BONUS: The Hunter and the Hunted (Accident, Suicide, or Murder)

Summary

Snapped: Women Who Murder — Episode Summary: BONUS: The Hunter and the Hunted (Accident, Suicide, or Murder)

Release Date: December 11, 2024
Host/Author: Oxygen

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1. Introduction to Leonela Stickney's Death

In this gripping bonus episode of Snapped: Women Who Murder, Oxygen delves into the tragic case of Leonela Stickney, a young mother and immigrant who met an untimely death during what was initially deemed a hunting accident. The episode meticulously unpacks the layers of deception, jealousy, and financial motives that intertwined to unravel the truth behind her demise.

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2. The Initial Incident and Bertram's Account

On a seemingly ordinary day, Leonela Stickney accompanied her fiancé, Russell Bertram, on a hunting trip in South Dakota. According to Bertram's account, an accident occurred when Leonela, unfamiliar with firearms, grabbed his shotgun and inadvertently discharged it, striking her in the chest.

• Detective: "And that's when he said the gun accidentally discharged and the shotgun blast struck Leonela in the chest." (05:43)

Bertram, a former law enforcement officer, immediately reported the incident to 911, painting the picture of a tragic mishap during pheasant hunting—a common occurrence in the region.

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3. Suspicion Arises: Uncovering Red Flags

While the initial narrative seemed plausible, several inconsistencies began to surface. Investigators noted Bertram's stoic demeanor following Leonela's death, which raised eyebrows among the law enforcement team.

• Detective: "Bertram was seemingly non-emotional. He was stoic." (08:13)

Further scrutiny revealed that Bertram's method of handling the shotgun post-incident was atypical for an experienced hunter. Additionally, the absence of defensive wounds on Leonela suggested there might not have been a struggle, casting doubt on the accidental nature of the shooting.

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4. Digging Deeper: Motive and Financial Ties

A pivotal turning point in the investigation came when Leonela's estranged husband, David Stickney, disclosed the existence of two substantial life insurance policies totaling nearly a million dollars, with Bertram listed as the beneficiary.

• Family Member: "Anytime that there's insurance policy, it's always something that law enforcement looks into for a potential motive." (17:18)

This revelation pointed towards a potential financial motive for Bertram to orchestrate Leonela's death. Further investigation into Bertram's background unveiled financial struggles, including a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing and a history of obsessive jealousy in previous marriages.

• Detective: "He was unnecessarily suspicious. He took their phones from them. He accused them of having affairs with other men." (29:04)

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5. The Emergence of Nathan Meter

Complicating the case was the discovery of Nathan Meter, a new man in Leonela's life who revealed that Leonela had informed him of her pregnancy just days before her death. Meter shared unsettling details about texts he received from someone impersonating Leonela after her supposed death.

• True Crime Host: "I knew she was going through a very drawn out divorce, but there's nothing to tell me that she had another boyfriend." (22:37)

These fabricated texts suggested that someone was manipulating Leonela's phone to cover up the perpetrator's actions, further implicating Bertram in deceitful behavior.

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6. Reaching the Breakthrough and Final Evidence

As the investigation progressed, critical evidence emerged. Despite initial claims of ignorance, text message analyses indicated Bertram's awareness of Leonela's possible pregnancy and her relationship with Nathan Meter. Additionally, forensic examinations failed to find Leonela's fingerprints on the shotgun, undermining Bertram's accidental discharge story.

• Detective: "If you find Leonela's fingerprints on the barrel, then that is consistent with his story that it was just an accident." (14:35)
• Detective: "The phone wreck records were the confirmation to you what your suspicions are because you killed it." (36:59)

These inconsistencies, combined with Bertram's financial motives and history of jealousy, built a compelling circumstantial case against him.

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7. The Trial and Conviction

In September 2016, after two years of meticulous investigation, Russell Bertram was brought to trial. The prosecution presented a robust case highlighting the financial incentives, Bertram's manipulative behavior, and the fabricated communications post-Leonela's death.

• Law Enforcement Officer: "The text exchanges between Nathan and Neela's phone undermined Russell Bertram's story that he had not known about the pregnancy at the time of the murder." (43:13)

Leonela's sister, Melissa Del Valle, bravely testified against Bertram, exposing the lies he had perpetuated and the life insurance deceit. The jury, swayed by the overwhelming circumstantial evidence, convicted Bertram of first-degree murder.

• Detective: "The jurors convicted Russ Bertram of first degree murder." (44:05)
• Family Member: "I feel relief, victory for me and for my family. We got the justice for my sister Nila." (44:27)

Bertram was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would never pose a threat again.

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8. Conclusion and Impact

The case of Leonela Stickney serves as a haunting reminder of how financial motives and personal vendettas can culminate in tragic outcomes. Bertram's conviction not only brought justice to Leonela and her family but also highlighted the importance of thorough investigative work in unraveling the truth behind seemingly accidental deaths.

