432: The Journals of Maria Muñoz: 48 Hours (S37 E24)

Summary

Podcast Summary: True Crime Obsessed – Episode 432: The Journals of Maria Muñoz: 48 Hours (S37 E24)
Release Date: May 29, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 432 of True Crime Obsessed, titled "The Journals of Maria Muñoz: 48 Hours," hosts Sarah and Mike delve into the tragic and mysterious case of Maria Muñoz. Through a meticulous recounting of events, interviews, and insights, they explore the complexities of Maria's life, her struggle with mental health, and the ultimate betrayal by her husband, Hoel Peyote.

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Background: Maria Muñoz’s Struggles

Maria Muñoz was a dedicated mother battling severe depression and anxiety. Seeking solace, she reached out for help through both her church and medical professionals. Her personal journals revealed her deepest fears and desires, including:

• Fear of losing her family and husband
  Maria wrote, "My fears are losing my family, losing my husband, damaging my kids, making the wrong choice as the DA. My job was putting the right team together to work this case." ([01:37])

• Desire to be a good, present mother
  "I want to be a good mom. A mom that is present, engaged, and involved with my kids." ([02:22])

Maria's journals highlighted her determination to overcome her struggles for the sake of her children, Alejandro and Valentino.

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Relationship Dynamics and Escalation

Maria met Hoel Peyote in Mexico, an 11-year-old nurse anesthetist. Their marriage initially appeared strong, with Maria being a beloved mother and partner. However, over time, cracks began to form:

• Hoel’s Changing Behavior
  "He was always bringing medical drugs into his house and using them recreationally." ([39:42])

• Affair with Janet
  In 2018, Hoel started an affair with Janet, a surgical nurse, further straining their marriage. Maria discovered plane tickets indicating Hoel's deceit:
  "She found the plane ticket. It's a nurse anesthetist convention." ([23:57])

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The Night of the Tragedy

On the early morning of September 22, 2020, Laredo Police Officer Giorgio De La Cruz responded to a 911 call regarding Maria Muñoz's overdose. The following sequence unfolded:

1. Initial CPR Attempt
   Hoel, dressed in surgical scrubs, administered CPR to Maria, claiming she overdosed on clonazepam.
   "[03:35] Sarah: ...this guy is in surgical scrubs, and he's doing CPR."

2. Suspicious Actions
   Despite Hoel’s claim, no clonazepam was found at the scene. Officer De La Cruz noticed discrepancies:
   "If Maria was knocked out by the time he was out of the shower, she would have shown signs like water in the shower, used towels, etc." ([16:36])

3. Missing Pills and Additional Evidence
   The pill container Hoel presented was later found missing, and a syringe wrapper was discovered, suggesting the use of other drugs:
   "[37:22] Mike: So positive for morphine. Demerol, Verset, Propofol, Ketamine, Lidocaine, Narcan, Morphine."

---

Investigation and Unraveling the Truth

As the investigation progressed, several critical revelations emerged:

• Hoel’s Drug Use and Misdeeds
  Hoel admitted to using steroids, which can induce aggression, a factor that likely contributed to his violent behavior:
  "[11:41] Sarah: ...steroids and aggression go together 100%."

• Janet’s Testimony
  Janet, Hoel’s girlfriend, provided crucial evidence, admitting that Hoel frequently used and brought various drugs into her home:
  "[39:31] Mike: Hoel often brought drugs to Janet's house, including ketamine, morphine, lidocaine, fentanyl, and more." ([39:53])

• Maria’s Final Moments
  Before her death, Maria reached out for help, expressing her desire for peace regardless of her relationship’s outcome:
  "Maria wrote, 'I just want to work through this... I want to find peace and happiness.'" ([27:20])

---

The Trial

In March 2023, Hoel Peyote stood trial for the murder of Maria Muñoz. The prosecution presented overwhelming evidence:

• Toxicology Report
  Maria had seven different drugs in her system, including an extremely high level of propofol, a drug that can only be administered intravenously:
  "Dr. John Hunsinger stated, 'This was death by propofol,'" ([39:17]) emphasizing the deliberate nature of the overdose.

• Prosecutors’ Argument
  Despite the absence of clonazepam, the combination of drugs found contradicted Hoel's initial claims:
  "[48:55] Mike: ...the amount of drugs alone proves this wasn't an accident."

• Defense’s Claim
  Hoel’s defense attempted to portray him as a concerned husband trying to save Maria, but inconsistencies and expert testimonies undermined their stance:
  "[48:28] Sarah: Narcan is not a reversal agent for Propofol."

The jury swiftly convicted Hoel of murder and tampering with evidence, resulting in a life sentence.

---

Conclusion: Legacy of Maria Muñoz

Maria Muñoz's tragic story underscores the devastating impact of domestic abuse and betrayal. Her journals served as a poignant testament to her strength and enduring love for her children. The episode concludes with Sarah and Mike reflecting on Maria's legacy:

• "She was trying so hard, probably mostly for her kids." ([27:34])

• "Taking two parents away and replacing them with a lifetime of trauma. It's so monstrous." ([49:44])

Maria's pursuit of happiness and stability was brutally cut short by Hoel's actions, leaving a lasting scar on her family and community.

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Notable Quotes

• "My fears are losing my family, losing my husband, damaging my kids, making the wrong choice as the DA." – Maria Muñoz ([01:41])

• "I want to be a good mom. A mom that is present, engaged, and involved with my kids." – Maria Muñoz ([02:22])

• "This was death by propofol." – Dr. John Hunsinger ([39:17])

• "You can't lie. You can't fake science." – Prosecutors ([50:21])

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Final Thoughts

"The Journals of Maria Muñoz: 48 Hours" is a heartrending exploration of love, betrayal, and the quest for peace amidst turmoil. Sarah and Mike skillfully navigate the intricate details of the case, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the events that led to Maria's untimely death. This episode serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the profound impact of true crime stories on our collective consciousness.

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Join the Conversation:
Engage with the True Crime Obsessed community by joining their Facebook group or Discord. Share your thoughts on this episode and connect with fellow true crime enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Sarah]

Um, Party Barge. Where are we?

[Mike]

I don't know, girl.

[Sarah]

This comes from a previous episode. I'm still really feeling the Party Barge.

[Mike]

Yeah, no, I know you are. I hope you have a great time.

[Sarah]

I'll just text you pictures.

[Mike]

Okay, great.

[Sarah]

All right. You have a Cosmo on your couch in your air conditioning. I'll text you pictures.

[Mike]

I'll heart them.

[Sarah]

Okay, great. Hi, Dilly Bezz Valley.

[Mike]

Hello. Patrick Hines, fam.

[Sarah]

Join the Facebook group.

[Mike]

Sure.

[Sarah]

I know that we're in discy.

[Mike]

We're in the Discord.

[Sarah]

Sorry. I promised I wouldn't do it. The other day, I was in the shower, I was like, disci's kind of a cute name for the Discord.

[Mike]

Yeah, I don't have an issue with it.

[Sarah]

All right, well, get in the Discord if you want to hang out with G.P.

[Mike]

It'S so fun.

[Sarah]

I'm in more in the Facebook group. You can determine why she's wearing there and why I'm wearing the Facebook group.

[Mike]

Why?

[Sarah]

Because I feel like. I feel like disk is a young person's game.

[Mike]

Is it?

[Sarah]

I don't know.

[Mike]

It's just like, a bunch of chat rooms.

[Sarah]

Facebook feels like me and my mom's friends.

[Mike]

It is.

[Sarah]

You know what I mean? It is.

[Mike]

And your Instagram reels.

[Sarah]

I know my Instagram reels well.

[Mike]

Yeah, you just like, you love your Instagram. Oh.

[Sarah]

Oh, you're saying as opposed to TikTok, right? I really do love Instagram reels. It feels very safe for me. Yeah, I like it a lot.

[Mike]

I feel like the timeline is, like, three months later. You're like, oh, that's what she was referencing.

[Sarah]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Tequila. It came up for me, like, four.

[Mike]

Months later, and you're like, oh, that's.

[Sarah]

What she meant, girl. What are we talking about today?

[Mike]

Welcome to our bonus episode. This is our fourth bonus episode of the year. It's an episode of 48 Hours called the Journals of Maria Munoz.

