
Andrea Canning sits down with Josh Mankiewicz to discuss his episode, “Out of the Darkness.” In 2016, Chacey Poynter called 911 in hysterics to report that her husband, Bob, a fire captain, had been fatally shot by a stranger on a Texas country road. When police arrived at the scene, they found a frantic Chacey covered in her husband’s blood. Investigators quickly surmised that her emotion and her story were far from genuine. Andrea and Josh discuss the intensity of Chacey’s reaction, captured on police body cam, as well as the role of life insurance policies can play in murders. Later, Josh shares a podcast-exclusive clip from his interview Bob’s mother. Then, in a podcast first, Josh invites Andrea to partake in a special Talking Dateline challenge. Have a question for Talking Dateline? DM your audio or video to @DatelineNBC on social or leave a voicemail at (212) 413-5252. Your question could be featured in an upcoming episode. Listen to the full episode of “Out of the Darkn...
Loading summary
Andrea Canning
Insurance is not one size fits all. That's why drivers of trusted Progressive's name your price tool for years. Just tell Progressive what you want to pay and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. Visit progressive.com to find a car insurance rate that works for you. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law with no fees or minimums on checking accounts. It's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com BankGuy Capital One NA Member FDIC Foreign.
Hi, everyone. I'm Andrea Canning and we are talking dateline. Our correspondent on this one is Josh Mankiewicz, and this is for his episode called out of the Darkness.
Hello.
Let's talk dateline. Josh, hey. How are you?
Josh Mankiewicz
I'm good. I'm ready.
Andrea Canning
One housekeeping item. If you haven't seen it, you can watch the episode of Peacock or listen to it in the Dateline podcast feed and then come right back here. Also, we will have an extra clip from Josh's interview with the victim, Bob Poynter's mother. And then, Josh, you have a special talking DATELINE challenge for me. I'm excited about this.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yes, I do. It's something we've discussed previously, although you've certainly forgotten about it. I actually forgot about it, too, but it's gonna be fun.
Andrea Canning
Okay, I'm ready. Before we dive into this episode and I have a lot of thoughts, Josh, give us a very quick overview of what happened.
Josh Mankiewicz
Well, this was in 2016 in Royce City, Texas, sort of classic Texas small town. A young woman named Chasey Pointer married to a fire captain who was considerably older. She was 29, I think he was like 46, 47, something like that. She calls her husband because her jeep has gotten stuck on this muddy road. So he comes out there and he gets shot. And from the beginning, we on dateline, the viewers see this story unfold almost entirely via first responder and police body cams. And she's unspooling this story of what happened. And sort of from the beginning, she can't get her own story straight. I mean, first she says he doesn't know what happened. Then she saw a shadow. She saw A shadowy figure. Then it was a man. She didn't know who it was. Then later, she does know who it is. It's this guy that she was having an affair with. I mean, it is a classic case of not just spousal murder, but of a murderer kind of not thinking about the story that they were going to tell until the absolute minute they were telling it. And so you are left watching this and just kind of shaking your head. She was convicted, and, you know, it's a terrible tragedy. And again, there's a thing called divorce.
Andrea Canning
Yes, yes. That we mention often on this program. So, Josh, I have to say, she had me at first, Chacey. Because the way this show opens is very terrifying. You know, the. The out of breath, the 9:1 call, the running. I mean, it's like how every Lifetime movie starts out. There's a woman running through the woods. And then when the call dropped out, I thought Chacey was done. I thought somebody was after her. Then I was so surprised to see that Chacey was alive. And she was then talking to investigators eventually. And that's where her behavior really comes in. And the breathing. And I'm like, yeah, the breathing. And then it would, like. And then it would, like, stop, and then it would start again. And at first, she kind of had me, but the more it went on, the more I started to say, this girl needs a razzie.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah. That wonderful top is courtesy of Jessica De Vera, who's a sensational producer here at the show.
Andrea Canning
She's amazing.
Josh Mankiewicz
And, you know, Jessica and I did this story, and, like, we didn't have a couple of the things that people usually have. Like, we certainly didn't have an interview with her.