• True Crime Host: "I miss Neela. Her life was ended so soon in the relationship has been a long time and I definitely think about it all the time." (44:51)

This episode underscores the resilience of victims' families and the relentless pursuit of justice by law enforcement, ensuring that the truth prevails even in the face of tangled deceit.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Detective: "And that's when he said the gun accidentally discharged and the shotgun blast struck Leonela in the chest." (05:43)
• Detective: "Bertram was seemingly non-emotional. He was stoic." (08:13)
• Family Member: "Anytime that there's insurance policy, it's always something that law enforcement looks into for a potential motive." (17:18)
• Detective: "He was unnecessarily suspicious. He took their phones from them. He accused them of having affairs with other men." (29:04)
• True Crime Host: "I knew she was going through a very drawn out divorce, but there's nothing to tell me that she had another boyfriend." (22:37)
• Detective: "If you find Leonela's fingerprints on the barrel, then that is consistent with his story that it was just an accident." (14:35)
• Detective: "The phone wreck records were the confirmation to you what your suspicions are because you killed it." (36:59)
• Law Enforcement Officer: "The text exchanges between Nathan and Neela's phone undermined Russell Bertram's story that he had not known about the pregnancy at the time of the murder." (43:13)
• Detective: "The jurors convicted Russ Bertram of first degree murder." (44:05)
• Family Member: "I feel relief, victory for me and for my family. We got the justice for my sister Nila." (44:27)
• True Crime Host: "I miss Neela. Her life was ended so soon in the relationship has been a long time and I definitely think about it all the time." (44:51)

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This comprehensive summary captures the intricate details and emotional weight of Leonela Stickney's case, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the events, investigations, and ultimate justice served.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[True Crime Host]

For true crime fans, nothing is more chilling than watching Dateline.

[Forensic Pathologist]

Have you ever seen such a thing before?

[True Crime Host]

For a podcast fans, nothing is more chilling than listening.

[Forensic Pathologist]

What goes through your mind when you.

[Narrator]

Make a discovery like that?

[Detective]

And when you subscribe to Dateline Premium, it gets even better. Excuse me if I sound a little skeptical.

[True Crime Host]

Every episode is ad free.

[Medical Examiner]

Ooh, wow.

[Narrator]

So this could be your ace in the hole.

[True Crime Host]

And not just ad free. You also get early access to new, intriguing mysteries and exclusive bonus content.

[Detective]

So what were you afraid of? Dateline Premium?

[True Crime Host]

Subscribe now on Apple podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com.

[Detective]

You ready for what's coming?

[Narrator]

High Snap listeners, we are bringing you a special bonus episode today from Oxygen's hit series Accident, Suicide or Murder. 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. A young mother who came to America for a better life dies in a hunting accident while out with her fiance.

[Detective]

The shotgun blast struck her in the chest.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Hunting accidents are a relatively common occurrence in South Dakota.

[Family Member]

She has a young son. She has a family she's supported in the Philippines. She's engaged to be married. So there's a lot of victims in this tragedy.

[Detective]

The fiance continues to communicate with her family in the Philippines.

[Sister of Victim]

When my sister died. He treats us like family.

[Narrator]

It appears to be a tragic accident, but a love triangle gives police cause for concern.

[True Crime Host]

There's nothing to tell me that she had another boyfriend.

[Detective]

Someone is using the victim's phone pretending to be her.

[Forensic Pathologist]

There is a saying in South Dakota that if you want to murder someone, you take them hunting and then a.

[Narrator]

Shocking encounter becomes a critical break in the case.

[Detective]

How was it you fell in love with your fiance's emergency?

[Family Member]

Yes, my friend just got accidentally got.

[Detective]

Shot and I'm on the way to the Greger Hospital. Call him right away. About five miles out. Five miles out.

[Narrator]

Does she breathe in conscious?

[Detective]

No, she's not breathing? No, it's emergency.

[Narrator]

Okay, I'll let the hospital know that you're coming. Okay.

[Detective]

All right. Approximately 1:40pm the shooting victim and the caller arrive in a pickup truck. They Immediately start attending to the shooting victim. The shooting victim is a young female.

[Medical Examiner]

The victim has a shotgun wound to the chest. Kid came in still breathing, a slight heartbeat. They were working on her at that time, doing what they could.

[Detective]

Law enforcement is summoned to the hospital to start investigating what happened.

[Medical Examiner]

The initial call was an accident and since it was pheasant season, we assumed maybe it was a hunting accident.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Gregory county is in the heart of farmland and during pheasant season it'll call itself the pheasant hunting capital of the world.

