Episode 270

Summary

Sword and Scale | Episode 270: The Dark Triangle

Release Date: August 11, 2024
Host: Sword and Scale
Description: In episode 270 of Sword and Scale, the podcast delves into a harrowing true crime story involving love, betrayal, and murder. The episode explores the intricate relationships between Isabella Tagliarini, Eric Robinson, and Nicholas Wilcox, culminating in a fatal confrontation that shocked their community. Through raw and uncensored audio, including police interviews and testimonies, listeners gain a comprehensive view of the events that led to the tragic outcome.

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1. Introduction

The episode opens with a stark warning about its adult themes and graphic content, setting the tone for the intense narrative to follow.

Mike Boudet [00:00]: "Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised."

Boudet introduces the episode without his usual flair, emphasizing the gravity of an attempted assassination of a former and future US President, reflecting societal tensions and the ineffectiveness of surveillance in deterring crime.

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2. The Central Characters

Isabella Tagliarini: A Brazilian immigrant seeking a better life in the U.S., reliant on the men around her for employment due to her immigration status.

Eric Robinson: Isabella's controlling boyfriend with a criminal background, known for his physical presence and volatile temper.

Nicholas Wilcox: A 39-year-old general contractor and Isabella's roommate, whom she developed a close relationship with.

Isabella Tagliarini [00:13]: "Do you think that I will ever be able to forget the sound of someone trying to breathe?"

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3. Building Tensions

The narrative traces Isabella’s relationships, highlighting her dependence on her partners. After her divorce from Nicholas Tagliarini, Isabella forms a tumultuous relationship with Eric Robinson. Their relationship is marred by constant fighting and Eric's abusive behavior.

Eric Robinson [15:19]: "There's always issues here at this house. She ran over there a couple times to escape and she's always screaming stuff about what he's doing."

In June 2017, Nicholas Wilcox moves into their apartment, further complicating the household dynamics. Isabella begins working for Nicholas, deepening her bond with him, which does not go unnoticed by Eric.

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4. The Crime Unfolds

On October 5, 2017, the tension reaches a breaking point. Late at night, Eric, recently released from jail for cocaine possession, confronts Isabella about her affair with Nicholas. In a violent rage, Eric attacks them:

Eric Robinson [21:27]: "And he was doing like hitting him several times and saying, die motherfucker. Die motherfucker."

Nicholas is brutally beaten and stabbed by Eric with a crowbar, leading to his death. Eric coerces Isabella into helping cover up the murder, threatening her and using substances like Xanax and vodka to impair her judgment.

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5. The Investigation

Isabella, traumatized and under the influence, attempts to follow Eric's instructions to clean the crime scene. However, inconsistencies in her statements and surveillance footage begin to unravel the truth. Key moments include:

• Sergeant Chris Topher [05:26]: Provides initial police observations from the crime scene.
• Peter Seepack [09:54]: Details the cause of Nicholas's death as a combination of blunt force trauma and stab wounds.

Isabella's attempt to seek therapy on "Dr. Phil" further taints her credibility during the investigation.

Isabella Tagliarini [12:03]: "Do you think that I will ever be able to forget the sound of someone trying to breathe?"

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6. The Trial

During the trial, the prosecution relies heavily on Isabella's testimony and contradictory surveillance footage. Eric's defense argues that Isabella was the actual perpetrator, claiming she orchestrated the murder and manipulated Eric.

Isabella Tagliarini [47:26]: "Okay."

The defense points out Isabella’s irrational behavior, such as her attempt to go on "Dr. Phil," suggesting a bid for publicity rather than genuine trauma recovery.

Eric Robinson's Defense Lawyer [47:26]: Discusses Isabella's attempt to seek therapy on the show and its irrelevance to the case.

Despite the prosecution’s efforts, the jury finds Isabella credible, resulting in Eric's conviction and Isabella's acquittal.

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7. Verdict and Aftermath

Eric Robinson is sentenced to life in prison without parole, while Isabella's acquittal raises questions about the effectiveness of evidence beyond her testimony.

Prosecutor Peter Seepack [53:35]: "And murder. And murders do a lot of things that you don't make sense. And that's why they get caught sometimes."

The episode concludes by reflecting on the pervasive nature of surveillance and its limitations in preventing determined criminals. It underscores the complex interplay between victimhood and culpability, leaving listeners to ponder the moral ambiguities of the case.

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Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

• Isabella Tagliarini [00:13]: "Do you think that I will ever be able to forget the sound of someone trying to breathe?"
  Reflecting her trauma from the attack.

• Peter Seepack [09:54]: "The medical examiner... was blunt force trauma in combination with some stab wounds."
  Detailing the cause of Nicholas's death.

• Eric Robinson [21:27]: "He was doing like hitting him several times and saying, die motherfucker."
  Describing the murder.

• Mike Boudet [47:37]: "Therapy from Dr. Phil. This is America..."
  Critiquing Isabella's actions post-crime.

• Peter Seepack [53:35]: "And murder. And murders do a lot of things that you don't make sense."
  Concluding thoughts on the nature of murder.

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Conclusion

Episode 270 of Sword and Scale presents a chilling examination of a love triangle that spiraled into murder. Through detailed storytelling and firsthand testimonies, the episode highlights the complexities of human relationships, the impact of control and abuse, and the challenges within the criminal justice system. Listeners are left to consider the thin line between victim and accomplice and the enduring question of trust in a surveillance-driven world.

