Neal Zumberge

Summary

Snapped: Women Who Murder

Episode Summary – “Neal Zumberge”

Original Air Date: January 4, 2026
Podcast by: Oxygen
Episode Theme:
A decades-long, simmering feud between neighbors in New Brighton, Minnesota explodes into violence, ending in gunfire, the death of Todd Stevens, and the wounding of his partner, Jennifer Clevin. The episode examines the deepening conflict, the events leading up to the shooting, and the investigations and trials that followed.

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Main Theme and Purpose

The episode delves into the tragedy that resulted from a years-long neighborhood feud—ostensibly over feeding deer and a string of personal grievances—that ended in murder. Through police records, survivor interviews, and court proceedings, “Neal Zumberge” examines how everyday disputes can become deadly, focusing on the escalation of hostilities, the attempts at intervention, and the pursuit of justice.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Crime and Immediate Aftermath

• [03:13-07:01] The peaceful suburb of New Brighton is shattered on May 5, 2014, when a 911 call comes in: Jennifer Clevin and Todd Stevens have been shot by their neighbor, Neal Zumberge.
  • Police rush to the scene but are cautious due to uncertainty about the shooter’s location.
  • Todd is found dead in the yard; Jennifer is alive but seriously wounded.
• Quote: Jennifer Clevin, desperate and in pain on the 911 call:

  “I've been shot. Yes. I think he killed Todd. Hurry.” (03:28)

2. The Background – Two Families, One Escalating Feud

• [07:01-11:30] Introduces Todd Stevens and Jennifer Clevin, respected and happy members of the community, living in harmony until the Zumberge family moves in across the street in 1997.
  • Initial neighborly interactions sour over years, particularly after the Zumberges cut off relations between their son Jacob and Jennifer’s son Ryan, triggered by concerns over drinking in the Stevens/Clevin house.
  • The rift grows into open hostility, marked by complaints, harassment, and mutual animosity.

3. The Deer Feeding Dispute

• [19:26-23:15]
  • After their children drift apart, Todd and Jennifer develop a deer-feeding hobby, installing a feeder in their yard.
  • Neil Zumberge becomes fixated on stopping this, claiming the deer attract disease-carrying ticks.
  • The Zumberges blame their family’s health issues, including Neil’s Lyme disease, on the deer and, by extension, Jennifer and Todd.
• Quote: Expert/Analyst, summing up Neil’s fixation:

  “He blamed them for his inability to find a job. He blamed them for getting Lyme disease. He blamed them for a lot of the problems in his life.” (24:07)

4. Harassment, Restraining Orders, and Escalation

• [24:37-28:26]
  • Jennifer and Todd find dead animals and animal parts left in their yard; they suspect Neil, but he denies it.
  • Neil campaigns against the deer feeder in the neighborhood, circulating accusatory letters and posting mocking signs.
  • Police are called dozens of times (44 in nine years) but intervention is unsuccessful. Jennifer obtains a restraining order against Neil a year before the shooting.
• Quote: Jennifer Clevin:

  “I told the cops, he said he was going to kill me 100 times…‘We can’t do anything about it.’ That’s why I put a restraining order.” (27:48)

5. The Final Confrontation

• [28:42-31:39]
  • The week prior, a confrontation at a local bar between Jennifer and the Zumberges' son, Jacob, escalates hostilities further.
  • On the night of the shooting, emotions run high after Jacob is arrested following Jennifer's report.
  • Paula Zumberge, Neil’s wife, confronts Jennifer at home; Neil arms himself, then opens fire as Todd approaches, killing him and severely injuring Jennifer.
  • Jennifer claims Paula urged Neil to “shoot, shoot, shoot” (31:06).

6. The Investigation

• [12:19-17:58, 31:39-38:21]
  • SWAT and multiple law enforcement agencies respond; Neil refuses to surrender to local police, demanding to talk only to the county sheriff (15:02).
  • Both Neil and Paula are taken into custody. Paula is charged with aiding and abetting.
  • Security camera footage shows much of the altercation but lacks audio—no evidence corroborates Jennifer’s claim that Paula incited the shooting.
  • Video and forensic analysis point toward premeditation by Neil.
• Quote: Law Enforcement/Investigator:

  “It appears to be a premeditated planned execution of Todd Stevens.” (38:30)

7. The Trials

• [39:13-44:31]
  • Paula’s trial results in acquittal due to lack of corroborating evidence (40:08).
  • Neil’s defense claims self-defense—he alleges Todd threatened Paula and reached for a gun, but video and forensic evidence refute this. Todd was unarmed.
  • Jury convicts Neil of first-degree premeditated murder and attempted murder (42:20).
  • During sentencing, Neil recants prior claims, admits to lying about possessing lip-reading skills and that the shooting was not accidental.
• Quote: Police Officer/Investigator quoting his closing argument:

  “This was not a whoopsie. This was intentional.” (41:46)

8. Aftermath and Reflections

• [44:31-45:05]
  • Both families are forced to move from the neighborhood, the Zumberges selling their home to pay for Neil’s defense.
  • The scars on the community remain, with neighbors and children traumatized by the public, violent conflict.
• Quote: Jennifer Clevin, at verdict:

  “All I could say to him is, I don't forgive you. I never forgive you, and I hope you rot in hell.” (43:24)

• Quote: Friend of Todd Stevens:

  “In all the years I knew him, that's all he wanted to do, was help people.” (44:41)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I've been shot. Yes. I think he killed Todd. Hurry.” – Jennifer Clevin, 911 Call ([03:28])
• “They began finding animal parts and animals in their driveway.” – Expert/Analyst ([10:50])
• “I told the cops, he said he was going to kill me 100 times…‘We can’t do anything about it.’ That's why I put a restraining order.” – Jennifer Clevin ([27:48])
• “He blamed them for getting Lyme disease. He blamed them for a lot of the problems in his life.” – Police Officer/Investigator ([24:07])
• “Paula kept telling Neil, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. So I think they had it panned out.” – Jennifer Clevin ([31:06])
• “It appears to be a premeditated planned execution of Todd Stevens.” – Law Enforcement/Investigator ([38:30])
• “This was not a whoopsie. This was intentional.” – Police Officer/Investigator ([41:46])
• “All I could say to him is, I don't forgive you. I never forgive you, and I hope you rot in hell.” – Jennifer Clevin ([43:24])

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:13 — First 911 call and emergency response
• 11:30 — Feud timeline and Jennifer’s injury
• 19:26 — Deer feeding backstory
• 24:37 — Animal carcass harassment begins
• 27:48 — History of threats and restraining order
• 31:00 — Shooting incident
• 36:10 — Security camera evidence
• 39:25 — Paula’s trial
• 40:30 — Neil’s trial and his claims
• 42:20 — Verdict
• 43:24 — Sentencing & Jennifer’s statement
• 44:31 — Community aftermath; remembering Todd

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Flow, Tone, and Takeaway

The episode maintains a cool, investigative tone, blending narration, firsthand accounts, and expert analysis. It powerfully illustrates how petty grievances can escalate when left unresolved and when authorities and social systems fail to mediate effectively. The tragedy is amplified by the sense of inevitability, as friends, neighbors, and law enforcement all foresaw the possibility of violence but were ultimately unable to prevent it. The emotional heart sits with Jennifer Clevin’s survival, her loss, and her speech at Neal’s sentencing, reflecting the devastation such violence leaves in its wake.

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Final Note:
This episode stands as a warning about the dangers of unchecked hostility, highlighting the importance of community, early intervention, and, tragically, the consequences when conflict turns deadly.

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

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I'm a 17th year sophomore, but I.

[Expert/Analyst]

Am in shape of my life.

[Narrator/Announcer]

But they've also got spirit.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

My goal this season is to be.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

The first man that throws a cheerleader onto the moon.

[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Podcast Host/Narrator]

On the night before Halloween in 1975, 15 year old Martha Moxley was murdered. But police failed to make an arrest until in 2000, her one time neighbor Michael Skakel was arrested. He was also a cousin of the Kennedys. The Kennedy connection is the reason that most people know about this case. But the deeper I dug, the more I came to question everything I thought I knew. Search Dead Certain the Martha Moxley Murder to listen now wherever you get your podcasts and follow to get new episodes every week.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

A Minnesota couple becomes the target of a shooting on their own front lawn.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

You need an ambulance.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I'm in. Shot, yes. He said he'll be getting killed. Tom, hurry.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Police don't know if the shooter is still a threat in the neighborhood, so they're very cautious.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

He was absolutely refusing to surrender himself to the local police.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

The New Brighton police, they're a bunch of kooks.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

He had taken a stand that New Brighton police were somehow to blame.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The investigation reveals a turbulent history between two neighbors.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

This was a feud that had been percolating for several years.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

There was a lot of hate there. There was a lot of anger.

[Expert/Analyst]

They began finding animal parts and animals in their driveway.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

It was sort of Hatfield McCoys, if you will.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

But who was the real instigator in this feud that resulted in cold blood murder?

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I got the shotgun out because I thought they were gonna do something.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Keep that bomb.

[Jennifer Clevin]

Shoot, shoot, shoot.