[Detective]

When Deputy Dray and Gregory County Sheriff Charlie Wolf arrived at the hospital, they were immediately directed to the caller, the driver of the vehicle. That subject identified himself as Russell Bertram.

[Medical Examiner]

Sheriff Wolf knew him. He was a former law enforcement officer.

[Detective]

Bertram was 52 years old and he had been police chief in a town near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Mr. Bertram said that the person that was shot was his 26 year old fiance.

[Medical Examiner]

Her name was Leah Nyla Stickney, but everybody called her Nyla.

[Detective]

Mr. Bertram said that he and Neela had been out road hunting.

[Medical Examiner]

Mr. Bertram said that he was an.

[Detective]

Experienced hunter, but Leonela had never been road hunting before and she was not familiar with guns. Bertram told law enforcement that prior to the shooting he had already shot two pheasant. And as they're going down this dirt chew track, he saw a pheasant up ahead. He got out of the vehicle with his Remington 87012 gauge shotgun, went forward and shot the bird, collected the bird, threw the bird in the back of the pickup truck, and then he opened the driver's side door. He extended the gun forward into the passenger compartment.

[Medical Examiner]

Russell stated that was when Leonella grabbed the shotgun and pulled it towards him and said, kiss me.

[Detective]

And that's when he said the gun accidentally discharged and the shotgun blast struck Leonela in the chest. Immediately after the shooting occurred, Bertram called 911 to report that there had been a shooting.

[Narrator]

While doctors rush to save Leonela Stickney's life, Deputy Dray takes Russell Bertram back to the scene of the shooting to find evidence to verify his story.

[Medical Examiner]

Russell Bertram told me where the accident had occurred. So we drove to the spot.

[Detective]

It was kind of in the basin of this dirt road, very hard to see from any surrounding area.

[Medical Examiner]

Bertram showed me where he thought he had exactly shot the pheasant. We searched the area several minutes for a spent shell from his shotgun. It was very dense with weeds. We could see the tracks from the vehicle that were in the weeds. There was evidence that he had been there at that spot with the vehicle. He told me again how he had placed the shotgun back into the vehicle. And my thoughts were, that's not how an experienced hunter puts a gun into a vehicle, especially a loaded gun. Experienced hunter would put it into the vehicle angled down. So that threw up some red flags.

[Narrator]

Back at the hospital, investigators have discovered a clue in Russell's pickup truck.

[Medical Examiner]

While I was away with Russell Bertram, Sheriff Wolf found three pheasants in the back of the vehicle. Two were cold and one appeared to be warm and freshly shot, which very much verified what Mr. Bertram had told law enforcement, that he had just shot a pheasant at the scene. On the inside of the truck, we found an 870 Remington pump shotgun. The barrel was on the hump of the transmission. There was blood in the vehicle on the passenger side. And it was all consistent with what Bertram had stated. At that point, it was very plausible that this could have been an accident.

[Narrator]

Shortly after law enforcement is informed that the worst case scenario has happened, unfortunately.

[Detective]

Despite the best efforts of the emergency room team, Neela died of her injuries.

[Medical Examiner]

We notified Mr. Bertram that his fiance Neela had passed away.

[Detective]

Bertram was seemingly non emotional. He was stoic.

[Medical Examiner]

We thought that was very odd.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

But hunting accidents are a relatively common occurrence in South Dakota. Being the former law enforcement officer, that gives him a little more credibility.

[Detective]

What Bertram was describing, certainly plausible. It was an unfortunate accident that resulted in Neela's death.

[Family Member]

Nila was an immigrant with a family that she still really cared for in the Philippines.

[Detective]

At 2 o'clock in the morning after Leo Neela's death, Bertram calls her older sister Melissa in the Philippines to tell her the tragic news.

[Sister of Victim]

Ross called me. He told us that Neela died in a gunshot accident. She's far from us, so we cannot even see her for the last time. We cannot even see her.

[Detective]

How much we love her.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Nila was raised in poverty in the Philippine jungle and she wanted to improve her life.

[Sister of Victim]

Nila is a loving sister, a loving mother. She is an independent woman, an achiever, and she loves to dance.

[Detective]

She had only come to the United States in 2004 after meeting a gentleman from South Dakota named David stickney. David was 67. They wound up getting married and relocated to South Dakota and a year later had their son. By 2008, Leonela was estranged from her husband David, but still had a close relationship with her son. Prior to her breakup with David, she had met a former police officer named Russell Bertram.

[Family Member]

They wound up becoming friendly and decided to get engaged. Bertram told law enforcement that he did in fact, love Neela and they were in a loving relationship.

[Detective]

Leo Neela worked at the nursing home and she would send much of the money that she earned back to her family in the Philippines.

[Sister of Victim]

Neela is a big contributor to our family. She is our source of income.