Transcript

[Mike Boudet]

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

[Peter Seepack]

She said.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Do you think that I will ever be able to forget the sound of someone trying to breathe?

[Mike Boudet]

Welcome back. This is season 11, episode 270 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that the worst monsters for real. Well, I have nothing clever to say today. Nothing to upset or piss off the audience of people that are always very eager to be offended by things. In this case, it was the attempted assassination of a former and future US President. We all seem to have lost our fucking minds. So if you're calling for the death of another human being, please leave. We don't need you here. We are constantly being watched these days through various forms of technology that monitor the most mundane parts of our lives. Driving through morning traffic, buying a donut, that sort of thing. Then there's the things we're willingly offering up ourselves. Like, for example, dancing on TikTok, or posting pictures of our weekend on Instagram, or tweeting about what an idiot Elizabeth Warren is. And yes, I did call it tweeting, because I don't know what else to call it. But despite that, despite the big daddy state, the surveillance state from 1984 that we're all living in currently, people still do horrible things. Almost as if deterrents don't always work. It's like they don't even think about the fact that they're being watched 24 7. I mean, most of us probably don't think about that. So I guess it makes sense. Whether you go to the gas station or DM a friend on Instagram, you are constantly being tracked. The government can find out exactly where you were at what time, pretty much, unless you take precautions, unless you cover your tracks. Listen, I'm not going into a boomer state of the world, spraying you with the garden hose kind of thing. Just bear with me here. The point is that despite knowing all of this, criminals still think that they can get away with murder for some reason. And sometimes they actually can. You would assume as a logical person that crime rates would be going down in such a surveillance state, but it's quite the opposite. The thing about footage is that we still don't get the full story. That's the problem with things like TikTok, where you have a 15 second condensed piece of information with no context. What happens when, let's say, surveillance video lacks sound? It's easy to think we can get a full picture just from surveillance footage, but sometimes what's recorded can fit multiple stories at once. And the truth is always hidden much deeper and is often much harder to decipher. On October 5, 2017, police were called to a quaint apartment in Plantation, Florida. Sergeant Chris Topher was one of them.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Morning, sir.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Good morning.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Where do you work?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Plantation kids from the city of plantation, Sergeant.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Okay, and were you working there back on October 5th of 2017?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Yes.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

And what were. What were you doing for the police department back then?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I was a rope patrol officer. And on that day, this incident happened two weeks before I got promoted. So during this incident, on that day, I was actually riding with then Sergeant Ryan. She was training me in my new position.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Okay, tell us a little bit about when you got there. Anything that you noticed right when you.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Got on scene as far as walking inside the house. I noticed that there was a female in the living room. She was talking to an officer, seemed visibly upset.

[Mike Boudet]

The woman who was visibly upset was Isabella Tagliarini. Her dyed blonde hair hung over her face as she sobbed.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

And what else did you notice as you kept going through the hall?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I noticed in just doing the cursory walk through the house, I noticed that in one of the bedrooms, all the furniture appeared to be moved. In the middle, there was also a very strong smell of household cleaning products, specifically Fabuloso, which has a very distinct scent to it. Inside that bedroom was also on one of the walls, freshly applied wet paint. I could tell that it was wet just due to the smell of paint in that specific room, as well as the way that the light from the window was glistening on the sheen of the newly applied paint. Also in that room was a red solo cup, like the kind you would drink at a party from. It had unknown liquid in it also. And then on the inside of the white part of the cup, there appeared to be some dark red spots that was also in the room.

[Mike Boudet]

After walking through what felt like a renovated bathroom with one lone red party cup, Sergeant Topher made his way out to the backyard, Walking through the residence.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Again, out towards the back patio, there was a wet mop that was on the ground leaning against the side of the house, cement underneath. It was wet, so that indicated to me that the mop had been wet or freshly used.

[Mike Boudet]

More officers soon arrived on the scene. Isabella sat crying as the Plantation police department invaded her home and started poking around. She was scared. Her roommate, Nicholas Wilcox, was missing, but Isabella knew exactly where he was, and she said she would show. Police. Here's Lieutenant Kucha.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I was instructed to take a witness, Isabella Taglarini, and transport her to Nob Hill and Cleary Boulevard to the rear of a publix.

[Peter Seepack]

And when you took her, did you.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Take her in your vehicle?

[Eric Robinson]

I did.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

And was she in the front or the back? She was in the back seat. Why is that? She was transported. Nobody rides in the front seat. Who was giving you directions? She was.

[Peter Seepack]

And you remember if she said anything.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

As you were getting close to those?

[Mike Boudet]

She did.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

She actually made a specific statement. I just read it out of my report. She said, this is the area. I remember those cameras.

[Peter Seepack]

She pointed to the cameras.

[Mike Boudet]

Yes. At the Publix. Isabella led the officers towards a big dumpster.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

And did you approach that dumpster?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I did.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

What did you notice about it when you walked back there?

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I noticed that there were some blue latex kind of medical gloves, like the kind of a nurse or a doctor would wear. They were on the ground right in front of the dumpster.

[Mike Boudet]

Then all the officers looked inside.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

I saw a tarp, elongated, probably around six feet or so in length. On each end of the tarp was a belt, like a dress belt, like the kind of a man would wear with a suit. On both the top and the bottom.