[Sarah]

Maria had been seeking help through the church, through a pastor.

[Jessica]

Wasn't she also being treated for severe depression and anxiety?

[Sarah]

She had been getting some medical attention as well. But this case was unique because she was also expressing her thoughts, her feelings, her emotions in a diary. My fears are losing my family, losing my husband, damaging my kids, making the wrong choice as the DA My job was putting the right team together to work this case. She described that she was going through.

[Mike]

A tough time, but that she loved those kids and she couldn't wait to do more in the future.

[Jessica]

I want to be a good mom.

[Sarah]

A mom that is present, engaged, and involved with my kids.

[Jessica]

How important, how crucial were those journals?

[Mike]

Very.

[Sarah]

So we opened the early morning hours, hours of September 22, 2020. Laredo Police Officer Giorgio De La Cruz enters a home in Laredo, Texas.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

And we see at the top of the stairs, near the main bedroom, a guy named Hoel Peyote. He's dressed in surgical scrubs, and he's performing CPR on a woman who we will learn is his wife, Maria Munoz.

[Mike]

Yeah. Yeah. And so hoel told the 911 operator that Maria had overdose on antidepressants, but there aren't any drugs at the scene.

[Sarah]

Now we're with overdose and antidepressants.

[Mike]

Well, that's what he's saying.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Mike]

Happened.

[Sarah]

Okay.

[Mike]

And we're with. So we have a lot of body cam footage because this happened in 2022. And Officer Dela Cruz is here to, like, walk us through everything.

[Sarah]

One of the things I thought was so interesting about this moment was Officer De La Cruz is saying, this guy is in surgical scrubs, and he's doing cpr. And I come in, and I ask him if I can help. He's clearly a nurse or a doctor or something, so I believe he's a higher level of care than I can provide. And I ask him, you want me to help? Do I help you? And he right away relinquishes giving cpr. The medical professional turns over all CPR services to the officer.

[Mike]

Right.

[Sarah]

I thought that was astonishing.

[Mike]

Oh, okay.

[Sarah]

Yeah. I just thought that was, like, kind of like, you know what I mean? Like. Yeah, if, like, some layperson came in a podcasting emergency and tried to kick you or I out of a chair, I'd be like, I can do. I think I can handle this.

[Mike]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Sarah]

You know what I mean?

[Mike]

Because we definitely do the exact same thing as you know what I'm saying?

[Sarah]

I just think it's, like. I think it's telling, stay in your.

[Mike]

Lane is what you're saying.

[Sarah]

But also I think it's telling that, like, if. Imagine if you were a doctor and Mike was hurt and you doing cpr and some cop comes and tries to, like, take over for you.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

I don't think you're letting that happen.

[Mike]

Probably not.

[Sarah]

You know what I mean? If you wanted Mike to live, which I do. Okay.

[Mike]

So the husband goes into the bathroom and gets the pill container to say, like, this is what she overdosed on, and it's clonazepam.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Have to drink myself to sleep.

[Sarah]

I don't even have My Lorazepam. And we're going to do that the whole episode.

[Mike]

Hi, White Lotus people.

[Sarah]

So it's for you wanna live in Taiwan. Like, girl I know.

[Mike]

I love where she's like, I'm praying that she hates it. She's praying that she hated the temple.

[Sarah]

I could go. I could stand here right now and go through Parker Posey's entire career, beginning with Air Raid. Freshman bitches.

[Mike]

Oh, yeah.

[Sarah]

And do it all. Like, my lawyer liked that. I could do the entire. I could do the monologue where she tells Jack he's not allowed to ask for nights off.

[Mike]

Sure.

[Sarah]

You know what I mean? I'll do. Oh, my God. It's a bear in a bee costume. Thanks for nothing, Mr. Hotel manage jump.

[Mike]

Out at a church. But she's like, this is a bear.

[Sarah]

In a beat costume.

[Mike]

She's trying to regulate her emotions so much. That's best in show.

[Sarah]

I know. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[Mike]

Or there's always room for me at the Dairy Queen.

[Sarah]

I mean, how do we miss that?

[Mike]

The way she's flipping that chicken breast.

[Sarah]

I believe she's quirky. We love you. We want you to live.

[Mike]

Yeah. No, no. That's Catherine o' Hara.

[Sarah]

Is it? Okay. All right, my mistake. Take away the gay card.

[Mike]

Oh, my God. Travel down the road.

[Sarah]

Back again, Girl Gab is back. I'm gonna tell you a quick story.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

At my gym, I take classes and we'll do a name game. And asked like, what's something that you're excited about this week? I said, I'm really excited to really get to see every day that my kid is not interested in her phone. And everyone's like, what are you talking about? I'm like, it's a company called Gab. The whole idea is that you don't give a kid a phone that was made for an adult.

[Mike]

Right.

[Sarah]

Their whole program is called Tech in Steps. It works perfectly. Daisy's got a phone for safety, but she doesn't really care about it.

[Mike]

And the thing is, we know even adults, like, we get overwhelmed on social media. Like, I have, like, designated social media breaks. I learned today 45% of girls and 32% of boys feel overwhelming stress from being on social media.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

And together, 25% of both feel worse about their own lives. These are kids.

[Sarah]

Now, let me tell you something. First of all, these Gab devices have no social media or Internet apps. Daisy hasn't even asked for them.

[Mike]

Unbelievable.

[Sarah]

She barely even knows they exist. Right. She's 11. She's not a little kid anymore.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

And for younger kids, they've got a watch with GPS tracking and safe zones. These are the steps we've been telling you about.

[Mike]

Yeah. For tweens, they have a starter phone with more features like monitored messaging, which is important. Video calling.

[Sarah]

Yep. And for teenagers, an advanced phone with features like parent managed apps and a premium camera. So the GAB phones really are meant to grow with your kids. I used to be terrified of getting Daisy a phone. I'm not anymore. Like, I keep saying, she has it for safety. I cannot recommend Gab enough. I was so proud to say I'm winning this week because my kid doesn't care about her phone.

[Mike]

That's great.

[Sarah]

Gab really has got this off. I used to be so worried about it, fam. Protecting your kids has never been easier. For the best deals, sign up for Gab today. No contract [e-mail] TCO that's Gab G.

[Mike]

A B B.com TCO Gab.com TCO Tell them terms and conditions apply. Just the messenger. But it's totally worth it, you guys.

[Sarah]

I know. It's so worth it. I love stress it.

[Mike]

So Officer Delacruz doesn't really care about the anxiety medication right now because he's doing cpr. And Maria, he's trying to save her life.

[Sarah]

Yes. Yes.

[Mike]

So Hoel says, you know, she's really been struggling. Quote, she's been super depressed. And this is where we learn that they have two little boys. Alejandro, who's five, and Valentino, who's about to turn two. And they are asleep in their rooms, the poor little things. They have no idea what's going on.

[Sarah]

Even though we all do.

[Mike]

Right. And so the thing about the not lorazem.

[Sarah]

Pam, I can't even say it. The thing about the not lorazepam is that the husband brought it out to show the officer, and the officer would, like, gave it back to the husband. Be like, I don't need this right now.

[Mike]

I'm trying to save her life. I'm trying to save Maria's life right now.

[Sarah]

The husband sort of tosses it aside. And then, weirdly, when more help arrived.

[Jessica]

De La Cruz sent Hao Payo downstairs to the kitchen. And that's when De La Cruz realized that the pill container he had tossed to the side earlier.

[Sarah]

Hey, there were some drugs here.

[Jessica]

Was now missing.

[Sarah]

He had a prescription drug. Where is he? Weirdly, that bottle of pills that we think she just overdosed on is just gone.

[Mike]

Yeah, we'll get. We get into all that. Cause we see it all. So Yasmin is here. She's Maria's friend, and she is here to say Maria was an absolutely amazing mother. She loved her boys. She loved being a mother. She was learning how to play piano.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

She grew up in Puerto Rico. She was a nurse there. And she's like, sort of, you know, she loves her boys, and she loves being a mom, but she also loved what she did. So she was kind of excited to get back to her care when her boys are a little bit older, and then she can kind of have it all. She's studying so she can be a nurse in Texas. So she's like Maria. And we will learn so much about her in this episode. Like, she had goals, and she was doing what she needed to do to reach those goals.