Andrea Canning
You almost didn't need it, though, Josh, because we had such a sense of her telling.
Josh Mankiewicz
We had her telling this crazy story and burying herself. Right. We had her telling her own story, which, you know, at the beginning sounds crazy and, like, the worst thing has happened to her. And then the more she tells it, the crazier it sounds. The crazier she sounds, the more dishonest she sounds. And then you just think, okay, well, I mean, this person's a liar. And that's exactly where prosecutors came down.
Andrea Canning
You know, what I love about investigators are the little things that they pick up on that, you know, me, at least, I don't know about you, but I'm not a, you know, a trained investigator. So when they. When they say to her, you know, they. They say to her that the blood should have dripped down.
Josh Mankiewicz
Right.
Andrea Canning
And then also that they could tell that, you know, she was standing too close. Like, she was standing close to Bob when the shot was fired. But she said that she wasn't. And so they said. They told her, quote, you're full of crap.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah, well, I mean, you know, by then she'd already told these multiple stories, right?
Andrea Canning
And the whole thing was, you know, why didn't this woman ask for a lawyer at some point? Why didn't she keep her mouth shut, at least minimize what she was saying? Because then she starts going into that they're having all. They have a bad marriage and that.
Josh Mankiewicz
Well, she says. She says, when I married him, I was young and stupid. And I think an argument could be made that nothing had changed. That was, I think, still true on the day of her husband's death.
Andrea Canning
And custody issues. I mean, all the things that lead to these date lines, you know, they.
Josh Mankiewicz
She and her husband. Her husband seems like a great guy. From everything we were able to determine, not long after they were married, she starts stepping out on him. Not with just the guy who ended up killing him, but a bunch of other guys, too, to the point where her husband installed, I think, a surveillance camera outside their front door. Not to catch bad guys and not to keep the house safe, but to get a picture of one of Jaycee's lovers, which I think he did.
Andrea Canning
Oh, there were. There were a bunch.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah. Yeah.
Andrea Canning
And she said to one of the lovers, omg. No, I wrote omg. She didn't say omg. I wrote OMG on my notes. I wish he'd run out of air in a fire.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah. Yeah. She was hoping that her husband would die, you know, in the line of duty, which prosecutors believe that this was all about the insurance money and that if he had died in the line of duty, I think maybe she would have gotten some additional payment, too. But, you know, I mean, they also told different stories about, like. Like the. He wasn't supposed to be killed. That was originally. This was just about scaring him. This was about giving the husband a good talking to, telling him, you know, to stay away from her. Because there was this sort of mythology that she created that he was violent and controlling and abusive physically and verbally. And there just wasn't any evidence of that.
Andrea Canning
I mean, we see that a lot.
Josh Mankiewicz
Nobody seemed to believe that that was true about Mr. Pointer.
Andrea Canning
Like, don't you agree, though? We see that all the time where women will get the lover on board, you know, to. To do harm to their husband, because they're saying he's doing this to me. And that. To me. And he's abusive.
Josh Mankiewicz
And, I mean, the reason that works is that it's true so much of the time. That's the thing, right?
Andrea Canning
Oh, yes. Oh, 100%.
Josh Mankiewicz
Women very rarely commit homicide. Right. They almost always find somebody else to do it for them. That's sort of how this usually goes. Right. And one of the things that moves men to be the agent of somebody else in a murder is, well, this person is hurting me, this person is abusive. This person is beating me. And then guys want to sort of feel like the white knight here.
Andrea Canning
Yeah. And I actually. It took me down memory lane a little bit with a story that I did. This was about an army soldier. His name was Army Sergeant Vincent Goslin Jr. And he was shot to death on a remote Kentucky road after stopping to help what appeared to be a stranded motorist. At first it looked like a random act of violence, but investigators, you know, after he was shot uncovered a calculated murder for hire plot orchestrated by his wife and her lover. Prosecutors said that she lured her husband to the isolated location where the lover then killed him, and they both pleaded guilty. So, I mean, it's a very similar story.
Josh Mankiewicz
I mean, you change the names. That's the Chasey and Bob Pointer story.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Yeah.