[Mike Boudet]

Of the tarp, the contents of the tarp looked human, like someone had stuffed a limp body into a giant tube and tied it off with two belts. It was Nicholas Wilcox. Isabella Tagliarini confirmed it. Here is prosecutor Peter Seepack.

[Peter Seepack]

My name is Peter Seepack. I've been working for the State Attorney's Office, 17th Judicial Circuit for about 18 years. About seven of those has been in homicide and capital crimes.

[Mike Boudet]

Peter say Pak was one of the detectives called after Nicholas Wilcox's body was found.

[Peter Seepack]

The medical examiner, I don't have it in front of me, but if I remember is blunt force trauma. He had a number of very deep wounds to his face, which were consistent with a very hard object hitting him a number of times. And also some stab wounds around his neck area. So the way he died was blunt force trauma in combination with some stab wounds where he was found in the dumpster. He was actually in a tarp, blue, grayish tarp that was taped up.

[Mike Boudet]

Nicholas Wilcox had been beaten and stabbed, then rolled into a tarp and chucked into a dumpster behind a publix. Quite an unceremonious ending if you ask me. The 39 year old General contractor had been living a simple life devoid of crime. He was separated from the mother of his children, but spent plenty of time with his kids. He wasn't doing anything remarkable or unremarkable, as this is often the case for most victims. But Isabella had not called the police to report Nicholas missing. This whole thing started to unravel when she got her ex husband involved.

[Peter Seepack]

You have to understand that Isabella called her ex husband Mr. Tagliarini, but she had. She had no idea that Mr. Tagline would go out of his way and call the Plantation police department. So when the police arrive, she's kind of, you know, caught off guard.

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella did not expect the police to come rolling into her apartment that day, smell the bleach and the fabuloso and see the wet paint. She never expected the cleanup job to be spotted. As the police drove Isabella down to the police station to speak with her, she kept quiet. Well, for the most part, she said.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Do you think that I will ever be able to forget the sound of someone trying to breathe?

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella Tagliarini was a Brazilian immigrant who, like most women in her position, came to the United States for a better life. Here's prosecutor Sapak again.

[Peter Seepack]

When she originally came here, it was with either a boyfriend or another ex husband, and that that relationship fell apart because there was domestic violence. So she was really left in this country by herself. And she met Mr. Tagorini and, you know, kind of developed from there on. So she did move here with another man at first.

[Mike Boudet]

After Isabella divorced her first husband, Nicholas Tagliarini, she met a man named Eric Robinson. Eric was a bit older than Isabella. He was big and burly with a shaved head and kind of mean eyes. He had been involved in some criminal activity, but worked construction and spent most of his time at the gym. I'm going to reiterate, he was a.

[Peter Seepack]

Big dude, but he was known to be a gym rat. That's where they met. There might have been some incidents of steroid usage. So he was, you know, he was a bigger guy.

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella and Eric struck up a romance as soon as they moved in together in June of 2016. Due to her immigration status, Isabella relied on the men in her life for employment. She never really had a career of her own. She moved to America on the back of an old boyfriend. And then when she married Nicholas Tagliarini in Florida, he took care of her. Now that she had started things up with Eric, she relied on him in the same way.

[Peter Seepack]

She really never had a job of her own. She was always taken care of, whether it be her ex husband, Mr. Tagliarini, or Eric Robinson or Nicholas Wilcox. You know, she was always, you know, she was always looking for somebody to take care of her.

[Mike Boudet]

I believe that was the dynamic, and it suited Eric nicely. You see, Eric was a controlling guy. I'm trying to paint you a picture of Eric that translates into words. Imagine an aging club brother in his 50s with bad tribal tattoos and a shimmering tan. Yeah, that kind of guy. The kind of guy who posts pictures on Facebook of himself wearing salmon pink pinstripe shirts with bejeweled patterns. Are you starting to get a vibe here? Isabella was under Eric's thumb and he took advantage of that. Plus, they weren't the most chill couple on earth. According to neighbors, the two fought constantly. And sometimes their fighting spilled out onto the street for all to see.

[Eric Robinson]

There's always issues here at this house. She ran over there a couple times to escape and she's always screaming stuff about what he's doing. The guy, Eric, he was a big guy.

[Mike Boudet]

As if things weren't crazy enough, Eric and Isabella decided to invite their friend Nicholas Wilcox to move into their shit show. Maybe they thought that a third party would help keep the peace. Maybe they just needed the extra income. Either way, 39 year old Nicholas moved in.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Nicholas Wilcox, when did he move into that apartment?

[Eric Robinson]

In the middle of June of 2017.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Nicholas was a roommate, correct?

[Eric Robinson]

It was a roommate.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

How many bedrooms in that apartment or that house?

[Eric Robinson]

Three bedrooms. Master bedroom, a master bedroom, a bathroom inside and then two other bed, two other bedrooms and a bathroom.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

So Nicholas would have his own bedroom?

[Eric Robinson]

Yes, of course.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

And did you share a bedroom with Eric?

[Eric Robinson]

Yes, we did.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Specifically our August of that year.

[Peter Seepack]

Were you sharing a bedroom with Eric?

[Eric Robinson]

Yes, I was.