[Sarah]

And she's just one of those people who's, like, young and full of energy. We learned that Maria and Yoel met in Mexico. He's 11 years older than her.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

He was a nursing student. They got married. They moved to Laredo, Texas, a few years later. Now, Hoel had gotten a really lucrative job as a nurse anesthetist. People, those jobs pay a lot.

[Mike]

It's described as a lucrative job.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

So Gina is here, and she's also a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

[Sarah]

Now, I got to tell you, every single person we meet who knows Yoel doesn't fudgeing like, the guy, they're all kind of like, he's a hard worker, but definitely a dirtbag.

[Mike]

Yeah. And they were like, we were on team Maria before there were teams.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Like, everyone loved Maria.

[Sarah]

But she does tell us, Gina tells us. He was. When they first met, he was very family oriented. He was that guy in the office who would go around and show you all the family pictures and brag on his sons and brag on his way.

[Mike]

And he should be, because, of course, Maria's amazing.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

So back to the scene. Officer dela Cruz is giving Maria cpr. And remember, like you were saying, how Hoel brought the pills to show him? Like, oh, here's what she overdosed on. The pills are now gone. And we hear officer dela Cruz ask where they went.

[Sarah]

We hear it on the body.

[Mike]

Yeah. He's like.

[Sarah]

He's like, de la Cruz really has got his eyes all over the room. It's really kind of amazing because we.

[Mike]

Hear him say he had a prescription drug or where is it?

[Sarah]

I was like, he has to have him. So that's when I ask, hey, does he have Pills. He comes up to the first landing of the stairs and he tosses them to me. All right, so he had taken them. Now I'm thinking, now you're trying to hide something.

[Mike]

Why do you scoop him up?

[Sarah]

I was trying to really understand the significance of this. So Maria has overdosed on something. Hoel thinks it's this bottle of pills. He gets the bottle of pills, shows it to the officer, the officer sets it aside, and then Hoel scoops it up and puts it back in his pocket and leaves with it.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Why do you think that's important?

[Mike]

Because the cops should have everything they need to figure out what happened.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Because their cops are gonna need to know eventually. Like, if they're pumping her stomach, hopefully she's gonna live or whatever that, like, we need to know what this was.

[Mike]

Right.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

So at 3:58am Maria Munoz is declared dead. And here's what Hoel says happened.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

They had sex. We. Then he corrects himself. I took a shower, he said. Then I thought she was knocked out. And then I go back upstairs, and she just. Oh, God, that doesn't make any sense.

[Sarah]

And now he's doing that thing where he's fake crying. So they're in his, like, kitchen where he. When he's talking about this, and he knows this is the part where he's got to break down.

[Mike]

He's also sweating like crazy. Cops are like, we're in uniform. It is Texas. We are wearing, quote, 20 pounds of gear. They aren't sweating nearly as much as this guy is.

[Sarah]

No. And Erin Moriarty, the host of this episode, is like, what do you think that means? And the cop is like, he was on drugs right? Now, I don't think they get into the significance of the drugs at really, at any point, because he's. He's taking steroids. And we'll see lots of pictures of him throughout his life, and he was, like, an average guy, but then there are pictures in which he's, like, really, really muscly. And I don't think that they spend enough time talking about what steroids actually does to you.

[Mike]

Right.

[Sarah]

You know, and when it does, like, moods and, like, roid rage is a real thing.

[Mike]

I mean, we see plenty of it.

[Sarah]

We see it, but we don't really talk about it.

[Mike]

I agree.

[Sarah]

You know, so, like, that. That is significant that the cops are noticing that he's on drugs, but we're not talking, like, cocaine. We're talking, like, steroids. He's like. He's like a fucking brick shithouse.

[Mike]

As they say, yeah, so.

[Sarah]

Really understood that expression.

[Mike]

I never have either.

[Sarah]

Have you ever heard that before?

[Mike]

I don't think so.

[Sarah]

Okay, maybe it's a gay thing. Like, he's built like a brick shithouse.

[Mike]

Like, what?

[Sarah]

But that's like a real. I'm not making it up.

[Mike]

Yeah, no, I believe.

[Sarah]

But I really don't understand what a. Like a brick shithouse is.

[Mike]

I mean, I know what it sounds.

[Sarah]

Like, but like a. Anyway, I'm just saying. Yeah, I guess this guy is built like one of those Gross.

[Mike]

Absolutely disgusting. They want to search the house. Hoel says, no, look, I wouldn't let the cops search my house either. But they do that thing where they're like, okay, fine, we'll just come back with a warrant. He's like, okay, fine, you can search my house. They do that tactic that they use all the time. So while they search, they put the husband in the police car to take him in for questioning.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Everything is on camera.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

He is sobbing and heaving with his head in his hands. He's hitting walls.

[Sarah]

Well, but when they get him into like the interrogation room, he's. He's in full roid rage. He's hitting walls. He's moving furniture. It was scaring some of the people down the hall in the dispatch room. So that's how loud it was.

[Mike]

People down the hall heard him, which is partly exactly what he wanted.

[Sarah]

Well, they're saying that he was scaring the people in the dispatch room. Do you know how scary you have to be to scare people who work at a police station who like, deal.

[Mike]

With us all the time?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Yes.

[Sarah]

I mean, like, this guy was. And like, we're watching it. Like, I was scared.

[Mike]

Yeah. And also, like, there is that thing that he's probably trying to act sad because we know he's the fucking bad guy here.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Mike]

So he wanted people to hear, like, oh, my God, that guy destroyed that interview room. He broke that table. He's in such distress.

[Sarah]

Who was the one who was doing handstands? No, it was. It was Jodi because she was also humming, which humming to me is like whistling to you. I know.

[Mike]

Why are people so noisy? I gotta tell you, we live in very polarizing times.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

What? We seemingly hire people so noisy.

[Sarah]

The Lord gave us a lot of ability to make sounds from our faces.

[Mike]

Disgusting.

[Sarah]

I know.

[Mike]

What is seemingly bringing us all together as a nation is my. An hour collective hatred for FaceTiming on speakerphone.

[Sarah]

Oh, no question.

[Mike]

My DMs.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Usually there's at least a few People be like, well, actually, like, man's playing things to me. But everyone's like, girl, I have friends I know, like, in real life who are texting me, being like, thank God someone said it. Yeah, we. This is in these troubling times.

[Sarah]

I can't even believe this is a hot take. I thought just everybody hated this.

[Mike]

That's what I thought, too. I was just, like, screaming to people, if we have listeners who do that, like, please stop doing that.

[Sarah]

I told you about the time that Steven and I went out for, like, a romantic dinner for the first time in a year at this restaurant we used to love. That used to be, like, really fun and really cool and hip and kind of upscale. And the people who came and sat next to us and the tables were about 4 inches apart, and the people who came and sat next to us, both of them were on FaceTime. And the one on FaceTime sitting next to me turned to face me so as to not be rude to his table companion. I'm now on the phone with him and his girlfriend.

[Mike]

We don't know how to do anything anymore as a society.

[Sarah]

It's true.

[Mike]

I mean, honestly, like, I wrote down. Really, like, have you gone to the movies lately?

[Sarah]

Never. I've.

[Mike]

No, don't.

[Sarah]

Ten times in my adult life is.

[Mike]

I used to love going to the movies. It is now a horrifying experience because nobody knows how to act in public. People are just, like, talking through the whole movie. Phones, the whole thing. Broadway shows, the etiquette of, like, people being in public.

[Sarah]

We need more Patti LuPones yelling at people from the stage.

[Mike]

But it's the same thing. Like, either. Like whistling outside, but like, the FaceTiming. The FaceTiming on speaker is all part of it. It's all under the same umbrella of, like, no one knows how to.

[Sarah]

I was going to text this to you because I know you don't really like her, and I love her. Chelsea Handler, she hates whistling. And she was like, on a talk show, somebody's like, what's the thing you hate most about people? And she's like, when they whistle. Yeah. And I was like, oh, yeah, It's a thing.

[Mike]

Totally. Yeah, it's a thing. I'm not alone. But we are united as a country.

[Sarah]

With, oh, my God.