[Family Member]

Nila has a young son. She has a family she's supported in the Philippines. She's engaged to be married. So there's a lot of victims in this tragedy.

[Sister of Victim]

It's very painful, gross. It's still painful for me.

[Detective]

Two days after the shooting, Dr. Brad Randall conducted the autopsy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

[Forensic Pathologist]

It was evident that there was a shotgun wound to the left chest. There was a very small diameter wound for a shotgun. So it was clear this was a very close range shot. The pellets all entered the body and did catastrophic damage. The survivability of this type of injury is essentially zero.

[Narrator]

Leonela Stickney has no defensive wounds to suggest a struggle. But as Dr. Randall continues the autopsy, he makes a shocking discovery that adds to the tragic circumstances of Leonela's death.

[Forensic Pathologist]

When I, looking under the microscope, I was able to identify an early pregnancy in the uterus.

[Detective]

Leonela was actually a few weeks pregnant at the time that she was shot. Is there a motive for this death?

[Family Member]

It seems like there's another man in Mila's life, possibly a new boyfriend.

[Medical Examiner]

You didn't know she was pregnant?

[Detective]

No, I did not. Bertram was very non emotional about it. That certainly raises our suspicions.

[Narrator]

After discovering at the autopsy that the victim, Leonela Stickney, was a few weeks pregnant, detectives question whether this could be a motive for something more sinister.

[Forensic Pathologist]

As a forensic pathologist, we are charged with determining two things. Primarily. One of them is the cause of death, which in this case was obviously the shotgun wound to the chest. And the next thing is the manner of death. But in this case, I could not distinguish whether this was an accident or a homicide.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

The circumstances of the shooting is not something that you can determine forensically.

[Forensic Pathologist]

In fact, there was only one person at that point in time who really did know what the circumstances were.

[Medical Examiner]

That point of finding out that Neela was pregnant. Sheriff Wolf went and spoke with Mr. Bertram again.

[Family Member]

Bertram told law enforcement that he didn't know Neela was pregnant when she died.

[Detective]

Again, Bertram was very non emotional about it. That certainly raises our support suspicions at that point. Is her pregnancy a motive for her death?

[Law Enforcement Officer]

But it was even possible that Nila didn't know she was pregnant. That would eliminate the pregnancy as a motive factor.

[Narrator]

Investigators hope forensics can help shed light on whether or not Russell's initial statement was true about Leah Nila grabbing the barrel of the shotgun, causing it to discharge accidentally.

[Detective]

On October 27, three days after the shooting, Sheriff Wolf brought the shotgun to the South Dakota forensic lab in Pierce, South Dakota to have the gun examined for fingerprints.

[Medical Examiner]

If we find Leonella's fingerprints on the barrel, then that is consistent with his story that it was just an accident.

[Detective]

On November 9, the South Dakota forensic lab reported back that they had examined the barrel of the shotgun. Absolutely no fingerprints were found on that barrel. It's quite possible that they could have been wiped off, but that doesn't really tell us anything. If her fingerprints are on the gun, boy, that certainly supports what Bertram said happened. But the fact that her fingerprints are not on the gun, it doesn't support him. So we continue to investigate.

[Narrator]

Nearly four weeks after the shooting, with no forensic evidence, the local coroner rules on the manner of Leonela Stickney's death.

[Forensic Pathologist]

At the time that I did this autopsy, I was coroner in my local jurisdiction, but the autopsy was done for another jurisdiction and they had the ultimate responsibility for certifying the death.

[Medical Examiner]

On November 30, 2009, the doctor at the hospital filed a death certificate.

[Detective]

Nelis, the attending physician, listed the manner of death as accident.

[Medical Examiner]

But we were continuing with the investigation that this was not an accident.

[Forensic Pathologist]

At that time, accident was a very plausible manner of death. On the other hand, there is a saying in South Dakota that if you want to murder someone, you take them hunting.

[Narrator]

Nearly two months after Leonela Stickney's death, police are at a standstill with no evidence to corroborate Russell Bertram's story or incriminate him. But then they catch a break.

[Detective]

In December of 2009, there was a completely unexpected revelation to the case. Neela's estranged husband, David Stickney. He called Sheriff Wolf and informed him that he had learned of two life insurance policies totaling almost a million dollars on Neila. David is the father of their four year old child, yet he had no idea such a large insurance policy had been taken out on Leonila's life. According to David, the money from the life insurance policies are not going to him or their son. That made David Stickney suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his wife's death.

[Family Member]

Anytime that there's insurance policy, it's always something that law enforcement looks into for a potential motive.

[Detective]

We subpoena the actual applications for these insurance policies. We have to find out when were these life insurance policies applied for and who is a beneficiary. On December 16, 2009, we received the results of the subpoenas, we look and lo and behold, the beneficiary is in fact the guy that shot her, Russell Bertram.