Andrea Canning
You know, that was the one.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah.
Andrea Canning
Where I had the sweat bee video. I don't know if you ever saw that. I remember that one after me. And I was, like, doing.
Josh Mankiewicz
I remember that. I remember.
Andrea Canning
Yeah. Because I was trying to do interviews, and there were, like, a million sweat bees.
Josh Mankiewicz
The thing about you that's different from, well, just for example, me is that. Is that you looked cool and elegant, swatting away the bees. Like, that's a. You know, whereas I would have looked like a, you know, like a character, you know, in a cartoon, leaving an outline of their body as they go through a wall.
Andrea Canning
I mean, Josh, to. To be fair, I think I probably look like Elaine from Seinfeld. You know, her, like, you know, that really weird dance that she does that's, like, on all the memes. I think I looked more like that,
Josh Mankiewicz
to be honest with you.
Andrea Canning
But thank you.
Josh Mankiewicz
You looked better.
Andrea Canning
Speaking of TV shows, I definitely was thinking a lot about Orange is the New Black, the TV show, because of the sheer number of times, Josh, that you mentioned orange or. And how people would look in orange. I mean, can I go. Wait, can I go through them first?
Josh Mankiewicz
Sure.
Andrea Canning
Before you respond.
Sure.
Okay. So first you had I rock an orange jumpsuit. Orange is the New Black, the male version that was from Michael Garza, the lover, the killer, then the killer. Then you had Chacey saying, I don't look good in orange. And then you had one more. You had Michael Garza actually in the orange in the mug. And you said that he looked about as good as you'd think in orange.
Josh Mankiewicz
It's not every day that you hear a killer say, I'll do it. And I rock an orange jumpsuit. Right. In other words, I'm gonna get caught. Right. And then they do get caught. And then you do see them in an orange jumpsuit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Andrea Canning
Okay, Josh. When we come back, we will have more from your interview with Bob Poynter's mom. And her name is Candy. When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns.
Grainger Announcer
With Grainger's vast selection of high quality
Andrea Canning
motors, sensors, belts and hard to find
Grainger Announcer
parts, you can get what you need
Andrea Canning
fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done.
Grainger Announcer
Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop
Andrea Canning
by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
Grainger Announcer
How will you celebrate America's 250th birthday with a perfect night's sleep? Enjoy huge Savings at the Serta July 4th sales event. Save up to $600 on Serta Perfect Sleeper X mattresses and adjustable base sets with the Q4 support system that helps relieve aches and back pain. Limited time offer. Visit a SERTA retailer today. Perfect Sleeper. Perfect sleep. Night after night in the US there's
Simplisafe Announcer
a break in every 26 seconds. But when intruders step near Simplisafe home security steps up.
Simplisafe Voice
Stop. This is Simplisafe. Police are on the way.
Simplisafe Announcer
Using AI alerts, US based live agents help deter break ins. Simplisafe. No long term contracts. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at SimpliSafe.com or with promo
Simplisafe Voice
code SXM Outdoor deterrence requires a Simplisafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection plan starting at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee 2012.
Andrea Canning
The other thing that was like really crazy about this was Michael Garza's alibi. I mean, we've heard a lot of alibis over the years, but he was milking a cow.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah. Yeah. In the middle of the night.
Andrea Canning
Yeah.
What?
Josh Mankiewicz
Yeah, that was, you know. Again, this is a. You know, I mean, you hear cops sometimes say we don't catch the smart ones Right. Sometimes they do catch the smart ones, but like, a lot of times who they catch are literally people who, like Chasey, tell like three different stories in the first three hours or actually probably less than that. And Michael Garza, who, you know, says things like, I rock an orange jumpsuit and. And his. His alibi is I was milking a cow. Like. Like, you want to have, you know, your cell phone at some different location at that moment, you know. You know, you want to have somebody testify. Oh, no, you know, Mike and I were having a beer at the saloon. Right, right. But, you know, I mean, you know, when you are dumb enough to commit murder and dumb enough to immediately lie about it in a way that's going to get caught and dumb enough to hire a guy like that, you kind of deserve what you get.