[Mike]

Yes, it's been very fulfilling. So Hoel is saying he gave Maria the pills, but he doesn't know how many she took.

[Sarah]

And he doesn't remember anything. He doesn't remember how long he was in the shower. He doesn't remember how long from getting out of the shower to realizing that she was not responsive, he has zero answers.

[Mike]

He doesn't remember big things. He doesn't remember small things. And Officer Dela Cruz says something that just really applies in all situations.

[Sarah]

He couldn't remember the minor things.

[Mike]

I don't know how many times I.

[Sarah]

Asked him, play back to me the minute you got there, what did you do? And he, well, what did I do? What did I do? What did I do? Well, you know what? If you remember the truth, you don't have to think about it.

[Mike]

If you're remembering the truth, you don't have to think about it.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

So he can't remember anything. And it's not like, you know, like, you're gone. Gone through trauma. I. It's not like that.

[Sarah]

Yeah, yeah, it's.

[Mike]

He literally is like, I don't know. I don't know.

[Sarah]

And also, Officer De La Cruz is saying that his story doesn't make. His story is, they had sex, he took a shower. He's like, well, if you take a shower, what are the things you would expect to see in a bathroom?

[Mike]

And then he was, quote, she was, quote, knocked out by the time he was out of the shower.

[Sarah]

Right. And she. He's like, you would smell soap. You would see water. There would be water in the shower. He's like, that shower was bone dry. There was not a used towel. It didn't smell like shampoo.

[Mike]

And also, if she was. If Maria was knocked out, quote, his words, by the time he got out of the shower, does that mean she was already sort of passing out while they're having sex? The timing doesn't make any sense because you wouldn't just like, pass out in 15 minutes.

[Sarah]

Right, right. Right.

[Mike]

So, like, according to his own story, she'd already taken a ton of these pills while they were having sex. Like, what?

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

Either way, you're. It's like when they lie and the lie still makes you out to be an asshole.

[Sarah]

And it's also just like, how bad, like, there are. We've seen so many people be bad at this. I mean, this guy went into this with no plan. Like, no plan.

[Mike]

But then. But he did. We'll learn that he weirdly did.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Okay. Well, the cops, like, find things all over the. What I'm calling the crime scene. There's a syringe wrapper on the floor. There's what they're calling a needle catheter on the stairs.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Which makes like, a needle. Syringes and IV equipment in a medical bag were Also found on the scene, right?

[Mike]

So like immediately I'm like, say stupid, everyone. Now, fine, this guy's wearing scrubs. Like maybe he'd have that, but I doubt it.

[Sarah]

Well, and they also ask him why he would have syringes at home. And that's when he taps his bicep. And the guy's like, oh, you're doing steroids, Right?

[Mike]

And what's kind of amazing, like maybe this guy's just so fucked up is that he truly thinks this cop is on aside, which is never the case anybody.

[Sarah]

But also like the cops doing a good job then, right?

[Mike]

Like it's really obvious and kind of incredible to watch that he thinks they have this little secret that he has steroids. And I'm like, they're not on your side.

[Sarah]

Not.

[Mike]

They're never on your side. No.

[Jessica]

Girl.

[Sarah]

Father's Day is right around the corner. Guess what is perfect for Father's Day? Quint Quints. I've been screaming about Quince for forever. So when I knew Father's Day was coming up, I went to Quintessential and sent Steve a link for this flow knit breeze performance long sleeve polo, which I wanted, and he's getting it for me for Father's Day.

[Mike]

You're like, hi, here it is.

[Sarah]

I'm just gonna tell you what I want. What I really, really want.

[Mike]

Yes. They have these European linen beach shorts because tis the season, it's summertime now. Comfortable pants. So you can wear them to like a nice dinner or just like around the house.

[Sarah]

Tell them when you got your dad.

[Mike]

Okay, so my dad is a big, like kitchen food nerd.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

So they have like this whole, like kitchen tools section. So there's this four piece stainless steel grill tool set, which is like such a dad thing, but it's nicer and stainless steel and so pretty. I was also eyeing like the kitchen shears. And they have this stainless steel electric salt mill. Have they? I mean, what can't they do?

[Sarah]

Quince is such a vibe. The best part, everything with quince is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find with similar brands. Very, very true.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

And they do this by working directly with top artisans and cutting out the middlemen.

[Mike]

Yeah, they get. So you get luxury pieces without the crazy markups.

[Sarah]

It's true. I mean, it really. You feel fancy when you're gifting this to somebody. You're getting it for yourself, but it's.

[Mike]

So afford, you know that when they open it, they're going to be like, whoa.

[Sarah]

And Quint only worked with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishers.

[Mike]

There you go.

[Sarah]

So, fam. For the dad who deserves better than basic, Quint has you covered.

[Mike]

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[Sarah]

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[Mike]

Quince.com TCO I love Quince, so. I know. Me too.

[Sarah]

So, so good.

[Mike]

So Hoel says that the needles and everything they found are for his steroids. Right now, meanwhile, Angela and her husband Louise have rushed over to the house.

[Sarah]

To be with the kids.

[Mike]

To be with the kids. Right?

[Sarah]

And this is where Luis is saying, like, I feel like they're mostly Maria's friends, but Luis is also, like, hangs out with Yoel.

[Mike]

They work together.

[Sarah]

They work together. And Luis is saying that he was changed.

[Jessica]

Like, more friendly with girls, flirting more.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Jessica]

The family man who had once bragged to friends and colleagues about his wife and kids began changing his social media posts too.

[Mike]

He deleted the pictures of Maria or he just started posting everything by himself, not with his kids. He deleted all of the photos that make him look like a family. The family man he is from his social media, and now he's just like a gym selfie account. Oh, so it's not.

[Sarah]

The world does not need more of those. That's coming. Coming from the gayest gay guy you've ever. We just don't. We've got plenty. We are full up over here.

[Mike]

It's enough. Yeah, it's enough. It's so. It's not just that the tone of his post changed.

[Sarah]

I take it back. Post your gym.

[Mike]

I was like, why is he lying?

[Sarah]

I'm rethinking all of that. Actually. You know what? Don't be an asshole. Don't be an asshole. But upload your short pictures. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike]

So it's not that he just changed the tone of his posts, which is like, fine, people, whatever. He's like a gym rat now. But he deleted the old photos.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Like, he doesn't want anyone to scroll through and be like, oh, he's married with kids. Like, he wants to erase that. That part of himself completely.

[Sarah]

This is the. Where I'm like, then just leave your wife.

[Mike]

I know.

[Sarah]

I don't understand why. It is not that simple.

[Mike]

I don't just.

[Sarah]

If you want to get out of this marriage and abandon your family, you're a piece of fudgeing shit. But just go do that.

[Mike]

Just do it.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Maria will be just fine. Well, that's the thing.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Yeah, that's the thing. She can't be just fine because she will be thriving. And that can't work for him.

[Jessica]

Oh.

[Mike]

So. But he's also, like, bragging about all the money he's making, which, I'm sorry, is the worst fudgeing. Look, of course he's showing all. He's buying cars. He's telling everyone what everything costs in his life. Like, also, like, as. As Maria. She's probably mortified.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Like, who is this guy?

[Sarah]

But also, like, we get this confusing thing here where we learn that Yoel is cheating on Maria and he's got a girlfriend, and her name is Janet, and she seems awesome. She's a surgical nurse at the place where he's, like, a nurse. A nurse. Anesthetist. I can't say that word.

[Mike]

Oh, my God. It's like corroborating all over again. Anesthetist.

[Sarah]

Yeah, anesthetist. Because you gotta say it kind of gay. Like, you gotta slow it down and really enunciate. It's anesthetist.

[Mike]

It's like that Dana Carvey bit where you can't say judicial system without sounding hammered.

[Sarah]

Judicial.

[Mike]

Judicial system. Judicial system.

[Sarah]

Rural Journal.

[Mike]

That's when he does. He did a really old bit, like, in the early 90s about the O.J. trial. During the O.J. trial.

[Sarah]

Oh, really?

[Mike]

It didn't happen because it was everything. So it's about how, like, it can't be like, we're framing Oju in. Like, it's not a conspiracy, but it goes through, like, all of the characters. And it was still like. Like, as the O.J. trial was happening, he was doing this bit.