[Expert/Analyst]

It just escalated as they both felt the need to exert control over the situation.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The only way this situation was going to end was with one of them killing the other.

[Expert/Analyst]

He was getting closer to snapping.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The suburb of New Brighton is known as one of the best places to live in Minnesota.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

It is a suburb just north of St. Paul, Minnesota. Lots of families, lots of schools, lots of parks. Just a really good neighborhood.

[Expert/Analyst]

It's an area where people go to escape the hectic life of the inner city.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

But on the evening of May 5, 2014, this peaceful area becomes the scene of a terrifying crime.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

911, where's your merchant Tyler just shot both of us. Hurry. Do you need an ambulance? I've been shot. Yes. I think he killed dora. Hurry.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The 911 call came in from a woman. Her name was Jennifer Damero Cleven. And she reported that she and her partner, Todd Stevens, had just been shot by their neighbor.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

Is the other person.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Is he awake? Donna can't go out there. My tube again. He's laying up in the front of the house. He's laying down outside. Okay.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

As officers race to the scene, 911 operators keep Jennifer on the line.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Where are you hit? Oh, my God. I don't know. I can't believe he worried about Diet that he killed him. All right, well, I need to worry about you, okay? Find a clean, dry cloth or towel and put pressure on wherever you're bleeding, okay? I'm gonna die. I'm just dying. Help is coming. Where is the person who did this? Did he run? Did he leave the streak? Jennifer, listen. I need to know the name of the person that did this. Neil Zumberg.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

She explains that Neil Zumberg is their neighbor across the street.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I have a restraining order on him. Mother's got a shotgun. He's shooting. Shot five times in my hug, 100 times. He's never done nothing to him. Oh, my God. I told you guys he was going to kill us.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

New Brighton police officers arrive at the address and find Jennifer's partner, Todd Stevens, lying in the front yard, bleeding and unconscious. But they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

They don't know if the shooter is still a threat to them or a threat the victims or a threat to the neighborhood. So they're very cautious.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

The urgent matter at hand is getting first aid to the victim who is in the front yard. That was difficult to do because there is still an ongoing threat from the suspect. House.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Officers barricade themselves behind a car with assault rifles while an EMT tries first to save Todd's life while waiting for backup.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

There was a gunshot wound to his face. There were a few others to his arm that they could see. But many of the wounds were actually covered by his clothes. And so I don't believe it was apparent immediately how many gunshot wounds Todd suffered.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Is he dead? Is he dead? Please. I'm gonna try to help him. Help him know his. I'm shot, too. I told you guys, you wouldn't protect me.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

They do start rendering aid and trying to give him cpr, but that did not last more than a minute or two. It was very apparent that he was no longer alive.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

46 year old Todd Stevens was a lifelong resident of New Brighton. Hugh grew up there with his family and like many in the area, saw no reason to ever leave.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

While it is a suburb of a major metropolitan city, there is a lot of nature. There's a nature path right by this neighborhood. And so there was a lot of wildlife in the area and Todd really enjoyed that.

[Narrator/Announcer]

He was an outdoorsman, like go hunting, you know, do all sorts of stuff outdoors.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The only thing Todd loved more than the area's wildlife was its people.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I met Todd around 2006. The guy would do anything for anybody, anytime. You know, if somebody he just met said, I need help this weekend, Todd would be over there to help him.

[Narrator/Announcer]

He's my dad's best friend, you know, so he's always over, always hanging out. He would make you laugh, that's for sure. I mean, especially as a young kid, I really loved him.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

He was more like an uncle figure.

[Narrator/Announcer]

To me, you know.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

For most of his adult life, Todd worked physically demanding jobs. He'd started out in construction, but before long, Todd decided to make a switch to short haul trucking.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

We worked for the same company. We were route drivers delivering restaurants and hospitals their food. Todd loved his job, loved the people he delivered to. They loved him.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Todd was also dedicated to his longtime partner, Jennifer Clevin. A single mother, Jennifer and her young son Ryan met Todd in 1996 through mutual connections.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

She had come up from Texas at some point to visit, ended up staying.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

They quickly fell for each other, and Todd invited Jennifer and her son to live with him. Todd treated Ryan like he was his own, teaching him how to camp and hunt. And for the next 18 years, Todd and Jennifer seemed like the perfect couple.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Although she and Todd weren't married, they had been partners for a long time.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

Todd and Jennifer always took care of each other, and I think they loved it the way they were. They were always calling each other, in contact with each other and knowing what's going on. They were happy with each other.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Todd had lived in this neighborhood his entire life, and he really liked it and enjoyed it. He was social with many of the neighbors. They all described him as kind and helpful.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