[Mike Boudet]

Nicholas moved in and Isabella soon started working for him. She had no job and he needed an extra set of hands.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

What did Nicholas Wilcox do for a living?

[Eric Robinson]

He was a general contractor.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Are you a general contractor?

[Eric Robinson]

No, I'm not.

[Peter Seepack]

How would you be working for him?

[Eric Robinson]

He offered me the job in the beginning. To tape and to clean the places where he was working.

[Peter Seepack]

And the majority of time.

[Mike Boudet]

Which county were you working?

[Eric Robinson]

We were in West Palm Beach. So Palm Beach County.

[Mike Boudet]

Working together every day. Nicholas and Isabella developed a strong friendship. He often did work preparing houses for hurricanes. And as Hurricane Irma loomed in the distance, so did a Spark between the two roommates. But then in June of 2017, a big fight between Isabella and Eric erupted in the home. He was arrested on domestic violence and strangulation charges, but let out two days later. Isabella did not want to press charges. Here's prosecutor say Pak again.

[Peter Seepack]

So many times you see this and I've had this in many homicides where the woman or a man is beaten and it happens over and over. Again. And all you see is the victim show up to the state attorney's office and say they don't want to prosecute. It's a circle and sometimes it ends up in murder.

[Mike Boudet]

So Eric was released and things in the apartment only intensified between the three. Though he had not made it known yet, Nicholas developed a crush on Isabella and would often get involved when she and Eric argued.

[Peter Seepack]

Now there was even a recording that we had, and on the recording it's Isabella Tagrini recording a fight between Eric Robinson and Nicholas Wilcox. And they're really getting into it. And the reason for the fight is something to do with Isabella. And at one point where when Eric Robinson realizes that Isabella Tagorean is recording both of them, he jumps on top of Isabella and you can hear her screaming.

[Mike Boudet]

Tensions were high, but Isabella and Eric stayed together and she went off to work every day with Nicholas. What a strange arrangement. Then In August of 2017, Eric was arrested for cocaine possession. This time he would not be bailed out quite so quickly. Nicholas and Isabella continued living in the apartment together despite Eric's absence. And I bet you can kind of guess what happens next.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

At any point did you develop a.

[Peter Seepack]

Relationship with Nicholas Wilcox?

[Eric Robinson]

Yes.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

How long did it take?

[Eric Robinson]

I think maybe three weeks.

[Peter Seepack]

And did you have any communication with.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Eric Robinson at that point?

[Eric Robinson]

No, I didn't.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

You moved out to Nicholas Wilcox?

[Eric Robinson]

I'm sorry?

[Peter Seepack]

You moved out to Nicholas Wilcox?

[Eric Robinson]

Yes.

[Mike Boudet]

According to Isabella, it took a few weeks, but soon Nicholas was sleeping in her room. Their relationship had been growing for so long that it was only a matter of time before the spark would ignite, before the berry white music would start playing, before love would be in the air or something. Anyway, with Eric stuck behind bars, Nicholas and Isabella were safe to embark on the honeymoon phase of their romance. It was like a fairy tale. That is, until the early morning hours of October 5, 2017. Isabella and Nicholas were laying in bed, sound asleep after another blissful night together of fucking and whatever else they were doing when Isabella was jolted awake at 2:30 in the morning.

[Eric Robinson]

I woke up with Eric holding my mouth and my neck. And then I opened my eyes. The television was still on and the lights were on.

[Peter Seepack]

You saw Eric on top of you or was he on top of somebody else?

[Eric Robinson]

He was on top of me.

[Mike Boudet]

In the faint glow of the television still on and flickering in the corner of the room, Isabella saw Eric's angry face and he climbed on top of her, crushing her body down with all of his might. And like I said, big dude.

[Eric Robinson]

Well, at that moment, Eric Made a question not asking if I want to live or die and also telling me to be quiet. Continue holding. I couldn't turn my head to inside and I could hear Nicholas Wilcox struggling to breathe.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

What do you mean by that?

[Eric Robinson]

Was a noise that will never leave my mind forever. Horrible old person struggling. I couldn't see him, but he was struggling. Terrible noise, like a noise like this. In my mind I saw that Nick was gagged or I didn't know he was hurt. Then Eric walked me out of the bed until out around the bed. I couldn't see Nick. At a glimpse of my eyes, I saw something on his face that looked like blood.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric threw the comforter over Isabella's head and covered her mouth. Then he marched her into the living room and shoved her down onto the floor.

[Eric Robinson]

Sat me down. And he was telling me that he was still not sure if he was going to kill me too. Asking why I cheated on him and stayed with Nicholas Wilcox. And we could still listen. Nicholas trying to breathe. And he said that he had to finish his job.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric grabbed a crowbar and stormed back into the bedroom towards his former roommate and friend Nicholas.

[Eric Robinson]

He had a big piece of metal, dark metal, like I didn't know the name before, but was a big metal. And he was. He was doing like hitting him several times and saying, die motherfucker. Die motherfucker. And that's. That's what he was doing until the night disappeared.

[Mike Boudet]

How did you react?

[Eric Robinson]

I couldn't look. I was so afraid, so scared because I knew I was going to be the next.

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella sat in the hallway trembling as she listened to Eric pummel Nicholas over and over with a metal rod until the gurgling stopped. Blood had sprayed all over the bedroom. Isabella was shrieking and Nicholas was dead. Eric then comes back out into the living room and starts talking to Isabella.