Andrea Canning
Yeah, I mean, the whole plan was just so full filled up and sadly
Josh Mankiewicz
though, the result is like, you know, there's kids without a dad and yeah,
Andrea Canning
that mother, the mother without her son.
Josh Mankiewicz
You know, Bob Pointer was one of those guys who did not lose touch with his mom over the years. Like, they spoke all the time. I mean, I think safe to say she was like maybe his best friend. Which is why interviewing her was sort of, I thought, paramount in this.
Andrea Canning
Josh, we have an extra clip that from your interview with Bob Poynter's mother. We are going to take a listen.
Josh Mankiewicz
Just tell me a little bit more about what he was like as a dad, I guess, to Addison.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
To Addison. Oh, my God, he adored her. I mean, from the get go. I mean, she looked just like him. She loved. I mean, he just doted on her. He would cook, teach her how to cook. They were cooking and Bobby loved to cook. Bob loved to cook. So he even said, oh, mom. I think a couple weeks before he passed away, he said, I want to get Addison even a chef's coat she likes. Washington, Food Network and all that. And I want to. We started researching right away to buy her one.
Josh Mankiewicz
He'd let Addison put red nail polish on.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Oh, totally. There's pictures of him with his glasses on painting his nails or her nails and he's painting her nails. I thought, oh, Lord. He was just like a gentle soul. He was like a gentle giant. I would call him sometimes because he was so big.
Josh Mankiewicz
One of the things that comes out of that, I think, is that, you know, he was a very involved dad, not just to the daughter he had with Chacey, who was, I think six and a half when he was killed, but also to his two older daughters that he had with his first wife. He was a big part of all of their lives. And, you know, again, that's a sort of a extra tragedy out of all this. And we. Something we talk about all the time, kind of the. The ripple effect of murder.
Andrea Canning
Here's like, maybe, maybe a lesson. Why do spouses allow, you know, increases in life insurance policies or more life insurance policies when they maybe aren't in the best marriage or maybe they know someone's cheating in the relationship? And then you always hear these stories about just months before the murder or like, sometimes it's like days they up their policy or added more policies.
Josh Mankiewicz
Look, you know, another case that always sort of springs to mind happened a long time ago here in California. The. The murderer was a. Had been a Jeopardy. Champion, and he poisoned his wife with nicotine. And she was sick for a long time, and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. And her friends were saying to her, I can tell you what this is. This is your husband. He's trying to kill you. He's making you sick somehow. And she said to them, oh, he wouldn't do that. He loves me. That wouldn't happen.
Andrea Canning
But.
Josh Mankiewicz
But she took him off her life insurance. She made her sister the beneficiary of her life insurance, and she didn't tell him.
Andrea Canning
Did he know?
Josh Mankiewicz
He did not know, no.
Andrea Canning
You got. You got to tell. You got to tell the husband.
Josh Mankiewicz
A couple of days after she died, he's on the phone with the life insurance company, and he's like, I'm sorry. What? Right.
Andrea Canning
So, like, I mean, no, no, no, no, no. If you're going to do that, you need to say something.
Josh Mankiewicz
My point is thinking to yourself, I need to protect myself is one thing, or I'm uncomfortable with this, or I'm going to take my husband off the insurance. That's sort of easier to do than to confront someone and say, I want you to know something. I've taken you off my insurance. And the reason is, I don't think you have my best interest at heart. That is so much harder than. Than calling the insurance company and saying, switch the beneficiary to my family member.
Andrea Canning
Very, very true, Very true. You know what's interesting, Josh, that the jury said in the end that they didn't think Chacey killed Bob for money.
Josh Mankiewicz
Right.
Andrea Canning
Which I didn't really get because she stood, you know, to gain this money. And then the jury. I didn't. Did you get that?