He was a jokester. And that's what I think people loved about him because he just always was having fun and talking and joking around.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

And in 1997, new neighbors Neil and Paula Zumberg and their three children moved in across the street.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Jennifer's son and Neil and Paula's children were actually pretty good friends for a while. And the neighbors were pretty friendly. With one Another.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

They had family gatherings together and their kids hung out together.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

But in 2002, the neighborly relationship began to turn sour when Neil suddenly forbade his son Jacob from visiting Jennifer's son Ryan.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The neighbors talk about how he talked. We liked to drink and he would get a little loud and rowdy sometimes. But no one had any problems with him.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

It sort of began to fray over a time period. Over years, the Zumbergs were concerned about what was happening inside Jennifer and Todd's house, specifically Todd's drinking. The behavior that probably is kind of where things deteriorated.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

For the first time, Todd found himself at odds with a neighborhood. And now, after nearly a decade of tension, the feud has escalated to a shooting in their front yard. Less than 10 minutes after Jennifer called 911, Todd has been pronounced dead. Medics find Jennifer in the living room.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

She had significant gunshot injuries and it required hospitalization. Jennifer was obviously upset and angry.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

She's telling them, I told you he was going to do this. I told you this would happen. You didn't help us.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Coming up, police engage intense negotiations.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I'm not surrendering to the New Brighton police.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

And investigators learn about the start of a deadly feud and claims of self defense.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

The harder he pushed, the harder Todd Stevens pushed back.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

In the aftermath of a shooting that claimed the life of 46 year old Todd Stevens, Minnesota police find themselves in a standoff with the alleged gunman Neil Zumberg. They are quickly joined by over 20 officers from multiple agencies, including the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

It was a very tense situation for law enforcement. They knew they had two gunshot victims. One was dead. The shooter was in his own home. They needed to set up a perimeter. They didn't know how this situation was going to resolve.

[Expert/Analyst]

When police show up at the scene, it has the potential to either calm it down or escalate the situation. With an individual like Neil Zumberg, there's a high potential that there's going to be a violent altercation because he sees himself as someone who needs to win.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

A SWAT team secures the area. But before police can make contact with Neil, he surprises them by calling 911.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

911, what's your emergency? Someone shot outside my house. Okay. Do they need an ambulance? I'm sure they do. I'm not gonna shoot the police. They can go help the guy. Are you the one that did the shooting? I'm not gonna say anything. Is there anybody else in the house with you?

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

No, my wife has nothing to do with it.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I told her to get the hell out of the house.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

They didn't know if there was going to be more gunfire. They were kind of preparing for both situations. Should Neil open fire again. And also coming up with a plan to get him into custody.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I'm not surrendering to the new bright police. Okay, where is the gun that's in the house right now? What difference does that make? Because I just want to make sure officers know so that it doesn't endanger you. Well, you don't care about me, I hear. We don't want anything to happen to you.

[Narrator/Announcer]

I'm not gonna shoot at the police.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

I'm not surrendering to the New Brighton police either. They're a bunch of kooks.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

The fact that he was making demands provided responding law enforcement officers with a hinge of discomfort. What are we getting ourselves into here?

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Okay, so who, who would you surrender to?

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I don't know.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

A Ramsey county sheriff. So you will surrender to a Ramsey county sheriff? Yeah. I don't want the New Brighton police around here. All they'll do is kick the hell out of me.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

He had taken a stand that New Brighton police were somehow to blame for what was going on.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Neil had a lot of distrust and dislike for the New Brighton police department. And I think he also to a large extent, blamed them for the situation escalating to this point.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Like gunshot victim Jennifer Clevin, Neal accuses them of ignoring problems between the two families.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

Every New Brighton police officer probably knew both these families based upon the last decade or so, or for of what I would describe as a tumultuous relationship, sort of Hatfield and McCoys, if you will.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Neil and the Zumberg household felt like they had made reports about Todd and Jennifer's conduct that they did not feel were resolved to their satisfaction.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

This wasn't a one off argument where somebody lost their temper. This was a feud that had been sort of percolating for several years.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Eventually, Neil agrees to turn himself over to local sheriffs.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

It took, I think approximately 30 minutes to negotiate him leaving the house. Then the scene calms down and we're able to process and try to figure out forensically what happened here.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

This was not much of a whodunit. Neil was the shooter, Getting him into custody, trying to interview him to get his side of the story, and then processing the scene were the primary goals. Initially, they found the four shotgun cartridges outside of Neil's home. And then inside the home, police found the murder weapon, which was a 12 gauge shotgun, in the area where Neil said he'd left it.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The Shotgun is a Browning semiautomatic capable of holding four rounds plus another in the chamber. The damage to Todd and Jennifer's home indicates just how lethal the weapon can be.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