[Eric Robinson]

She told me, where is your medications for anxiety and depression? I said, it's inside the bedroom in the same drawer. So he told me he got gave me to take four bars and then have some vodka so I could calm down and probably he could take control of my actions.

[Mike Boudet]

After that, Eric gave Isabella her cocktail of vodka and Xanax. Then wasted no time getting to work cleaning up the mess. Now let's be clear. Four bars of Xanax, in case you don't know, is quite a bit about as much as some people take before calling into our voicemail hotline. [phone]. So she must have been completely out of it.

[Eric Robinson]

Eric was preparing Eric asking me if there was black bags or something else. And somehow he came up with a tarp. Silver tarp.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Where did you get the silver tarp?

[Eric Robinson]

I believe it was in the house because that was Nicholas job. He was putting tarps in the roofs. In the roof of the houses because there was a hurricane.

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella trembled as she watched Eric wrap Nicholas in a tarp.

[Eric Robinson]

He wrapped it like a burrito. And he put two belts. One around the neck and one around the foot. The feet. I remember one of the belts Eric mentioning of the motherfucker was using my belt. The other, I don't know, was around the house.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric took both her and Nicholas's phones and told her not to bother trying to call for help.

[Eric Robinson]

I could never leave his sight. That was his mandatory order to stay next to him.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric dragged Nicholas out of the bedroom and shoved him into the back of his work truck. The sun was beginning to come up and Isabella's reality was closing in on her. Eric said she was next if she did anything, called anyone or tried to run. He threatened to have her kids back in Brazil murdered. He had connections, he said. Why wouldn't Isabella believe him? Eric was supposed to be locked up in jail for a long time for drug charges. Then boom. All of a sudden he shows up in her bedroom and kills her boyfriend. Thank you, American criminal justice system Build back. Better my ass.

[Eric Robinson]

I was so scared. So afraid. And I didn't trust the police at.

[Mike Boudet]

That time because that's the thing. And why Isabella Tegliarini was on the witness stand and why she had been arrested herself. Eric left. He wrapped up Nicholas and left Isabella all alone in the apartment with her phone for hours. She could have called the cops. She could have run outside and screamed for any one of the neighbors who knew how dangerous Eric was. But she didn't. Instead, she did what Eric told her to do. She started cleaning the apartment. As Isabella floated around the murder scene in a traumatic daze, she sobbed and wondered how Eric had known what was going on between her and Nicholas. Was this all planned? Why had he showed up at the apartment at 2:30 in the morning? Eric returned to the apartment an hour later and made more demands of Isabella.

[Eric Robinson]

He asked me to. To wear some lingeries and be sexy. He wanted to have sex with me. I need to survive.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

This was right after he came back, Correct?

[Eric Robinson]

Right after he came back.

[Mike Boudet]

After the two had sex. In quotes. Eric and Isabella loaded up his car and set off to get more cleaning supplies. Being fresh out of jail, Eric had to check in with his probation officer sometime later. As well, but still the question remained, how did Eric find out about Nicholas and Isabella? Prosecutor say PAC had an idea, and it all came down to a silly little love contract.

[Peter Seepack]

We were thinking that he gets out of. He gets out of Broward County Jail. His ex girlfriend, Ms. Kencick, picks him up. They go back to her location sometime that night. When he gets out, he goes back to the location of the homicide. We know that because Ms. Kensek testified that she drove him there so he can pick up his Cadillac. We believe that he went in the house prior to the homicide, saw this note on the wall, took it to his ex girlfriend, Smith Kensek's home, and the following night, or the night afterwards, he borrowed. Well, he stole her car to go to the location and bludgeon Nicholas.

[Mike Boudet]

The love note in question was a single sheet of paper signed by Isabella and Nicholas with their blood. Cute. Remember how I said they entered into the honeymoon phase fast? Yeah. Well, these two were completely in love, like two stupid teenagers. One night, after a couple of cocktails, they drew up a little romantic deed.

[Peter Seepack]

It was almost like a childish contract that they wrote together that, you know, that Nicholas Wilcox will marry Isabella Tagrini and be faithful to her at all times. And then it was signed, and I believe it was also not signed with blood, but there was fingerprints laced with blood. And both their fingerprints were on the note. And her story was that she left that note on the bedroom wall. And then after the homicide, it miraculously appear years with Eric Robinson's property at his other girlfriend's place. So how it got there, we don't know, but we're assuming that he read this and obviously got upset. And it's. You know, it's a knife that cuts both ways. You know, it shows us that Eric Robinson obviously read it because it's with his property. And it's supposed to be on the wall in the. In the bedroom of the homicide location. And wasn't, obviously. But at the same time, it doesn't paint Isabella in the greatest of ways, I guess, because like I said, it's a little childish.

[Mike Boudet]

After Eric returned from dropping off his ex girlfriend's car, he had to dispose of Nicholas body, which was still at the house in his work truck. There was a lot of driving back and forth during the whole crime, and Isabella was not the most credible witness, being on four bars of Xanax and completely traumatized.

[Peter Seepack]

The truck is actually backed up to the. To the backyard of this residence. And There's a neighbor, Ms. Ginsberg, that sees somebody that looks like Eric Robinson backing up the victim's truck to the. To the back door of the homicide location and putting something heavy inside the truck, that being, you know, the tarp that the body was wrapped in. And then the truck speeds off.