[Medical Examiner]

That could be a very huge motive for this not being an accident and this being an actual murder.

[Narrator]

South Dakota law enforcement continues to investigate the shooting death of Leonela Stickney. Though her fiance, Russell Bertram, claims it was an accident, the discovery of a large life insurance policy points toward a motive for murder.

[Detective]

Sure enough, we find that the person that is going to benefit the most from her death is in fact Russ Bertram. The guy that shot her, he claimed accidentally, who's been a law enforcement officer most of his life.

[Family Member]

There were about $900,000 in these policies.

[Detective]

It's certainly leaning more nefarious and less accidental.

[Medical Examiner]

Why Russ Bertram? Why not her family in the Philippines and why not her son? What was the reason behind Russ Bertram being the beneficiary?

[Detective]

The next step is to interview Russ Bertram.

[Medical Examiner]

We asked him about the reasons for him being the beneficiary.

[Family Member]

Bertram told law enforcement that Neela took out these policies because she was a bad driver.

[Detective]

He explained to us that Neela named him the beneficiary so he would distribute it to her family in monthly allotments.

[Family Member]

Bertram was her fiance, so she must have thought that he was a trustworthy person.

[Detective]

Bertram also told us that he continues to communicate with Melissa, Leonela's sister in the Philippines.

[Sister of Victim]

When my sister died, Ross was taking over the responsibility of Neela. Ross told me that he's fighting the insurance policy in the court, so he needs more in supporting documents. So I've been helping him. That way he can get the money and also to help our family, which is what he promised to my sister Nila. He's nice to us. He treats us like family. Because of his kindness that he showed to me and to my family, I grow an attachment to him.

[Detective]

Nela's estranged husband, David Stickney, thought the insurance money should go to their four year old son. And because of that, there was a civil suit over the insurance money.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Until the insurance money was paid, law enforcement doesn't really know how much of a motive factor the money is.

[Narrator]

It appears that the investigation is at a second standstill. But then, only a few weeks later, yet another possible motive for murder is discovered.

[Detective]

During the course of our investigation, we went back to David Stickney to update him on the status of the case. David Stickney volunteered to us that he had in fact hired a private investigator to follow Leone's surveillance to see where she went.

[Family Member]

During the divorce proceedings. There's Questions about custody over Neala and David's son. So David hires a private investigator to learn who their son is spending time with.

[Detective]

The private investigator revealed to David Stickney that he followed Leo Neala not only to Russ Bertram's residence, but then to the home of another man.

[Family Member]

It seems that there's another man in Neala's life, possibly a new boyfriend named Nathan Meter.

[Detective]

That adds a whole new complexity to the investigation. Now we have this new man. What is his connection to Leonila and how close are they? On January 16, 2010, three months after Neela's death, we approached Nathan Meter and questioned him about his relationship with Neala.

[True Crime Host]

I got a knock on my door and it was the sheriff and another detective. They went in to question me about Neela and then I was informed that, you know, she'd been killed. I was so shocked.

[Detective]

Nathan Meter didn't know that Neela had died.

[True Crime Host]

My heart definitely sunk. I asked what happened. And then I was told that she was shot in a so called hunting accident by your fiance. You know, which that, that to me was almost harder to believe than the fact that she had been killed. I knew she was going through a very drawn out divorce, but there's nothing to tell me that she had another boyfriend.

[Detective]

We learned from Nathan Meda that he had met Leo Neela in September 2009 at a bar called Borrowed Bucks in Sioux Falls.

[True Crime Host]

Neala. He was very witty. We kind of hit it off right away. I'm not a big dancer, but she did get me on the dance floor, which is pretty hard to do, but you know, when you like somebody, you're willing to do that kind of stuff. It just progressed into her talking, texting daily and seeing each other whenever we could. She'd bring her four year old son and we'd hang out.

[Detective]

And then on October 22, two days before her death, Neela told Nathan that she was pregnant and that she believes that he's the father.

[True Crime Host]

When she told me she was pregnant, but I was at peace with it. I'm not going to just not be in that child's life. But Neela, you wanted some time. She wanted a couple weeks and then she just kind of disappeared off the face of the earth.

[Detective]

Neela died two days later.

[True Crime Host]

That's when I was informed of the date. I was like, no, that could have been it because I've textured him with her.

[Detective]

Nathan got out his cell phone and he showed the text messages between his phone and Leo. Neela's phone. Two weeks after the death. Someone is using Nela's phone pretending to be her. They called it the happiest place on the high desert.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Home to a tight knit group of.

[Detective]

30 somethings who like to party.

[Narrator]

It started as a Playboy Channel fantasy, but this is real life where passion.

[Detective]

Leads to murder and a killer seeks.