He was firing triple odd buck with I believe, eight pellets per round. If you did the math, there's probably three.32 or close to that. As many holes in that house and in the ones that weren't counted in the house or didn't blow out windows or front screens or those sort of things were probably lodged into the decedent and or the victim in this case, Todd Stevens remained at the scene for several hours so that we could document specific specifically the scene.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

While Neil is being processed and charged with second degree murder and attempted murder, investigators check on Jennifer at the hospital.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Jennifer had a through and through gunshot wound to the side of her abdomen.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

She had significant injuries that required hospitalization. They weren't fatal, but they were significant.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

After receiving treatment for her wounds, police are hoping she can tell them exactly what happened that night. But first they have to deliver some heartbreaking news.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I'm very sorry.

[Jennifer Clevin]

Is Todd dead?

[Expert/Analyst]

I'm sorry.

[Jennifer Clevin]

He has passed away.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

Todd is my wife.

[Jennifer Clevin]

I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

I don't know what. When she recovers, Jennifer tells detectives how their feud with Neil Zumber got started.

[Narrator/Announcer]

How many years have you been neighbors?

[Jennifer Clevin]

I don't know, 15, 16, 17 years.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Jennifer says after the Zumbergs forbade their son from being friends with her then 14 year old son Ryan, he decided to move back to Texas to live with his biological father. As empty nesters, Jennifer and Todd took up a new hobby.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Todd and Jennifer really liked to see deer, so they enjoyed when they would come by.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

Todd was an animal lover. You know, even though he went hunting and stuff, he never cared if he shot anything. He just wanted to watch deer.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Todd's deer feeder was a PVC pipe that he filled with corn. Deer really like corn, all bird seed, actually. They'll kind of eat anything in your yard.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Jennifer says that's when their problems really began.

[Jennifer Clevin]

You know, when this is over because we feed deer.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

He.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

But investigators still have another side to hear from.

[Expert/Analyst]

He felt he needed to respond. From his perspective, he was doing what he had been pressed to do.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

It was just a lot of a visceral anger both directions. Neil basically said, I couldn't take it anymore.

[Expert/Analyst]

They'd never anticipated that it was going to escalate to this point. How did this happen?

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The doctors will see you now. Bravo's married to medicine is back.

[Narrator/Announcer]

What's up, players. What's up, players and players.

[Jennifer Clevin]

I'm here for all of it.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

All of it.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Friendships are the best. Medicine.

[Jennifer Clevin]

We're that ride or die group.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

That's my sister. And we're gonna have a good time.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

But they've got drama down to a science.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

We all should be able to drag. I'm ready for the drag right now if you're interested. You dogs are a whole family. Leave my kisses out of your mouth and shade.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

And it's real, baby.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Watch all new Merry to medicine. Sundays at 9 on Bravo and streaming on Peacock. Doctor's orders.

[Expert/Analyst]

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[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

Home.

[Expert/Analyst]

Survival is a long shot.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

That's kind of our specialty.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Experience the adventure. Hope you're good with heights. Doc.

[Expert/Analyst]

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[Narrator/Announcer]

The largest pterosaur.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

You don't see that every day.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Let's go.

[Expert/Analyst]

Jurassic World Rebirth.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Rated PG13.

[Expert/Analyst]

Streaming now only on Peacock.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

While officers process Neil Zumberg at the station, detectives in New Brighton, Minnesota, are continuing to gather a statement from his neighbor Jennifer Clevin, whose feud with Neil left her seriously injured and her partner dead of a gunshot wound.

[Jennifer Clevin]

Always have problems. That's a tornado. I've been doing it for 17 years. He's always had a problem with that.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Neil was very upset. He claimed that because Todd and Jennifer fed the deer, there was an increased presence of deer in the neighborhood. He felt that that was a a threat to the safety and welfare of the neighborhood.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Neil feared that the deer would bring infected bugs to the area.

[Expert/Analyst]

Lyme disease is passed on by ticks, typically carried by deers. When a tick carrying Lyme disease bites a human, they can be sick for a long period of time. It can affect their general responsiveness. They become very lethargic. They can become physically for long periods of time. But Jennifer and Todd both felt that it was their right to feed deer. They were not going to back away from it.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

In 2012, Neal started complaining to local officials.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

Neal complained to the city in New Brighton about this. It's not incongruent with any ordinances or moths, so they didn't take any action.