[Mike Boudet]

Isabella and Eric took off in Nicholas's truck with his body in the back. They had no idea where they were going to dump it.

[Peter Seepack]

From there, you know, they go to. They go to the Everglades, but there's too many people there. According to Ms. Taguini, they show up at the dump and they don't. They don't end up dumping the body at this place because, again, there's people watching.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric was brazen. Judging by his actions that day, prosecutor say Pak believes he thought he'd never get caught.

[Peter Seepack]

You know, the fact that he's driving around Broward county with the body in the truck, in the victim's truck, you know, he's going to a dump. And there's very good video at this dump. It's beyond hd. You can hear all the conversation. You know, the worst place to dispose of the body, especially in Broward county, is a dump, because their surveillance is top notch.

[Mike Boudet]

He's not kidding. The dump footage is clear as day, and you can watch it all on YouTube.

[Peter Seepack]

There's a number of stops, and in today's day and age, you record it everywhere. There's nowhere you can go where there's no cameras or, you know, cell phone technology can also pick you up. If you have a cell phone on you, you're constantly giving the police information.

[Mike Boudet]

After an unsuccessful trip to the dump, Eric had to meet his probation officer, so he took Isabella to the courthouse, which happened to be down the street from a Publix. Meanwhile, don't forget, the body is still in the car as they're driving. While Eric is at the courthouse, Isabella is left at the Publix to wander and wait for him to return. Of course, like prosecutor Sapak said, her entire trip to the Publix is filmed. Isabella strolls around the store pushing a grocery cart and examining items like a typical housewife. Just imagine pushing your own cart past her at that moment. And remember, there's a body in the parking lot in her car. Then she's seen using her phone, and Eric walks into the store and finds her.

[Eric Robinson]

I was afraid, and I have to make him very sure that I was going to be on his side and do whatever he told me, that I was not going to run away. I was going to tell everything he told me to do.

[Mike Boudet]

The footage is damning Isabella had multiple opportunities to get help. She was alone in Publix for over half an hour. And right across the street is the courthouse filled with cops. Yet she does nothing but embrace Eric and follow his lead like a good little accomplice.

[Peter Seepack]

And even though she embraces him at the. At the supermarket, that can be explained as, you know, someone being in fear. You have to realize she's from Brazil. All her family is in Brazil. And the people that she knows here is really her ex husband, Mr. Tagliarini, Nicholas Wilcox, who's dead now, and Eric Robinson, who murdered him. So she really has no place to go. So her story starts making a lot more sense when you put it in context.

[Mike Boudet]

You know, Isabella and Eric ended up throwing Nicholas body in the dumpster behind the Publix. Ironically, that was the place with fewer people around. Then they went home and began their cleanup job. They got rid of all of the evidence, Scrubbing every drop of blood from the scene and painting the bedroom. But still, it wasn't enough.

[Peter Seepack]

Yeah, the mattress was disposed of at a different dump site not too far away from the homicide location. It was ripped up. And police were able to discover that as well because of Isabella Tagorini. And they were able to match the DNA to that of decedent Mr. Mr. Wilcox. When the police arrived on scene, there was obviously no mattress. The place really reeked of bleach. And they also used. What's it called?

[Mike Boudet]

Fabuloso is the cleaner. I would know. I grew up in Little Havana and still have traumatic memories. It stinks.

[Peter Seepack]

You have to understand that unless you do a very good job and you, someone like Dexter, you're never going to get rid of blood evidence as much as you want to try.

[Mike Boudet]

After they cleaned everything up, Eric left Isabella alone in the house. And that is when she finally cracked and called her ex husband, Mr. Tagliarini, and told him what happened. He then immediately called the cops.

[Peter Seepack]

When the police arrived, she's kind of caught off guard. And Mr. Robinson's not in the area. But when the police were there, they knew what kind of vehicle he drove. And they saw the vehicle driving past. When they saw the vehicle driving past the homicide location, they did what's called a felony stop. Guns drawn. And he was taken into custody. And he never gave a statement.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric may be brazen, but he wasn't dumb. He refused to talk to cops. You should too. But Eric was still arrested for the murder of Nicholas Wilcox and taken to jail. Isabella was also arrested for her part in the COVID up. But her family would soon bond her out, and she'd be on an ankle monitor until the trial. Isabella would appear to be the victim in all of this. But Eric's defense was going to make sure that the jury got the full picture. All of the full picture, including, including the ugly parts. Isabella Tagliarini had been in bed with her new boyfriend and roommate, Nicholas Wilcox, when her old boyfriend, Eric Robinson, caught her cheating on him. Eric had been released early from prison, unfortunately, and came home to find a love note from Nicholas to Isabella. He became so enraged, he bludgeoned Nicholas to death with a crowbar in his sleep and made Isabella help him cover up the murder. This sick love triangle had ended in murder, and now Isabella would have to face her part in the horrific crime. Eric Robinson didn't say a word to the police and lawyered up with a strong female litigator who was determined to make the jury see all the faults in Isabella's story and character. Her defense was that Isabella actually murdered Nicholas herself and called Eric to help her finish the crime.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

What happened in this case is that Isabella Tagliarini killed her boyfriend, Nicholas Wilcox, and blamed it on her ex boyfriend, Eric Robinson. You will hear that Eric Robinson was arrested by the Plantation police department immediately based on what Isabella Tagliarini told her. The police rushed to judgment. They thought what they had at first was someone being honest and straightforward. Turns out Ms. Tagliarini's stories and statements and details kept changing.