[Medical Examiner]

God's help with the COVID up.

[Detective]

I'm Josh Mankiewicz and this is Deadly.

[Medical Examiner]

Mirage, an all new podcast from Dateline.

[True Crime Host]

Listen to new episodes for free each week. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator]

We're back.

[Detective]

We're back, baby.

[Family Member]

The Real Housewives of New York City is all new.

[Detective]

We are just. I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with me?

[Narrator]

What don't I do for a living? I built a $100 million company.

[Detective]

Yeah, good for you.

[Family Member]

OMG.

[Narrator]

You told her? What did you say? You are a snake.

[Sister of Victim]

Nobody sees you coming. Not today, Satan. Not today.

[Narrator]

Everyone is a gossip.

[Detective]

No one gets out of here alive.

[Family Member]

Don't miss an all new Real Housewives of New York City.

[Detective]

Every Tuesday at 9 on Bravo and streaming on Peacock.

[Narrator]

In January 2010, nearly three months after the shooting death of Leonela Stickney, law enforce discovers another man in Leonela's life, Nathan Meter. Nathan provides shocking information to police. Someone posing as Leonela texted him two weeks after her death.

[True Crime Host]

When Neila told me that she was pregnant, she wanted some time. She asked for like two weeks and I gave her that time. And then, you know, after that two weeks tried several times to get ahold of her. Unbeknownst to me, she'd been killed.

[Family Member]

Almost the next day, on November 5th, he texts her, hey, it's been two weeks. What's up? Am I going to get to see you? But still no response.

[True Crime Host]

And then she did start responding to texts.

[Detective]

Someone pretending to be Neela texts Nathan saying that she can't see him anymore. Nathan texts back, I've missed you a lot, and I really don't understand why you don't want to see me anymore. And the response he gets from Leonilo, it's I'm married.

[True Crime Host]

I just kind of assumed that she did decide to get back together with her ex husband, your son's father.

[Detective]

After that, the next text that Nathan got was a lewd question.

[Family Member]

I want to know if you think I was good in bed.

[True Crime Host]

It became quite evident that I wasn't dealing with Neela, so I asked her to call me. And at that point, the text messages stopped. I assumed it was her ex husband texting me.

[Detective]

Nathan Meader didn't know about Russell Bertram or know that Leonila had died. And so he didn't think to contact the police.

[True Crime Host]

I miss Neela. I would have liked the opportunity to have tried to build a life with her that was taken away. That's one of the things that does haunt me.

[Medical Examiner]

Obviously, the text messages were coming from the person who had Leonella's phone, which we knew was Mr. Bertram.

[Detective]

Does Russ Bertram know about Nathan Meter? Does that give Russ Bertram more motive other than the insurance money to kill Neela? Stick me.

[Narrator]

Without proof. Law enforcement's suspicions are not enough to acquire warrants, so they must rely on cooperation and public records to dig deeper.

[Detective]

We obtain a public records search of Russ Bertram's background. We found that in 2008, just before his relationship with Neela began, Russ filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. He was in debt for about $86,000.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

His debt payments each month equaled his monthly income. So this is a guy who's at the end of his financial rope, and he has a very strong motive to try and get some money quickly.

[Detective]

We also learned that Bertram had been married three times prior to this relationship. We were able to track each of them down and interview them about Russ.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

All of them reported the same thing, that Russell Bertram was somebody who was obsessively jealous.

[Detective]

He was unnecessarily suspicious. He took their phones from them. He accused them of having affairs with other men. So now we're thinking Russell looked at Leonela's phone records. He knew about Nathan Meter.

[Family Member]

There are a number of things that we're suspicious. It's not finding any fingerprints on the barrel. It's the life insurance policies. There is his history of jealous behavior.

[Detective]

We're not thinking that it's an accident. We're thinking it's a murder. On January 21, 2011, over a year after the shooting, Sheriff Wolf and I interviewed Russ Bertram at the Gregory County Sheriff's Office that day.

[Medical Examiner]

You didn't know she was pregnant?

[Detective]

No, I did not. She made the comment that she was light, meaning, hey, I could be pregnant. Yeah. This was the first time that Russ disclosed to us that he knew that she might be pregnant.

[Medical Examiner]

She did not know.

[Family Member]

I had a massacre.

[Detective]

You couldn't have been the father.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Correct.

[Detective]

Russ knows that if she's pregnant, he can't be the father. That's more motive to kill Neela. She was fooling around on the side, but you didn't know it. Right. Had you ever checked her phone to kind of feel out what she was doing before her death? No. He said he wasn't suspicious of anything that she was doing. And so then we asked him about the text messages Nathan Meader received after Leonela's death.

[Medical Examiner]

We have text messages from Leonella's phone to him after she died. Which I assume came from you. Yes, because I was trying to find.