[Sarah]

Oh, my God.

[Mike]

That's how much it consumed everyone. But that's where that judicial system.

[Sarah]

That's really funny. But, yeah, So a nerd. He's an. Anyway, this woman. This woman Janet, in another. In another light would be cool.

[Mike]

Well, in 2018, right after Maria gave birth to their second child, Hoel starts this affair with Janet. Joelle took Janet to, like, a vacation spree in Europe. I don't recall which countries were. That he took.

[Jessica]

Well, there was one trip. There was Spain, and then the next trip was France and Greece.

[Sarah]

There go you go.

[Mike]

There you go. So Maria found out about that while he was there with Janet. Maria is a toddler and a newborn at home.

[Sarah]

And I don't understand because I don't understand if Maria knew. But also, how could she possibly not like she did.

[Mike]

Yeah, she totally knew because she always had a feeling her husband was cheating.

[Sarah]

But, like, my. My thing is, like, I. I feel like she had a sense that he was cheating, but, like, now he's gone for two weeks to go to Europe.

[Mike]

Like, she found the plane ticket.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

She lied and said, I'm away on business. It's boring. Convention or whatever. But she found the plane ticket.

[Sarah]

A nurse anesthetist convention.

[Mike]

Convention.

[Sarah]

Corroborating the story about being at a nurse anesthetist convention.

[Mike]

Right. Okay. You did it.

[Sarah]

Thank you.

[Mike]

Talk. Discussing the judicial system.

[Sarah]

Discussing the judicial. I can't now. It's a bridge too far.

[Mike]

Yeah. So this confirmation of the cheating made her very upset. Obviously, she did suffer from depression, so she was prescribed medication.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

So. But she also. This is why this episode is really well done. Because we have so much of Maria here. Because she started writing in her journals.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And we see from. From Maria herself, like she was praying and begging every entity, every deity for help. Like, she's so unhappy. It's so heartbreaking. It is like she's writing poems. Like, please, I beg you, Lord, I don't want to be sad anymore. I don't want my heart to hurt. I don't want my mind to be in torture. Like, she's just laying it all out. It's so sad.

[Sarah]

And it seems to work for a minute because they say that things kind of turn around for Hoel and Maria.

[Jessica]

Hoel treated Maria to a lavish getaway in Las Vegas. Vegas.

[Mike]

And she showed me a couple of Louis Vuitton he purchased for her.

[Jessica]

But what seemed like a second chance for her marriage didn't last. Hoel could never quite leave Janet.

[Mike]

Of course, all of this trip was meaningless. He was just buying her, like, shut up. Gifts, I guess. But Maria's not that girl.

[Sarah]

And why just leave your family? You know what I mean?

[Mike]

But Maria knew almost the entire time of the two years he had Janet as his girlfriend. They didn't. They barely lived together. Like, he wasn't even living at home. He moved in with Jim. Janet. Five months before Maria's death. You piece of shit.

[Sarah]

Yeah. And I just don't understand. Then why don't you just live there now? You know what I mean? Just go and make that be your life. It's so simple.

[Mike]

He can't just let Maria be. He can't. So the cops want to speak to Janet.

[Sarah]

Obviously. They haul her in at 6:30 in the morning.

[Mike]

Because I didn't call you in at 6:30. Just because I'm nosy.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So they tell Janet that Maria is dead. And she starts to cry.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

So they want to hear about the relationship from Janet's point of view. And she's like, we've been dating for two years. She calls him her boyfriend. She says Maria is very depressed. And they asked Janet if Maria did drugs. And Janet said no.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

Janet knew the whole time.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Maria's autopsy is done. She's got no medication in her system, but they do find a needle prick in her arm.

[Mike]

Like if you had blood drawn at the doctors or something. Just like one small dot in like the elbow crease.

[Sarah]

Like as though you married a nurse.

[Mike]

Anesthetist and he injected you with something and fucking killed you.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

Because he couldn't just let you live your life and let their kids have their mother.

[Sarah]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Mike]

How many lives do you have to ruin to have this? Like, not me almost quoting the birdcage while I'm wearing my birdcage straight looking shirt. I know you want to get married, but how many lives do you have to ruin to do it? Gene Hackman. But, like, how many? Like, what do you. What is wrong with you?

[Sarah]

Calista Flockart is in that.

[Mike]

I know.

[Sarah]

It's why. And Dan Futterman.

[Mike]

I know.

[Sarah]

Who I love.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

Was nominated. Have we done this already? Nominated for an Academy Award for writing the movie Capote.

[Mike]

We have done this.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Because you said he was nominated for another one.

[Mike]

Did I?

[Sarah]

I think so. I can't remember. I can't remember either. But I love Dan Futterman. Anyway, so what we learned from the.

[Jessica]

Autopsy is that Maria died from a mixed drug intoxication. While the medical examiner couldn't say how the drugs got into her system, she did rule out suicide after talking to Maria's friends and reading her journal.

[Sarah]

They did rule out suicide after speaking to Maria's friends and reading through her journal.

[Mike]

Right. And speaking of her journal, like, her journal is saying, what is it that I want? Number one, move forward, whichever direction. But I don't want to be in limbo.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Number two, be in peace and be happy. If we decide to get back together, I want to find peace and happiness. If we decide to divorce, I want to find peace and happiness. Happiness. This was a woman with a plan for her life. She was trying so hard, probably mostly for her kids.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

And, like, it's so sad to see her, like. Like, I can just imagine someone sitting there trying to do the best she can.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

To salvage. Like, she's making a plan. She's writing it out, and it's trying to speak it into action. And this piece of just can't fucking.

[Sarah]

I know. And I keep thinking about how she's so much younger than him. Like, he's got 11 years of life experience on her.

[Mike]

He's been bullying her and abusing her. And now the steroids are involved. Like, he's.

[Sarah]

And imagine what he's doing to the k. Yes.

[Mike]

So Dr. John Hunsinger's here.

[Sarah]

This guy's kind of a hero.

[Mike]

He's Hoel's former boss. Yeah, he's an anesthesiologist.

[Sarah]

He's a what now?

[Mike]

An anesthesiologist.

[Sarah]

I know, but that's just another way. It's like anesthetist.

[Mike]

I know. Anesthesiologist.

[Sarah]

That's easier, I guess.

[Mike]

It is anesthetist.

[Sarah]

You gotta say it kind of gay.

[Mike]

That's great. You gotta hit those T's. So Dr. John's like, wait a second. He's immediately suspicious. He calls the cops. He's like. He tells them to order. He calls the cops and says, you're missing it. You need to order a, quote, detailed toxicology scre to determine which drugs killed Maria and, quote, how they got there.

[Sarah]

My question is this. I watch the pit, right? So does everybody else.

[Mike]

Sure. If one drug crying, historically, every single episode.

[Sarah]

Also averting my eyes, basically watching it through my open fingers. Yeah, but, like, if one drug goes missing for two minutes, doesn't everybody fucking know? Doesn't, like, the gates come down around the hotel? How is he getting out of his job with enough drugs to kill his wife?

[Mike]

There's plenty of ways.

[Sarah]

Are there?

[Mike]

Of course.

[Sarah]

Why do I feel like you're always telling me the dark truths of the universe?

[Mike]

That's why I'm tired all the time. I think I have to live with knowing it. There are ways you can get anything you want.

[Sarah]

I mean, but that is crazy, right?

[Mike]

And who's to say he's getting it from his job? He could be getting it online. He could be getting it, like, literally anywhere.

[Sarah]

Yeah. This is the crazy. One of the crazy things. We're at Maria's funeral. Hoell is playing to the back row.

[Mike]

Oh, yeah. What made me feel angry was he him near the casket, crying over her, giving her kisses. Like, why now? You have made her suffer and cry so much. And you're doing this now, friend. Jasmine is like, yeah, I don't buy it. No, it's all too much. Also, why now? You were a dick to her when she was alive. You Hurt her. You made her cry all the time. Now you're literally throwing yourself on your. On her casket. Jasmine's like, kick rocks.

[Sarah]

No. Yeah.