Josh Mankiewicz
I mean, that is correct. That the jury did not believe that. Prosecutors did believe that this was, this was for financial gain. He had a, he had a, you know, insurance policy of between 500,000 and a million dollars. But, you know, I would say that it's reasonable to believe that they didn't really know why they were killing him. I mean, I'm to suggest that this was just for money. Like I, like, I never believed that this was about her and Michael Garza being together. I mean, she had a bunch of other guys that she was seeing too. Like, this is not like we're going to get this money and run off together. Like she wanted to be free. I think she thought maybe the money might make life easier. But like the idea that the money was the motive for this, I don't know. But yes, they were. She was not convicted of murder for financial gain.
Andrea Canning
All right, Josh, up next, you are going to take over for a special talking DATELINE challenge. You do not want to miss this.
Odoo Announcer
Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. Introducing Odoo, the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that makes your work easier from CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, and more. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So Odoo, why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's o d o o dot com.
Grainger Announcer
How does America stay so beautiful at 250? By getting its Beautyrest this July 4th, save up to $1,000 on Beautyrest Black mattresses and adjustable base sets featuring pocketed coil technology for our most advanced motion separation. Visit a beautyrest retailer.
Simplisafe Announcer
Today in the US there's a break in every 26 seconds. But when intruders step near Simplisafe home security steps up.
Simplisafe Voice
Stop. This is Simplisafe. Police are on the way.
Simplisafe Announcer
Using AI alerts, US Based live agents help deter break ins. Simplisafe. No long term contracts. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at SimpliSafe.com sxm or with promo code sxm outdoor deterrence requires a
Simplisafe Voice
Simplisafe active guard outdoor protection plan starting at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee 2012.
Josh Mankiewicz
Okay, welcome back to Talking dateline. Now instead of taking your social media questions, Andrea and I are going to play a game and it is one that you and I talked about a year ago back on this podcast. So let's, let's go back in time here. Andrea was talking to me about a lawyer, an attorney that she had interviewed for her episode called Poison Twist, which was about a chiropractor's poisoning death in New York. So let's listen to what Andrea and I were talking about after that on Talking Dateline.
Andrea Canning
She's fellow Canadian, and I picked up on her accent immediately during our interview. She was saying a boat. And, you know, I said, you're. You're Canadian, aren't you? And she's from Niagara Falls.
Josh Mankiewicz
Can you automatically, instantly tell when somebody's Canadian?
Andrea Canning
I feel like I have that radar. You know, that special is. Would you call it radar? I don't know if that's the right term, but absolutely. I mean, I can pick out actors, I can pick out lawyers. I can pick out anybody pretty much instantaneously as soon as, like, you know, I just need a few words, choice words, and then we're good.
Josh Mankiewicz
I know this feels, by the way, like a social media contest that is upcoming. Right. I can, I can see this coming. I'm going to be the moderator. So, yes, this is. This kind of thing is sort of why Talking Dateline exists, in my view. So we have outsourced a task to some of our fabulous Dateline ambassadors, the people who tell you on social media this episode or that episode is upcoming and who's gonna be on.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Okay.
Josh Mankiewicz
And we have had some American and Canadian Dateline viewers and listeners.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
I know.
Andrea Canning
What if I get this wrong?
Josh Mankiewicz
Send us voice recordings.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Oh, my God.
Josh Mankiewicz
Of the same sentence. And the sentence is, for the record, I have no idea what you're talking about. Sorry.
Andrea Canning
Now I'm feeling the pressure, though, because of that statement that I made.
Josh Mankiewicz
So, Andrea, we are going to play some clips of people saying that line, and you, little Miss Canadian, and can identify other Canadians, you're going to guess whether the person speaking is American or Canadian. Here is clip number one.
Simplisafe Announcer
For the record, I have no idea
Andrea Canning
what you're talking about.
Simplisafe Announcer
Sorry.
Josh Mankiewicz
American or Canadian?
Andrea Canning
I mean, she sounds like. That's not how they would say it in my town. So she sounds American to me.
Josh Mankiewicz
American is correct.
Andrea Canning
Yay. Okay.
Josh Mankiewicz
Okay.
Andrea Canning
Thank you.
Josh Mankiewicz
Okay, that's good.
Andrea Canning
All right. Okay.
Josh Mankiewicz
Clip number two.
Andrea Canning
For the record, I have no idea what you're talking about. Sorry. She's definitely Canadian.