[Detective]

Out who he was. And he said he did that because he wanted to know for a fact that Neala was having sex with another man.

[Narrator]

Without a confession from Russell Bertram, investigators must wait for the civil suit over the $900,000 in life insurance money to be settled. It is not until October 17, 2011, nearly two years after the death of Leonela Stickney, that an agreement is reached between the father of Leonela's child, David Stickney, and her fiance, the man that shot her, Russell Bertram.

[Detective]

David Stickney knew that Bertram was the beneficiary, but he felt that Neela's son deserved the money, and they got a settlement.

[Family Member]

Insurance Companies pay out $600,000 to David Stickney and their son, and the rest goes to Bertram.

[Detective]

According to Bertram, that insurance money was to benefit Neela's family in Philippines.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

If Bertram ended up paying that money to her family, that would tend to mitigate motive. But it took about a year for the money to be paid, and then we had to watch him to see what he did with the money.

[Narrator]

Two more years pass as investigators wait for the money to be paid out by the insurance companies and then to see what Russell Bertram does with the money. If he gives it to Leonela's family, it weakens their homicide case. But if he keeps it for himself, it is their clearest motive for murder.

[Detective]

In September 2013, I went to Bertram's house in Sioux Falls to conduct an unexpected interview. I knew he had gotten the money, and so I wanted to know, did he in fact, give the money to the family? I knock on the door. A Filipino woman who looked strikingly similar to Leonela Stickney answers the door. She said her name was Melissa Del Val. I immediately recognized that name. Melissa was Leonila's sister from the Philippines. Then she said she was married to Bertram. How did that transp?

[Narrator]

In September of 2013, nearly four years after the shooting death of Leonela Stickney, investigators make a shocking discovery. The man they suspect intentionally killed her, Russell Bertram, is now married to her older sister, Melissa Del Valle.

[Detective]

Completely unexpected and surprising to me. We have Melissa, the victim's sister, married to my suspect. I wasn't ready to interview Melissa Del Val, so I thanked her and then I left.

[Family Member]

How did Melissa end up married to Russell Bertram? It seemed very unlikely she would move across the World to marry someone who she thought murdered her sister.

[Narrator]

Four months later, law enforcement makes another attempt to re Interview Russell Bertram.

[Detective]

January 14, 2014. I went back to Russ's house again, hoping to catch him off guard. And so I knocked on Russ's trailer house door. Russ answered the door. Russ said he was willing to speak to me. We stepped into my unmarked patrol vehicle, and my tape recorder was going. I heard you got married.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Yeah, I'm married.

[Detective]

Well, congratulations. And you're married to Vanilla's sister. Her sister, Melissa. All right, so how was it you fell in love with your fiance's sister? Well, I got in contact with them right when this happened. After Leonila's death, Bertram calls Melissa in the Philippines to tell her the tragic news that her sister's been accidentally killed.

[Family Member]

Over time, they continued talking and entered a relationship of their own.

[Detective]

And so then I went over there a year ago, and I asked her if she would come to the States. He asked her, if I take you back to the United States, will you marry me? And she agreed. On July 6, 2013, Melissa and Russ Bertram get married. And we're now living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with Melissa's daughter. So then I started to question Russ about his suspicions of Neela fooling around on him. And I questioned Bertram again about whether or not he looked at Leonela's phone records before she was shot to death. It wasn't Leonila's phone. It was your cell phone that you gave to her to use. And you see the phone bills, and you become suspicious that she's stepping out on you. I did not know that she was messing around. I'll swear to you on that. I knew she was going out, supposedly with some of her friends and going dancing at Bucks. Okay, well, how did you figure that out? Well, I did look at her phone record before. He had said he had never looked at the phone or phone records. This time, Bertram tells me that he had, in fact, looked at the phone records. He became suspicious of these phone calls that she was making constantly. To another number?

[Forensic Pathologist]

Yeah, I asked her, and she said.

[Detective]

It was to her friend, so I let it go. This is something completely different than what he had told us earlier. At what point, Russ, does she tell you she's late? At what point in that? Oh, that was probably three, four days before we went out hunting. Before the day you went hunting? Yeah. That's a shocking new revelation to this entire case. When I questioned Bertram before, he said that he was told that day of.

[Family Member]

The shooting, Bertram learning when Neala was pregnant really impacts the case. Now it's something he had time to plan.

[Detective]

I think you become suspicious. I think the phone records had quite a lot to do with it. Russ, you can think what you want. The phone wreck records were the confirmation to you what your suspicions are because you killed it. No, I did not kill her. I'm done. Bertram knew that Leonela was not being loyal to him. If Leonila leaves Bertram and goes on with her life with Nathan, it's quite possible that she changes the beneficiary on these life insurance policies. And so Russ is going to lose out on that money. So Bertram takes her road hunting, and it sets up the perfect scenario for killing her and claiming it was a hunting accident.