[Expert/Analyst]

That's a pretty insignificant complaint and there really is nothing for the police to do about it. But he was not going to let go of it.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Tension between the neighbors continued to rise, and months later, Neil claimed his fears became reality.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

He said that he and his daughter both got Lyme disease from the ticks that the deer carried that Todd and Jennifer were luring into the neighborhood. Neil claimed that he had to take Reduced hours at work because of his Lyme disease.

[Expert/Analyst]

Ultimately, Neil lost his job. He ended up being stuck at home. Now the anger becomes completely focused on the neighborhood.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

It seemed like Neil had become very fixated on Todd and Jennifer, and he blamed them for his inability to find a job. He blamed them for getting Lyme disease. He blamed them for a lot of the problems in his life.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Jennifer says. In March 2012, something happened that foreshadowed the violence to come.

[Expert/Analyst]

Todd Stevens and Jennifer Cleven began finding animal parts and animals in their driveway.

[Jennifer Clevin]

I think I go home, there's dead. Throwing dead birds in my arms, a deer leg. Two weeks later, another deer life.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I remember going over to pick up Todd to go four wheeling and pulling his yard, and there's two dead deer laying in his front yard that somebody shot and killed in his front yard in the middle of the night. It's just strange that nobody else had dead animals thrown in their front yard.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

It was upsetting to Todd and Jennifer as well as the neighbors. Todd and Jennifer made a report. They suspected that Neil was the one who killed those animals and put them there, either as a sign or as a threat.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The disturbing incidents continued over a period of six months. Jennifer and Todd made reports to the Department of Natural Resources, but Neal denied the accusations.

[Expert/Analyst]

Think about the craziness of this, that someone's killed an animal and put it in your yard to threaten you.

[Jennifer Clevin]

I got 14 homes at my house because I used to bring that in. I was hanging out all the time.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

They were hoping to catch Neil putting these dead animals in their yard. Neil was very aware of the fact that Todd and Jennifer had put cameras up in their yard. And that is when a lot of this behavior stopped.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

In October of 2012, Neil pleaded his case against the deer feeder to the entire neighborhood.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

He circulated a letter. He xeroxed several copies of the same correspondence and fanned it out among the neighborhood.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Neil talked in this letter about Todd, but he referred to him as Mr. Korn and talked about how Todd was feeding the deer and how dangerous it was.

[Expert/Analyst]

From Neil's perspective, he saw this as possibly generating support for his beliefs. The truth is, from the neighbor's perspective, it simply made it look like he was getting closer to snapping. At one point, Neil even put up a sign in their yard, Come watch the deer eat. Come watch the deer poop. Talking about the absurdity of feeding animals and having them in their yard. I think that there was a conflict in personality, and it just escalated as they both felt the need to exert control over the situation.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

The harder he pushed, the harder Todd Stevens pushed back.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

These guys called the cops on each other multiple times, and the cops came to the neighborhood.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

In the nine years before the shooting, law enforcement responded to calls from both houses. 44 times.

[Jennifer Clevin]

I told the cops, he said he was going to kill me 100 times. It came out there. We can't do anything about it. That's why I put a restraining order. I went to court and judge, I called her. He said, I'm scared of them.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

A little more than a year before the shooting, the court found that Neal had engaged in a pattern of harassing conduct against Jennifer and that a court order was necessary for her safety. Jennifer got her restraining order against Neil in 2013.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The restraining order cooled things down for a while. But a week before the shooting, an incident seemed to reignite Neil's rage.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Todd and Jennifer were at the bar in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, which was a neighboring suburb. And they were there having some drinks and playing bingo. Also at the bar was Jacob Zumberg, Paula and Neil's son. And at the bar, Jennifer reported that Jacob confronted her and Todd.

[Jennifer Clevin]

He said, my dad is dying of lyme disease because of you. I said, jake, he's not dying of lyme disease.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

He's walking up in Ella Trail.

[Jennifer Clevin]

He's healthier than I am.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

He watched his dog three times a day.

[Jennifer Clevin]

So he started screaming and everything, and they kicked dick out. And then we said, jake left. He came over and he shoved on the back and he came over and he said, I'm going to kill y' all and bring your house down.

[Expert/Analyst]

In some way. Jacob saw it as a way of supporting his father. I feel like dad's frustration had carried over onto his son.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Jennifer says she immediately reported it to police, who issued an arrest warrant.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The police did go to Paula and Neil's home to try to locate and interview Jacob about what happened at the bar. Paula got very upset and kicked the police out of her house and told them to leave. So they issued the pick up and hold warrant for him.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

A week later, on May 5, she spotted Jacob at a restaurant and called authorities. Jacob was arrested and charged with assault. When Jennifer returned home around 8:30pm Paula Zumberg was there waiting.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

Jacob's arrest was perhaps the straw that may have broken the camel's back.