[Peter Seepack]

Well, they really tried to blame everything on Isabella because of the inconsistencies in her statement and obviously the number of times that she could have called the police but refused to do it. And I believe that they also try to, you know, blame her immigration status that she wanted, you know, she wanted a green card. And Eric Robinson was not, you know, not the person that was going to give it to her. So, you know, she. She kind of got Eric Robinson involved in this. Their story was that she committed this heinous act, called Eric Robinson to help her dispose of the body. And that's. That's kind of their story. Because if you think about it, if you paint the picture that way, our evidence also fits that scenario, because a lot of the evidence that we had was subsequent to the actual homicide, post homicide, you know, the cleanup, driving around with the body. These are all things that happen after the homicide. So if you blame it on another person and say, listen, that person called Eric Robinson helping clean up the crime scene, all the evidence that we had and we presented fits that scenario as well.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Ms. Tigliarini gives five different statements under oath to the police. Finally, on October 14, they confront her with all of the inconsistencies, because as they start pulling surveillance and doing things, they start to realize how what she had told them was not necessarily true. For example, I'll give you one example. The evidence will show that she told the police that immediately after leaving the house, that her and Eric Robinson, with the body, with Mr. Wilhox's body in the bed of the Ford F150.

[Eric Robinson]

And I know I'm throwing a lot.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Of details out to you, and this will all kind of come together as you start hearing the evidence that they took that vehicle to the courthouse with the body in it and that she waited, had no phone, he had taken her phone. What comes out in the next week or so after the lead detective pulls the footage from the Publix right down the street, is that, no, they were not in the F150. In fact, Isabella Tagliarini was actually driving Eric Robinson's Cadillac to public. And the surveillance shows that Ms. Tagliarini has her phone the entire time and her purse. And that when Mr. Robinson comes to meet up with her at the public so they can leave, they're hugging, they're kissing, they're holding hands.

[Mike Boudet]

Despite her bad behavior and the small details changing in her story, prosecutor say Pak said that what actually mattered about Isabella's testimony never changed.

[Peter Seepack]

The root of her testimony never changed. It was always, you know, it was always that, that story, the truth of what happened, minor things might have changed. She might have said that they drove a different vehicle when they came to Publix. When we look at the surveillance, you know, it wasn't the truck, it was the Cadillac. And she was driving when she said that Eric Robinson was driving. So small things, but maybe she didn't remember, but, you know, the general aspect of her testimony never changed from day one. And, you know, you have to understand, they don't have to prove anything. The state is the one that's bringing the charges, so we have to prove up the charges.

[Mike Boudet]

The state had to prove that Eric did this without a confession or the murder weapon. The crowbar was never found. Their strategy had to be airtight, which is why they decided against first degree murder.

[Peter Seepack]

In Florida, you know, we have various types of homicide. You have first degree premeditated murder. And the law doesn't necessarily fix the amount of time that must pass between the origination of the thought and the execution of the homicide. You know, it can take a second just by pulling a trigger. Then you have also felony murder which is also a first degree homicide, which means that somebody is killed within the perpetration of enumerated felonies, such as burglary, such as robbery, such as, you know, robbing a bank, things like this. If somebody dies, that's also first degree murder. Okay. And then you have murder in a second degree. And that is, hey, we don't know what happened inside the apartment necessarily because we don't have any witnesses other than Isabella Tagorini. But it is, it is murder with a depraved mind. Which means that there was some sort of rage on the part of Eric Robinson that seemed to fit our storyline a lot more. Because essential reason had to prove motive. We didn't have to prove premeditation. You know, the sentence for second degree murder is life. The sentence for first degree murder is life as well. So it enabled us to explain the story with what he had and the evidence that we had. We thought having the need to prove an extra element, that being the premeditation part of it.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric's defense lawyer argued that Isabella killed Nicholas herself and then had Eric handle the cleanup. But prosecutor Sapak found that far fetched for many reasons.

[Peter Seepack]

And you have to understand also her physical abilities. You know, she's a small person, you can see that on, you know, when she dicks stand. But to dispose of a body, you know, wrap them up in a tarp, to even move a mattress, these are all things that you need some, some amount of strength for. And if you look at Eric Robinson, you could see that he's capable of it. And I don't, I don't believe that she'd be able to commit this murder on her own and dispose of the body and so forth.

[Mike Boudet]

But there were many weird things that Isabella did that really trashed her credibility. For one, she tried to go on the Dr. Phil show to talk about the murder. Yeah. Yeah. Here's Eric's defense lawyer discussing this with the judge during the trial.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

At some time in the past, I believe, couple of years, Ms. Taggiarini reached out to the Dr. Phil show to be a part of the show.

[Mike Boudet]

Okay.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

They contacted me to ask me if we wanted to be involved, which.

[Mike Boudet]

Okay. While this case was pending, it wasn't before the incident?

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

No, no, no.

[Isabella Tagliarini]

Okay.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Obviously I declined their invitation, but that's how I found out about it. So I did ask Ms. Haglerini and deposition about it for answer about why she wanted to go on the Dr. Hill show was because she wanted to get some type of therapy. And she knew that part of being on the show that maybe she would be able to get therapy.