[Narrator]

With significant circumstantial evidence, the investigation is closing in on Russell Bertram. But law enforcement still has to prove one last piece of the puzzle.

[Detective]

I needed to know from the family what was truly going on. Had Bertram been sending the insurance money? So the next step is to interview Leonela's sister, Melissa. And I wanted to talk to her alone. On August 24, 2014, I saw Melissa walking down the street. I pulled up alongside of her.

[Sister of Victim]

Agent Guy asked me if I have a minute. He wants to talk to me about my sister.

[Detective]

She was willing to speak with me. I immediately told her that I was suspicious about her sister's death, and I think Russ did it.

[Sister of Victim]

So I was shocked because all we know is that was a tragic accident.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

Russell Bertram told her family that Neela was handling the gun wrong and shot herself. He didn't tell them that he had any role in it.

[Sister of Victim]

When I arrived here, the first thing I asked from him is, did you want the insurance case for Neela? And he said that, no, he did not. He lost the case.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

He's told the family that there was no insurance money.

[Detective]

So at that point, I show Melissa the check from the insurance company. Russ received hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[Sister of Victim]

When I see it, I said, oh. Oh, my gosh. I cannot believe that Russ was telling me all lies. And then I sleep with the man who killed my sister.

[Narrator]

In August of 2014, after nearly five years of building a case against Russell Bertram for the murder of Leonela Stickney, police have no hard proof, but have a mountain of circumstantial evidence. They just need one last piece to finally charge him with murder.

[Detective]

I asked Melissa, has he given that money to your family?

[Sister of Victim]

I told Agent Guy that we really didn't receive any amount from Russ except for the monthly, which is $200 a month.

[Detective]

He had never given her family $20,000 in a lump sum like he claimed. I asked Melissa if she would testify against her husband in a murder trial.

[Sister of Victim]

I feel like I want to go home, back to the Philippines right away. I don't want to see his face again. But I have to be strong for my sister Nola, because I want to give her justice and also for my family. So I decided to testify against him.

[Detective]

Now the evidence exists to arrest Bertram for Leonela's murder. And that's what needs to happen next.

[Family Member]

On September 8, 2015, Russell Bertram, a former police chief, is arrested and charged with the first degree murder of Leonella Stickney.

[Medical Examiner]

Bertram had found out from Leonella that she was possibly pregnant, having a vasectomy, knew that she was having an affair on the side. He was a very jealous man.

[Detective]

And if Leonila leaves Bertram and goes on with her life with Nathan, Russ is going to lose out on that money. Although David Stickney and the boy get 600,000, Russ was able to get hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of her death.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

In the three or four days prior to Neela's murder, when he learns that Neela was pregnant, he conceives this plan to stage her death. We believe Russell Bertram committed a highly calculated murder.

[Family Member]

In September 2016, the case finally goes to trial.

[True Crime Host]

There's a pretty good case against him. You know, it's an overwhelming mountain of, yes, circumstantial, but never know what a jury's gonna do.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

The text exchanges between Nathan and Neela's phone undermined Russell Bertram's story that he had not known about the pregnancy at the time of the murder. Those texts ended up being rather critical evidence in the case. It's also, Melissa's testimony was very powerful.

[Sister of Victim]

And it's very hard to testify against him. But even though there's fear in my mind, I love my sister and I want everyone to know the truth because I want to give her justice.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

After 10 days of trial, the case was finally turned over to the jury. They deliberated for nine or 10 hours and returned a verdict.

[Detective]

The jurors convicted Russ Bertram of first degree murder.

[Law Enforcement Officer]

In South Dakota. The automatic punishment for first degree murder is life in prison without possibility of parole.

[True Crime Host]

It was no doubt in my mind that that man is a predator, should not be on the streets ever again.

[Sister of Victim]

I feel relief, victory for me and for my family. We got the justice for my sister Nila.

[Detective]

Bertram intentionally murdered their sister, their daughter, and now they were going to see him go to prison for the rest of his life.

[True Crime Host]

I miss Neela. Her life was ended so soon in the relationship has been a long time and I definitely think about it all the time. What would have happened, what could have happened. I think about her quite often, you.

[Detective]

Know.

[Sister of Victim]

I love my sister, she's too young. And also her son, he's too young yet. We just, I just miss her so much.

[Narrator]

In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little known British territory called Pit can and it harbored a deep, dark scandal.

[Detective]

There wouldn't be a girl on Pit Count once they reached the age of 10. That would still have. It just happens to all of us.

[Narrator]

I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn.

[Detective]

When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with.

[Narrator]

In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wandering Plus. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.