and did report.

[Narrator]

So the additional information that Vickers now gives us further cemented Patricia's involvement in this murder.

[Detective]

She is a principal of the crime, just like the person who wielded the hammer. So at this point, she will be charged with first degree murder.

[Narrator/Host]

On July 3, Millard Aldridge is laid to rest surrounded by friends and family, including Patricia.

[Millard's Brother]

We're at the funeral home and her still doing the boo hoo, poor widow, what about me thing.

[Friend/Community Member]

We all knew that she was involved. It was so hard for all of us to just grin, embarrass.

[Millard's Brother]

We got to the cemetery and they lowered his coffin into the ground and we started filling it up.

[Family Member/Friend]

That's when the police came up and arrested her. Poetic justice of her getting arrested at the cemetery, that was just karma.

[Detective]

Just a week after her husband Millard was found beaten to death, his wife.

[Millard's Brother]

Was arrested and charged with first degree murder.

[Narrator/Host]

Despite confessing to Millard's murder, Mitchell Vickers takes his chances at trial on May 4, 1999.

[Detective]

We had corroborating evidence, but the most compelling evidence was his confession.

[Mitchell Vickers]

I knew I was down here murdered man. I come here for a reason, to kill him.

[Narrator]

Mitchell Vickers was found guilty of of first degree murder and he was sentenced to life without mercy.

[Family Member/Friend]

We would have preferred the death penalty, but West Virginia doesn't really have that on the table.

[Narrator/Host]

Patricia Aldridge's trial gets underway on August 24, 1999.

[Detective]

So we had to connect all those dots to clearly show that she was intimately involved in the planning and the murder of her husband.

[Family Member/Friend]

It was hard to find out how much involvement she had. Just having Millard murdered by her lover was bad enough, but to find out that she helped plan everything.

[Narrator]

Everything.

[Millard's Brother]

A death for hire, that's what it was. She was the mastermind of it all.

[Narrator]

Her selfishness, her greed, everything is about her.

[Friend/Community Member]

Mitch killed Millard because he loved Trish. He would do anything for her.

[Detective]

Affairs deal with human emotions and human emotions and are set ablaze like this. You don't know where the fire is going to go.

[Narrator/Host]

On August 26, Patricia takes the stand, attempting to refute the state's claim that this was a cold blooded conspiracy.

[Detective]

Patricia Aldridge maintained that she may have been involved with Mitchell Vickers, but that he took it upon himself to do this. Mr. Vickers testified in her trial and, and recanted his second statement that she was involved.

[Mitchell Vickers]

It was just total selfish stupidity on my part to drag an innocent person in such a serious charge situation that I'm in. She didn't do anything bad.

[Detective]

In Mitchell Vickers world, one of the worst things you can be is a snitch. And as much as anything, he may well have testified at that trial to rid himself of being a snitch. Mitch Vickers truly loved her and I think he tried to save her one last time.

[Narrator/Host]

Following a three day trial, the jury reaches a verdict.

[Detective]

Patricia Aldrich was found guilty of first degree murder. Her sentence was life in prison with no possibility of parole.

[Millard's Brother]

They got exactly what they deserved and I don't lose them being asleep over it.

[Narrator]

There are two basic motives that come forward in this particular case. One is money, plain old fashioned greed. The other is love gone wrong. Put those two things together, it's like pouring gasoline on a fire.

[Friend/Community Member]

I think it was just a fatal attraction that they just couldn't get out of their system.

[Family Member/Friend]

Patricia, I really don't understand how you could do this and tear a family up and take a great man not just from us, but your kids, his kids. How could you do this? I just wish he was here. I was even here.

[Millard's Brother]

My brother will be remembered in our family to me as one of the most loving, caring, devoted persons that you could ask for. Hopefully, his legacy people will still remember and it will live on. I know it will live on in our family as long as we're here.

[Narrator/Host]

Patricia Aldridge is currently incarcerated at Lakin Correctional center in West Virginia and is not eligible for parole. Mitchell Vickers died in prison of hepatitis C in 2002.