[Jennifer Clevin]

And I was walking up. Paula, the wife, started walking out. She said, she took my son. I said, paula, I said, let's talk it over. Todd heard her telling me often. I said, todd, go back in.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

He didn't.

[Jennifer Clevin]

And all Of a sudden, no came out of her. He started shooting.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

And according to Jennifer, Paula was no innocent bystander.

[Jennifer Clevin]

And Paula kept telling Neil, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. So I think they had it panned out.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The fact that Jennifer reported that Paula was telling Neil to keep shooting was something very critical to police because it was the first real piece of evidence they had to suggest that Paula might have been involved. And part of the shooting.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Coming up, Neil Zumberg tells his side of the story.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

It just made our life hell the whole time we lived there. This is all about deer, basically. Deer and ants.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

And surveillance video sheds new light on the crime.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

If you go frame by frame, you can see the muzzle flash from the firearm that he's using.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Four hours after Todd Stevens was murdered, investigators go to the jail where Neil Zumberg is being held and take his statement.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

I want to build trust to the extent that I can with him. I think he's a smart, educated man, and he knows that, that there may be some trust issues with law enforcement. But we just want to make a sincere effort to get his version of the story.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

All right, Neil, and we'd like to talk to you about what happened tonight, kind of what spurred you on. I'm not New Brighton. I work for the state of Minnesota. Right, okay. Thanks. Two of us. What we'd like from you to get an explanation. What led up to this. This is all about deer, basically, or not. Not all about deer, but deer and ass.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

According to Neil, Todd and Jennifer were the real pests.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

They just made our life hell the whole time we lived there. Like, every weekend, you gotta go in the house. These guys are getting drunk, and they'd be out there with guns. They carry guns on their sides. The New Brighton police know this.

[Expert/Analyst]

Neil viewed himself as someone who did what he needed to do and wasn't initially apologetic for it.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

What is it today? What makes today different than any of these other thousands of days in the past 16 years, he believes. What made today different? I don't know. Just everything.

[Expert/Analyst]

Fear.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

My wife's crying. She can't sleep at night. They're going after our kids. I mean, what am I going to do?

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Neil says when they found out Jennifer had their son arrested, his wife hit a breaking point.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I saw him pull up, and she goes, I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind. Next thing you know, they're swearing back and forth. I got the shotgun out because I thought they were going through something.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

He said he came out and he was keeping an eye on Todd to make sure his wife doesn't get shot.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

Did you see anything that made you feel like her, she was in danger? Well, he had his arms like this, and then he kind of went down like this. And I just, you know, I don't know.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

He thought Todd may have had a gun on his waistband and that. That was not uncommon for Todd Stevens to wear a small caliber handgun.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Neil says before he realized it, he'd already pulled the trigger.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

This happened, man. Where shot a gun for a long time. It's fully automatic. It just. It just kept going off. Jennifer was never the intended target of anything that it's always been taught. So your wife, did she. Did she scream or did she. How did she react? Did she leave?

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

Did she talk to you?

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

She just flipped out. And I told her, get the hell out of the house.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

And she.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

Did she drive off or go off on.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Police find Paula Zumberg at her mother's house.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

She was advised by counsel not to provide a statement to us.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

We filed a complaint against Paula for aiding and abetting the murder and attempted murder of Todd and Jennifer. And once that complaint warrant was issued, Paula did turn herself in. Paula never said a word.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

With two significantly different versions of the story, investigators are hoping Todd and Jennifer's security cameras will help determine what really happened.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

So there's four cameras in total at Todd Stevens house. The video was grainy. This was 2014. Technology has come a long way since then, but it was not so brainy as we couldn't see what was happening.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

You could see their front yard, but you could mostly see the house across the street, the Zumberg house.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The video shows Jennifer arriving just before 8.30pm.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

You could very clearly see Jennifer come home in her car. And then you could see just a little bit of the top of her head as she was walking toward the front door. We were able to see Paula exit the home.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Paula had come down to the end of her driveway, and the two women were exchanging words, not very friendly. So after the original altercation, Todd came out, didn't say anything, but was just standing there.

[Expert/Analyst]

Neil steps around to the side of the house five different times to make sure there's nobody coming.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

So it wasn't until Paula had retreated back closer to their home and Todd and Jennifer had both come down the front stairs of their house that Neil opened fire.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

And all of a sudden, boom, there's gunshots.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

If you go frame by frame, you can see the muzzle flash from the firearm that he's using. We have Paula with visually and digital video, but we don't have her verbally saying, shoot him, shoot him.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

She doesn't drop to the ground, she doesn't run. And I can't imagine standing at the end of my driveway, hearing a gunshot behind me and standing perfectly still. So I think that you can draw conclusions from that if you'd like.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Investigators are inclined to agree with Jennifer. It looks like a setup.