[Mike]

So the cops don't bite either. They know he's full of shit because he's also on the record saying, I did not inject Maria with anything. Which we know is a lie. We just have to prove it.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

So the night of the murder, remember when Hoel had the bottle of pills that he showed to the cop and then it was suddenly missing? And then we hear Officer Dela Cruz, like, ask about it? And that's when he was like, well, that's weird. And also, what else is he hiding?

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

Let's go back to the video because we can see exactly what happened.

[Sarah]

We see the bottle of pills on the side, and then we see Howell reach over and grab it while Officer.

[Mike]

Dela Cruz is trying to save Maria's life, doing cpr.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

The pill containers on the bedroom floor. We see Howell swipe it, put it in his pocket.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

And now, like, what about this, like, needle catheter that randomly is just on the steps going up the stairs when you have two young children and we.

[Sarah]

Know that a needle was used to inject this overdose into her.

[Mike]

Right. Travel down, girl.

[Sarah]

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[Mike]

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[Mike]

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[Mike]

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[Sarah]

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[Mike]

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[Sarah]

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[Mike]

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[Mike]

There you go. Or you can go to the movies.

[Sarah]

Even go to the movie. Go see a Broadway show.

[Mike]

So the lawyers are going to move forward with the murder charge. They're like, the medical examiner can't really say that it's a homicide, but we know that it is. So we're just going to do it.

[Sarah]

We get this, like, one really scary moment. We learn that this Saturday, before Maria died, there was a confrontation at Janet's house because Maria drove by and saw who else Car in her parking. But, like, this is where I don't think that we're being given all the information about the living situation because we were just told that he basically has lived there for the last five months. So I don't. Why is Maria upset to see his car? I don't understand.

[Mike]

But I think he was bullshitting her because based on Maria's journals, she's like, I really. I just want to work through this. I think to string her along. He was like, yeah, we'll work on it. Yeah, we'll fix it. And then she's like, seeing his car. Like, it's just. It's like, are you with me or are you not well?

[Sarah]

And so she. She goes to the door and she says to him, we see this all.

[Mike]

On the ring camera.

[Sarah]

Yeah, you gotta choose me or her. And he says, I choose Janet.

[Mike]

Now, we don't get this information either, but something happens and Maria and Hoel leave together.

[Sarah]

Right?

[Mike]

So Janet the girlfriend calls 91 1.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And by the time the cops get.

[Sarah]

There, even that tells us something that Janet knows that the cops need to be called. Like, does she know that Maria's not safe or the kids aren't safe or.

[Mike]

So just to, like, be really clear about this, we're at Janet the girlfriend's house.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

There's some kind of fight in some. Some way. Maria and Hoel leave the girlfriend's house together. We don't know why the girlfriend, Janet Calls the cops.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So by the time the cops get there, Janet is by herself because Hoel and Maria have left together. When the cops call Maria, who has left with Hoel, the body cam.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Picks up the audio of the phone call.

[Sarah]

It's like Maria answers it and then hangs up.

[Jessica]

When Maria answered her cell phone, the officer's body cam recorded the sound of HO w berating her in the back background.

[Sarah]

Hey, I'm talking to you right now.

[Mike]

Head up the phone.

[Sarah]

I guess that's your boyfriend.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

She answers it for like two seconds, and we just hear Hoel screaming at her.

[Mike]

It's so loud that it's getting picked up on the body cam. He's like, I'm talking to you right now. Hang up the phone. The cops like, that's your boyfriend. And she's like, husband. So the absolute nerve of this piece of. To cheat on her. Abuse her.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Weaponize her depression, by the way.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Do everything he can to make it worse. Treat her so horribly and then have the nerve to speak to her like that.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

And also lying to her and stringing her along. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll work on it. We'll work on it.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

Be right back. Let me go to my girlfriend of two years, Maria.

[Sarah]

We got to get you out of there.

[Mike]

So Angela, the friend, neighbor, she's here to confirm all of this and say, like, look, Maria told me that after this situation, Hoel got violent. He. After screaming at her, he punched and broke the windshield on her car.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And this is where I'm like, I would really like to have the conversation about steroids. Cuz we've been down this road before.

[Sarah]

Yeah, 100%.

[Mike]

I'm not making excuses, obviously, but like, steroids and aggression go together 100%. And so we know that he like, scrubbed his insta feed to make it, you know, because he was like a gym rat. Like, he admitted to doing steroids. Like, this is.

[Sarah]

This is what's going on. And so. But then after this big, huge fight, the next day, Maria sends him a text about hiring a divorce. Divorce lawyer. He's saying he doesn't want to do it. He doesn't want to spend the money.

[Mike]

Speak for yourself. Don't tell her what she can and can't do.

[Sarah]

Bear that in mind.

[Jessica]

Hoel then seems to have had a change of heart and sends Maria this email. I'm so sad. I'm hurting inside. I want to sit down with you to talk without arguing A heart to heart.

[Sarah]

I want to sit down with you and have A heart to heart.

[Mike]

Nobody cares about me. I want to tell someone my feelings, but I can't.

[Sarah]

They agree to meet Monday night. So this is going to be the next night. But before Hoel arrives, Maria messages her friend saying, pray for me tonight. We're going to have the talk.

[Mike]

So what?

[Sarah]

He's luring her.

[Mike]

He ends it with, I want to sit down with you. To talk without arguing. A talk. A heart to heart app. Stop implying that Maria is the problem.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

The way I read that is like, I don't want to fight Maria. Don't make this a fight. Let's have a heart to heart.

[Sarah]

Am I crazy or is he setting this up to go there to kill her?

[Mike]

100%.

[Sarah]

This is not like he snapped in the moment and he couldn't take it. He's.

[Jessica]

He.

[Sarah]

His plan when he sent that email was to go kill her, and he.

[Mike]

Still was messy about it, and we still got the son of a bitch. So they meet on Monday, and before they do. You're right. Maria texts her friend Yasmin and is like, please pray for me, because we're going to have this talk. Like. But she's saying, can you please just pray that God's will be done in this conversation? She wants it all to work out.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

Like, she's put. She's invested so much of herself into this relationship and she can't be bothered.

[Sarah]

To work out or for it to be over, but for one way or the other, for there to be some sort of decision.

[Mike]

She says that God allows him to just be honest.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

She just wants it to be over one way or the other.

[Sarah]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike]

So Maria dies that night. He kills her that night.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

And we finally get the toxicology results that the. His old boss ordered the cops. He was like, you need a more detailed one because something isn't right here.

[Sarah]

Yeah. This is insane.

[Mike]

So there's no non lorazepam in it. Which is what he tells the cops. Maria was taken. Had taken. Right. Here's what was actually in Maria's system. Hold tight. Pull over, because I have, like, details about this.

[Sarah]

Yeah. 0 clonazepam.

[Jessica]

0 clonazepam. The drug Hawk claimed Maria had taken instead. The toxicology report revealed seven other drugs in Maria's system.

[Sarah]

So positive for morphine. Demerol, Verset, Propofol, Ketamine, Lidocaine, Narcan, Morphine.

[Mike]

Which is a strong painkiller. Demerol, which is an opioid painkiller. Versed, which is. And it's the thing that like, helps you to relax and go to sleep before a surgical procedure. It can also block your memory of the procedure.

[Sarah]

Oh. Oh.

[Mike]

An extremely high level of propofol, which sounds fake, but is very real.

[Sarah]

Yeah. It's the thing that killed Michael Jackson.

[Mike]

It's what puts you to sleep and keeps you asleep during general anesthesia or medical procedures. Ketamine, which medically is used to induce a loss of consciousness and relieve pain. Lidocaine, which is a local anesthetic, which is odd. It's like cream. And Narcan, which reverses overdoses.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

And not the pills that Hoel said she had taken.

[Sarah]

Right?

[Mike]

Hoel girl.

[Sarah]

I know.

[Mike]

Like, how did you plan this? And also fuck it up so badly? I'm so glad you did.

[Sarah]

It just seems right. It just seems like there was no. Almost no planning here.

[Mike]

Like, throwing everything at the wall and then, like.

[Sarah]

Yeah. And they say most of these are used in surgery. One, the propofol could only be administered through an iv. And they know right away, in looking at this toxicology report that this guy killed his wife. This is it. They know it.

[Mike]

So the cops get a warrant, they go to his house, and when they arrest him, he knows exactly what's going on.