Josh Mankiewicz
The sorry gave it away.
Andrea Canning
I think both the sorry and the about. Yeah.
Josh Mankiewicz
Okay. So that person is Canadian.
Andrea Canning
Okay.
Josh Mankiewicz
Yes. So far you're batting a thousand. Yeah. Would you like to risk it all, Andrea, and go for clip number three?
Andrea Canning
I would.
Josh Mankiewicz
Here we go.
Andrea Canning
For the record, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sorry. She definitely. She sounds American, but if she's Canadian, then she's. She's not saying it how Canadians say it.
Josh Mankiewicz
That's not an answer. Judges, Sorry.
Andrea Canning
Fine.
Josh Mankiewicz
Andrea did not choose.
Andrea Canning
Fine. American. She's American.
Josh Mankiewicz
American is correct. Okay, Andrea, three for three.
Andrea Canning
You know what's funny, Josh, is that I was. When I was in Taiwan recently, on my other story, I was at the national park, and this man came up to me and started talking to me, and I said, you're Canadian? And he said, yes, I am. How did you know that? And I said, because I' Canadian, and I can pick a Canadian even out of a Taiwanese national park.
Grainger Announcer
There you go.
Josh Mankiewicz
So you are three for three now in baseball, you know, three for three gets you in the hall of Fame. If you can do that, you know, your entire career. So. All right, here's clip number four.
Simplisafe Announcer
For the record, I have no idea
Andrea Canning
what you're talking about.
Sorry.
She's definitely Canadian.
Josh Mankiewicz
That person is American.
Odoo Announcer
What?
Andrea Canning
That. How is that possible? She said. She didn't. Is she, like, from Minnesota?
Josh Mankiewicz
Oh, yeah, I see.
Andrea Canning
Josh, that. That was a. That was a red herrings ringer because she's too close to Canada and they talk so much like Canadians. That's the one. Fly in the ointment.
Josh Mankiewicz
Judges. They don't care. Also, there's no one over here that I'm looking at.
Andrea Canning
See, I. I can't. I don't know enough people from Minnesota, I guess, to be able to separate the Canadian Minnesota accent.
Josh Mankiewicz
I'll give you a little grace. Here's clip number five.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
For the record, I have no idea
Andrea Canning
what you're talking about.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Sorry.
Andrea Canning
Definitely sounds Canadian, unless they're from a northern state. But I'm going to go with Canadian.
Josh Mankiewicz
Canadian is correct.
Andrea Canning
Okay. Okay. All right. At least I got. I got four out of five, so.
Right.
Josh Mankiewicz
And now, finally, for all the money in the world, plus an RV and a chaperoned trip to Puerto Vallarta.
Andrea Canning
How about to Minnesota?
Josh Mankiewicz
Okay, sure. And a gift certificate from the Spiegel catalog. Spiegel. Featuring value selection and economy. Spiegel, Chicago, IL, 60609. Can you tell that I watched a lot of game shows growing up? You probably can.
Andrea Canning
Yes, yes. Roll it.
Josh Mankiewicz
Number six.
Andrea Canning
For the record, I have no idea
Simplisafe Announcer
what you're talking about.
Candy (Bob Poynter's mother)
Sorry.
Andrea Canning
That one's kind of in between. I'm going to go with American. But it could be, could go either way.
Josh Mankiewicz
I hate to see you go out on a losing note, Andrea. Oh, no, that person was Canadian.
Andrea Canning
But where she, I wish I knew where these people were from.
Josh Mankiewicz
But I have to say, you, you backed up your claim. I think, I think you do for the most part. I think, I think you're, you're able to say that you've got, you've got a fail safe or pretty close to it sense of who's from Canada and who isn't.
Andrea Canning
So, yeah, I gotta study the dialect a little more. You know, the northern states.
Josh Mankiewicz
We want to thank you for playing. We have a home version of our game.
Andrea Canning
Could you imagine, Josh? Well, thank you so much for this. It was very fun, as always. Fun and also interesting and fascinating because we are dealing, of course, with very heavy subject matter. So it's nice to have a little moment where we can smile. Right?