[Law Enforcement/Investigator]

It appears to be a premeditated planned execution of Todd Stevens.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

I really believed in the theory of the case, and I believed that we had sufficient evidence to prove, prove Paula's involvement. So those were the charges then that were taken to a trial. So not only did I need to prove that Neil intentionally killed Todd and intentionally attempted to kill Jennifer, but also that that was done with premeditation.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

On August 11, 2014, three months after Todd Stevens was killed, Paula Zumberg stands trial for aiding and abetting her husband in the crime.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Paula opted to waive a jury, and so we had a trial in front of a judge. And so the judge is the one who heard all of the evidence.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Jennifer is the prosecution's star witness. But unfortunately, there is nothing to corroborate her claims.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

Jennifer would testify at trial that, you know, Paul was kind of off to the side, you know, on the driveway, at the mailbox, and would yell, shoot, Shoot. Keep shooting.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

But there wasn't enough evidence to convict her of aiding and abetting. And that's a tricky charge to prove unless she had handed her husband Neil, a loaded gun.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Ultimately, Paula was acquitted of both charges and found not guilty.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Have a nice day.

[911 Operator/Dispatcher]

No problem.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Although charges against Paula don't stick, charges of first degree murder and attempted murder await her husband. And on August 12, 2015, Neil Zumberg's trial begins.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

The defense's theory was that Neil was justified in this shooting to protect his wife Paula's life. On the witness stand, Neil said that he could read Todd's lips and that Todd had made a threat to kill his wife.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Neil said that he as a child had learned to read lips because he had a brother who was hearing impaired, and that that was a skill he had developed over time.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

And so he claimed that he could see from 145ft away, Todd saying, I'm going to kill you to Paula.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Neil did say that he thought Todd had a gun on his person and that he was reaching for it at some point during that altercation between the two women.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

The evidence, however, doesn't back up Neil's claims of self defense.

[Expert/Analyst]

When the police searched Todd's body, they found that he had a holster for a cell Phone. But he did not have a gun on his possession.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

Neil testified he went to pull up the gun that kind of went off. They hadn't fired in so long, and that it just kept firing.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

In closing, I was arguing about the intentionality of the shooting. And so the fact that he pulled the trigger four separate times was important evidence that this was not just a one off his finger, didn't just slip and pull the trigger. So what I said to the jury is, I said, this was not a whoopsie. This was intentional.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

On the seventh day of trial, the jury is sent to deliberate. It takes them less than three hours to return with a verdict.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

Ultimately, the jury did return verdicts of guilty. One of the alternate jurors said, you know, if he could read lips from that far away, then why wouldn't he have been able to see that Todd didn't really have a gun?

[Neighbor/Community Member]

First degree premeditated murder is the most serious, serious criminal charge there is, and it's a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

At his sentencing, Neal drops another bombshell.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

When Neal spoke to the court and admitted that he had not been fully truthful, he admitted that he did not actually know how to read lips. And it wasn't that the gun just kept going off, that he pulled that trigger on purpose.

[Podcast Host/Narrator]

It was a shocking moment in covering the criminal justice system that a defendant would actually tell a judge that, yeah, I lied.

[Jennifer Clevin]

Justice was served for Todd today, but we shouldn't be here today. We should not be here today. I have nothing to say to that man. All I could say to him is, I don't forgive you. I never forgive you, and I hope you ride in hell.

[Police Officer/Investigator]

This was a really tragic case all the way around. Todd paid the ultimate price for this feud. Jennifer suffered the loss of her partner. She was shot herself. She had to relocate. Everything in her life changed.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

The Zumbergs ended up selling their house to pay Neil's criminal defense. And not only the two families who were directly impacted by death and imprisonment. Think about the trauma to the neighbors and that they had to endure this and that someone was shot and killed in broad daylight on his doorstep. Can you imagine trying to explain something like this to your kids?

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

In the years since Todd's death, peace has returned to his New Brighton neighborhood. But it will never be the same without him.

[Friend/Acquaintance of Todd Stevens]

I think Todd would want to be remembered as a guy that worked hard, took care of his friends and his family in any way that he could. I mean, he didn't have a lot of money, but he would give his last $10 to anybody. And all the years I knew him, that's all he wanted to do, was help people.

[Lead Narrator/Investigator]

Both families sold their homes and moved out of the neighborhood. Neil is currently serving a life sentence at Minnesota Correctional Facility, Oak Park Heights.