[Sarah]

He throws himself at the police. He's like, I'm here.

[Jessica]

I'm here.

[Mike]

At one point, he goes to the cops. You call my lawyer. And they're like, no, girl, you can call your lawyer.

[Sarah]

I know.

[Mike]

So remember Dr. John Hunsinger? He's the anesthesiologist and the killer's former boss. He's the one who told the cops to order the advanced testing. They show him the results, and he's like, this is insane.

[Sarah]

Insane.

[Mike]

He's so shocked. But mostly at the level of propofol, she. And that's the one you can only administer using a needle, right?

[Sarah]

He's saying, like, that's the drug that killed Michael Jackson. You know? And he's saying, like, it makes you relax greatly, but it stops your heart if you take too much of it. And he said Maria's was the highest level of Propofol he'd ever seen.

[Mike]

He says, quote, this was death by propofol. Yes. So back to Janet, the husband's girlfriend. The cops know she knows more, right? So they give her immunity in exchange for any and all information. And she does a second interview with the police sitting next to her lawyers.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

And this is where she says that Howell was always bringing, quote, medical drugs into her house and using them recreationally. And the whole list, I just read before ketamine, morphine, lidocaine, fentanyl, versed, Janet.

[Jessica]

Told police that payot had often brought drugs to her home, some for his own recreation use, including ketamine, morphine, lidocaine, fentanyl, and more.

[Mike]

Percent he's using them recreationally in front of Janet, his girlfriend of two years. Yeah, Janet, girl, what the fuck is wrong with you?

[Sarah]

Janet, Seriously, you know what I mean? Even I know, but then I know.

[Mike]

So she's like listing all the things that he's using recreationally, which is like, janet, fucking run.

[Sarah]

And it's also just, you know, right. Like that is so fudgeing crazy.

[Mike]

Right? But then Janet mentions propofol and you can almost see the cop fall over in his chair.

[Sarah]

Yeah. The thing that makes me really nervous about this for him is that like, this is your nurse anesthetist. This is who you are. You're counting on. When you're getting a surgical. You can't. He's not only doing these drugs recreationally in his off hours, if you know what I'm saying.

[Mike]

Right? Right.

[Sarah]

He's coming to work fucked up on these drugs.

[Mike]

Of course.

[Sarah]

I mean, that is terrifying.

[Mike]

Okay, everybody shut up. I know, because now we get this slow motion walk of these four stunning queens. So the district attorney.

[Sarah]

I just love the idea that they all showed up for the interview and they're like, so where actually do you want us to do the slow motion walk? Should we do it from behind those doors?

[Mike]

We're like, wherever you want.

[Sarah]

They knew they were going to do the slow motion walk.

[Mike]

These women are so fucking incredible. So Maricela Jockeman is the chief assistant DA in charge.

[Jessica]

District attorney Isidro Alaniz selected a team of attorneys led by Maricela Jackaman.

[Mike]

I am Karina Rios. My name is Ana Karen Garza. My name is Cristina.

[Sarah]

We are Maria's team.

[Mike]

It's like we're meeting the fucking Avengers. Karina, Anna, Crystal. Maricela. As Shania Twain once said, let's go, girls. Like, we are gonna get the son of a bitch. And I feel. I'm like. And I love that they're all doing the interview together.

[Sarah]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike]

They walked in together. Like, these four women know what happened?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Hoel killed Maria and he was abusing her before, like, Maria was suffering.

[Sarah]

And we see this video that Maria secretly recorded from inside the car. She's just trying to have a conversation with her fucking husband, the father of her children. And she can tell he wants to leave. And she, if you leave, we are getting a divorce. And he goes, okay, fine. And he gets up and he walks out.

[Mike]

He's a baby.

[Sarah]

I mean, but also just an abusive son of a bitch.

[Mike]

And they're saying, like, this is domestic violence. Cheating the violence. Even if he's not hitting Maria, breaking the windshield, that counts.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Like, Maria was powerless. And we know this because of her own journal. She goes, I love my husband so much, and he's causing me so much pain.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

She was trying so hard.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So, like, she says, she's like, what are the expectations you have on this marriage? She's calm. She's so clear. She's exhausted.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And he storms out of the car like a baby. Okay, fine.

[Sarah]

Yeah, yeah. And the women, these amazing attorneys are saying, the big question remains. We know he killed her, but how did he get her to take all of those drugs?

[Mike]

What happened?

[Sarah]

Right? Because, like, I mean, there's no way that he could have injected her with all seven separately or, you know what I mean? Like, something happened where she was either tricked into ingesting them or somehow he got her to take them.

[Mike]

Well, Janet, the girlfriend, is possibly the key to all this because she says that Hoel actually told her what happened.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Jessica]

She said Peyote had told her about the night Maria died. He had gone there, he said to have that heart to heart talk, and then injected her. Not to kill her, Payotte said, but to calm her down.

[Sarah]

Why did he tell you that he injected her? Because she was erratic. Right.

[Mike]

He wanted to calm her down, so.

[Sarah]

He did it with medication.

[Mike]

He injected Maria, quote, to calm her down. Maria was crazy.

[Sarah]

No, my question about this. He injected her to calm her down. Her down. Are they saying he did that against her will? Are they saying that, like, with her consent, he gave her some sort of sedative?

[Mike]

He's lying to his girlfriend to say, like, yeah, she died, but it was an accident. She was so crazy, you know, my wife is crazy.

[Sarah]

It was the idea that he was, like, forcefully injecting something to calm her that scared me to death.

[Mike]

And also that, like, he made her think he was going to work with her on the marriage.

[Sarah]

Right, Right.

[Mike]

He lied to her to come over there and kill her. I hate. I hate.

[Sarah]

I know, I know.

[Mike]

So the cops don't buy it and they're like, thanks, Janet. Thanks for fucking nothing.

[Sarah]

Right?

[Mike]

You could have helped, by the way, two years ago.

[Sarah]

Totally.

[Mike]

You could have warned Maria and, I don't know, maybe they had conversations about his drug use. I don't know. But it's not in our journals that we See, Janet, you could have helped Maria.

[Sarah]

And I want to know, when she called the cops, was she calling the cops on Hoel or was she calling the cops on Maria?

[Mike]

I don't know.

[Sarah]

That, for me, feels like an important.

[Mike]

Question because the cops called Maria. So it could be we're doing a welfare check.

[Sarah]

Yep.

[Mike]

Or we need you to come back here because we need a conversation.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

I don't know. We're have no idea. Travel down the road.

[Sarah]

Back again, girl. Cornbread hemp. THC seltzers are here. We got to talk about it, because we are drinking them like crazy at my house.

[Mike]

Yeah. So I had, like, a hell of a week. One of those. Who hasn't?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And Mike and I just wanted to, like, sit and watch Poker Face. There's a new season of Poker Face, too.

[Sarah]

I cracked that Cynthia Riva episode. Yes. Bananas.

[Mike]

Crazy love, Natasha Leone. But I, like, cracked open my THC seltzers to just kind of, like, chill.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

But the thing is, there's, like, no paranoia.

[Sarah]

No.

[Mike]

You're not, like, locked into the couch and feeling, like, lazy. I was just, like, chilling out, watching poker movies.

[Sarah]

And let me tell you, at our house, we were looking for something that doesn't give you the hangover. And also that it's, like, way fewer calories than the, like, 200 calories of bourbon I was drinking per drink. So, like, this is. We're talking in these THC seltzers. 30 calories and 5 grams of sugar. I could have, like, six of them compared to the one bourbon.

[Mike]

They're made with pure THC and all natural ingredients, no synthetics.

[Sarah]

Yes. Each can of 5 milligrams of THC, which is perfect for unwinding, kicking back, and enjoying the moment without alcohol or a hangover. That was exactly why we did that.

[Mike]

Because I still had stuff to do the next day.

[Sarah]

Yes, I know. Same. We've got an entire fridge shelf full of these THC seltzers.

[Mike]

What's your favorite flavor? They have blueberry breeze, peach iced tea, Raspberry limeade, or salted watermelon.

[Sarah]

Very much into the blueberry Breeze. I'm a blueberry breeze kind of girly.

[Mike]

I started with the raspberry limeade. I was like, let me go to the salted watermelon. I love them both, but raspberry lem has my heart.