Josh Mankiewicz
Yes, it is also right. Keith, you would have crushed Keith in that competition, by the way, that, you
Andrea Canning
know, that would have been interesting to have Keith and I go head to head. I wonder what he would have, how he would have done actually this. Well, this is not airing while we're taping this right now. But it is Keith's birthday.
Josh Mankiewicz
It is Keith's birthday. Yes.
Andrea Canning
Everybody wish Keith a happy birthday. It'll be a little belated when this comes out, but happy birthday to Keith.
Josh Mankiewicz
Happy birthday.
Andrea Canning
Well, that is it, Josh, for talking Dateline. Thank you.
Josh Mankiewicz
Thank you.
Andrea Canning
And thank you all for listening. And thank you to the DATELINE ambassadors who shared their voices for this challenge. Thanks, Jessica McCourt Hughes, the slickest Rick, Jojo Montana, Caitlin Clark, Anna Falkowski and Erica Grimaldi. And remember, if you have any questions about our stories, you can DM us your audio or video on our socials and DatelinenBC or leave us a voicemail at 212-413-5252 for a chance to be featured right here. And you can watch the video version of Talking Dateline on Peacock or YouTube or subscribe to the NBC News app. We will see you Fridays on Dateline on NBC.
Simplisafe Announcer
In the US there's a break in every 26 seconds. But when intruders step near Simplisafe, home security steps up.
Simplisafe Voice
Stop. This is Simplisafe. Police are on the way.
Simplisafe Announcer
Using AI alerts US based live agents help deter break ins. SimpliSafe. No long term contracts. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at SimpliSafe.com sxm or with
Simplisafe Voice
promo code sxm Outdoor deterrence requires a SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection Plan starting at $49.99 a month. Visit SimpliSafe.com licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee 2012.
Episode Date: July 8, 2026
Hosts: Andrea Canning and Josh Mankiewicz
Focus: Behind-the-scenes discussion and analysis of Josh Mankiewicz’s episode “Out of the Darkness,” about the murder of Texas fire captain Bob Poynter, with a concluding lighthearted “Canadian or American?” accent challenge.
This episode dives into the true-crime case of Bob Poynter’s murder in Royce City, Texas, exploring the tangled web of deceit, infidelity, and manipulation involving his wife Chacey Poynter and her lover Michael Garza. Andrea Canning and Josh Mankiewicz discuss storytelling choices, investigative twists, and the emotional aftermath, before ending with a playful game testing Andrea’s ability to identify Canadian versus American accents.
[01:45]
Quote:
"It is a classic case of not just spousal murder, but of a murderer kind of not thinking about the story that they were going to tell until the absolute minute they were telling it."
—Josh Mankiewicz [02:52]
[03:35]
Quote:
"At first, she kind of had me, but the more it went on, the more I started to say, this girl needs a Razzie."
—Andrea Canning [04:24]
[05:11]
Quote:
"When I married him, I was young and stupid. And I think an argument could be made that nothing had changed..."
—Josh Mankiewicz [06:02]
[06:23]
Quote:
"The reason that works is that it’s true so much of the time—I mean, women very rarely commit homicide. Right. They almost always find somebody else to do it for them."
—Josh Mankiewicz [08:14]
[08:49]
[10:19]
Quote:
"His alibi is I was milking a cow... Like, you want to have your cell phone at some different location at that moment..."
—Josh Mankiewicz [13:23]
[14:36] & [15:03]
Quote:
"He was just like a gentle soul. He was like a gentle giant..."
—Candy, Bob’s mother [15:35]
[16:16]
Quote:
"To suggest that this was just for money—like, I never believed that this was about her and Michael Garza being together... I think she wanted to be free."
—Josh Mankiewicz [18:43]
[21:06]–[27:44]
Quote:
"You looked cool and elegant, swatting away the bees... whereas I would have looked like a character in a cartoon, leaving an outline of their body as they go through a wall." —Josh [10:05]
This summary provides a comprehensive look at the themes, details, and unique moments from “Talking Dateline: Out of the Darkness” useful for listeners new and old.