[Mike Boudet]

I mean, what can I say? I'm kind of with Eric's defense lawyer on this one. Therapy from Dr. Phil. This is America. There are thousands of hotlines in every state that offer free trauma counseling and assistance for those in need of it. But I guess some people really like trashy daytime television. Here's the judge's response. What is the relevance of that? I mean, let me put it this way. If you ask her about it, then the, and it opens up the door to the why. So I think it's totally irrelevant. But if I do allow you to ask it, that means the state gets to ask, you know, why did you do it? Because obviously you're bringing it out because you think that there's some sort of negative connotation to that.

[Sergeant Chris Topher]

Well, I think it's fair to say that for somebody who was so traumatized by an incident, I think it's just a.

[Peter Seepack]

Well, there are different.

[Mike Boudet]

Conclusions you could make. One, you could say that it's a bizarre act and maybe she's seeking some type of publicity. The other, another argument could be that she was suffering and needed free therapy. Still, Isabella decided to testify against Eric because, well, just because she was promised nothing. And that says something about her character and perhaps negates this weird Dr. Phil stuff.

[Peter Seepack]

So prior to her testimony, we, we never promised her anything. And that's, you know, the reason for that is so we can, we can ask her on the stand. And it's true. Have you been offered anything? You pled open to a judge. You don't know what, what you're gonna get. And here are possible penalties. And you're here testifying because you know you want to, and it's, it's of your own free will. And that's, that's essentially what you did.

[Mike Boudet]

The prosecution's whole case rested on Isabella's story. That was all they had, along with the video footage which actually made her look worse and helped the defense. Despite all this, the jury came back in favor of Isabella. They believed her. You know, I mean, for some reason there's a propaganda campaign that says that women aren't believed when they say something. And I'm not sure what the fuck these people are talking about. Modern day Western culture bends over backwards to believe women whether they lie or not. But regardless, Eric wouldn't be so lucky. He would be locked away for life. Prosecutor say Pak and his team were happy with this verdict, but the question remained, why did Eric think he would get away with this, as Sapak said, we leave a digital footprint everywhere we go today. Everybody knows this. Isn't that right, Siri?

[Peter Seepack]

I really think that he thought he could control Isabella. I think that he was such a domineering personality in that relationship that there was no doubt in his mind that she would ever flip on him. You have to realize that without Isabella's testimony, you know, from the beginning, it'd be very hard for the police to go in the right places to look for that being the dump, you know, that being the various locations that she told us about. Eventually, I believe they might be able to get there through a cell phone technology. But, you know, without her immediate intervention and her ability to tell the story and exactly where they went, that enabled the police to go to these locations and get this, get this surveillance footage, which might have been deleted by the time they would have gotten there.

[Mike Boudet]

The true hero of this story is Isabella's ex husband. Because without his 911 call, who knows how long it would have been before anyone noticed Nicholas Wilcox was gone. Eric sent out text messages from his cell phone to friends and family trying to explain his absence. And he worked for himself with Isabella. All of Nicholas family was in New York, except for his father, who attended trial every day. In a very real sense, Eric and Isabella could have gotten away with this if that 911 call had never been placed. But they didn't. And now Eric Robinson will spend the rest of his life behind bars until he dies. Good. Good.

[Peter Seepack]

There is no parole in Florida. When you go away, when you're sentenced to life in Florida, the only way that you're getting out is in a casket. Murder is crazy. Murder is crazy. And murder. And murders do a lot of. Lot of. A lot of things that you don't make sense. And that's why they get caught sometimes.

[Mike Boudet]

Eric Robinson was a controlling man who thought he could get away with murder. After all, every time he was put in jail for hurting Isabella, she refused to press charges and he'd be released again. It's not shocking that this relationship ended in homicide. This is a recognizable pattern that often ends in bad things, including homicide. It was volatile and crazy from the start. As for Nicholas Wilcox, he just got caught up in a love triangle. Isabella was an attractive, exotic woman, and I'm sure she had a damsel in distress type mentality that appealed to him. Maybe if that stupid love contract hadn't been posted on the wall, none of this would have ever happened. She could have kept lying, gotten away with the affair. It really doesn't matter though, because Eric Robinson found out he lost it and decided to take matters into his own hands. What is the moral of this story, ladies and gentlemen? Well, there's a few. The first One is that Three's Company was a great show in the 80s, but it doesn't work in real life. Despite what these fucking TikTok millennials will try to sell to you. Love is messy and there's no room for a cuck chair. Look, at the end of the day, what happened here is that the world is full of dangerous, scary, crazy people. Eric Robinson was one of them. And he proved it that night when he murdered Nicholas Wilcox for sleeping with his girlfriend. There's probably another lesson here somewhere in this one. It might have to do with the fact that we're constantly being monitored. Even if we're not committing a crime, even if we're not Eric Robinson, even if we're just good tax paying civilians trying to do the right thing, we're still being monitored every second of every day by Big Brother because we value our safety above our freedom. Unfortunately. Don't believe me. Hey, Siri. Stay safe. Sassholes. Well, that's gonna do it for another one. Go check out our summer of sword and scale [e-mail]. we got a new one with the don't talk to cops design. You might like it. Stay safe.