[Sarah]

So good. So fam. Right now, TCO listeners can save 30% off their first order and enjoy free shipping on orders over 75 bucks.

[Mike]

Head to cornbreadhemp.com TCO and use code.

[Sarah]

TCO at checkout, that's cornbreadhemp.com TCo code TCO cornbread, hemp.

[Mike]

This is the good life.

[Sarah]

Tell him Steve sent you. Cuz he's really into it.

[Mike]

I love that we're like just in a THC forward world all the time.

[Sarah]

I know these poor bourbon companies are going to go under without me.

[Mike]

I'm fine. I. I got my THC cells. The cops think that this guy drugged Maria's coffee.

[Jessica]

She then passes out after that. They say peyote injected Maria with a deadly dose of propofol. Then Chief Assistant District Attorney Ana Karen Garza Gutierrez says that Payload deliberately waited to call for help.

[Mike]

Ketamine, versed, morphine, Demerol, all could have been slipped into her coffee.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And she passed out. And then he injected her with the propofol. They're saying like it was such an insane amount to make sure that she never woke up. Like this was all class.

[Sarah]

And it's just like I. It feels like the only thing that matters here was the killing of her. It wasn't about getting away with it. It wasn't about his life after. It wasn't that he was killing her so he could be with Janet. He was killing her to kill her.

[Mike]

And that email he wrote her was at 1 in the morning. And like, I know people are night owls, but it feels manic. It feels like. I don't know what the appropriate term is for like, I don't want to say like roid rage, but like just in a manic, like, aggressive state of like, oh, I'm going to email her and I'm going to trick her and I'm. I'm going to like, who knows if it was. If it also was part of the steroids of him, like snapping and not thinking ahead, but thinking ahead enough to write this email at one in the morning and then the next day have this conversation and go through with it.

[Sarah]

Right. So Hoel is arrested. He's charged with murder and tampering with evidence. He makes bail. He's like released with a fucking ankle monitor.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

In March 2023, two and a half years after Maria's death, Hoel goes on trial for the murder.

[Mike]

Oh my God.

[Sarah]

I know. I love this. We get that. We get the note that both Hoel and the defense team declined interview requests.

[Mike]

I don't care. I don't need them. I'm fine.

[Sarah]

Can you imagine if they were?

[Mike]

I have this amazing team of women, Maria's team of women, who are here.

[Sarah]

Because they present 15 witnesses to show that he had carefully selected the drugs he used to kill Maria.

[Mike]

And they're all talking about the abuse in the relationship.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And how he was always stealing drugs and how he was fucking mean to her and she was suffering on a regular basis. Just trying to, like, at the very least, like, get him to be decent to her and her fucking kids.

[Sarah]

And then the defense team, so they acknowledge that Hoel injected his wife, but not to kill her. They say, they say to save her because one of the drugs. Drugs in the seven that he injected her with was Narcan. Now I love Maria's team because they've got the fucking answer to this.

[Mike]

Because the defense was like, she was an unstable wreck who was self medicating.

[Sarah]

Yes.

[Mike]

She was crazy. She was drinking all the time. She was using drugs. Like, what's Hoel to do?

[Sarah]

Right. So they. He saw her OD and he injected her with Narcan to save her life.

[Mike]

Give me a.

[Sarah]

And the women say Narcan is not a reversal agent for Propofol.

[Mike]

And Propofol was what started.

[Sarah]

Stopped her heart at the end.

[Jessica]

The defense never explained to the jury how the Propofol got into Maria's system. But prosecutors say that the level of drugs discovered in Maria's body could not have been accidental.

[Sarah]

Narcan is not a reversal agent for Propofol and Propofol is what stopped her heart in the end.

[Mike]

Right.

[Sarah]

They knew exactly. That they were going to stop. They knew.

[Mike]

Exactly. Exactly. So the amount of drugs alone proves this wasn't an accident.

[Sarah]

They say it was enough drugs in her system to get you through two full surgical procedures. We're talking like two full eight hour procedures.

[Mike]

Yeah. I mean, it's horrifying. And he has. I just, I'm so, like just the, the unbelievable level of abuse that this woman had to endure at the hands of this person.

[Sarah]

And they say the prosecution believes the motive was money and not like some insane insurance payout. The money that he didn't want to spend for a fucking divorce and then split his assets. He killed his wife over a couple thousand dollars.

[Mike]

But he did have a lucrative job, I guess.

[Sarah]

But it's like.

[Mike]

I'm not defending it.

[Sarah]

No, no, no, of course. But you've got two kids. And we say this all the. It's been nine years of saying this, that like when the spouse does this, it kills the other spouse and you rob your children of all of their parents in one fell swoop. It's so, just monstrous. It's just so monstrous.

[Mike]

It's like you take two parents away and you replace it with a lifetime of trauma.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

Thanks.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

Fucking piece of shit. So the killer doesn't testify, but his mother sure did. She's crying the whole time. She admits she knew about the affair. It seems like everyone knew about the affair. Maria told her about the affair. Maria also confided in her that she was unhappy in her marri and that her son was abusing Maria.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

So there's zero evidence that Maria ever abused drugs or alcohol. Like, they're trying to do this character assassination bullshit. We have our superhero women lawyers saying, like, absolutely fudgeing not. They're shooting everything down. The evidence is there.

[Sarah]

Right.

[Mike]

You can't lie. You can't fake science. Everyone, like, no matter how much how well tried to.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

You can't do it.

[Sarah]

The jury gets the case. They go out, and it takes them less than an hour. That my favorite.

[Mike]

I love that everyone was like, we know what we're doing.

[Sarah]

We know what we're.

[Mike]

Sit here for 45 minutes. So they think we talked about it, but it's all very obvious, right?

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So he's guilty of murdering his wife, Maria. He's guilty of tampering with evidence.

[Sarah]

Yeah. He gets life in prison.

[Jessica]

The prosecutors say the most important witness at trial ended up being Maria herself. And that her journals showed those scars were healing.

[Sarah]

I want a life that's mine.

[Jessica]

Different and unique.

[Sarah]

A life that's balanced with every emotion. But a happy, fulfilling life.

[Mike]

I don't need everything to be perfect. I just, like, don't want to be abused all the time.

[Sarah]

Exactly.

[Mike]

And she was so willing to fight and, like, try to make this right with this man that at a time she loved. And then he, like, totally turned on her. And we end. Oh, my God, this made me cry today. We end on this video of her playing piano because she's learning how to play piano and she's sort of like plunking out the notes. And she like, turns to the camera and she like, kind of shrugs, and it's really sweet. And it just makes. Made me cry watching it. Cause it's like she's just living, like she was living her life. Like, she's like, I'm here. I have these kids. I want to learn how to play piano. I want to go to school and do this, you know, like, just to see her, like, trying it and then just like shrugging like, well, that's all I got for today was such a like, pure, wholesome moment.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And I love that we had so much of her voice in here. I love these lady lawyers. And I just loved that we ended on that note. Oh, my God.

[Sarah]

Oh, girl. We did 48 hours.

[Mike]

We did this guy.

[Sarah]

The journals of Maria Munoz.

[Mike]

Yes. 48 hours. The journals of Maria Munoz.

[Sarah]

Oh, my goodness. Fam. Join our Facebook group. Get in the Facebook group and tell us your thoughts on the episode. We love that. Also join the discy. It's the Discord.

[Mike]

Yeah, The Discord.

[Sarah]

Find Discord.

[Mike]

We'll have a link in our show notes.

[Sarah]

Okay, great. That sounds like a good way to find Discord. I know, I know, I know. Also, Join our patreon over 450 full ad free bonus apps to download a bid right this second. Right the second Fox Hollow we're working on. We're doing the what's her name in the snow. I mean, that's Karen Reed. It's going to be wild.

[Mike]

It's going to be wild.

[Sarah]

That's all. We love you.

[Mike]

We love you so much. Stay safe out there.

[Sarah]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Find women in your life who are amazing.

[Sarah]

It's true. Do. Do that.

[Mike]

Can you please?

[Sarah]

Yeah, Please, for all of us.

[Mike]

We'll make everyone's lives better. Women are the best.

[Sarah]

It's true. All right. Bye.

[Mike]

Bye. We love.