Anne-Marie Green

I mean, cancer, and particularly pancreatic cancer, is a tough, tough battle. I don't know... If he had like a long term plan, I don't think it's easy to sort of fake pancreatic cancer treatment. You're going to look sick. You're going to be tired.

Yeah, his searches were like a treasure trove, as we learn as the hour sort of unfolds. So this case is particularly different. For 48 hours... Not only because Morgan survived, but also because she details how much Rod was gaslighting her. Can we talk a little bit more about gaslighting and what was Morgan experiencing?

Well, when I think about the fact that they met when she was just 14, and I know he was a teenager as well, you know, you sort of have to take into account that they have grown up together. And so she's... gone from being a young teen to an adult woman with this person influencing her the whole time, for better or for worse.

And so I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, what we hear in the hour are some pretty egregious examples of gaslighting, but I'm sure there were probably little things happening all along, you know, over the years that maybe she did pick up on, maybe she didn't, maybe she just got used to. Yes, I think she has told us that

Wow. All right. So let's go to the night of the attack. It's New Year's Eve of 2020. Morgan was sleeping in her bed. But then she wakes up in the middle of the night and there's a figure standing in her door. And according to Morgan, he had a voice like Batman. Ron starts beating her and then he ties her hands with zip ties before sexually assaulting her. Morgan said he strangles her twice.

until she nearly passed out during the attack. And after this sort of mystery intruder left, Morgan's ex-husband, Rod, then shows up. He calls 911. I want to play an extended clip of the 911 call that wasn't in the show.

Oh, see, I did not pick up on that. But that totally makes sense. You know, name and address and the condition, what help she needs. That's the sort of stuff you would be talking about.

Fascinating. Bad move. Yeah. One of many, it turns out, as the hour unfolds. In the hour, Morgan said that she suspected the intruder actually could be her ex-husband when he picked her up. And she said it really felt familiar because he had done that before when she was pregnant. But was that the first time that she suspected it could be Rod?

Yeah.

Because the thing about this assault that struck me is that it was really violent. You know, we've seen cases where people have sort of done something similar, you know, pretended to be an intruder. But typically, if the victim is someone they care about, they're not that violent, right?

I mean, he could have killed her. I couldn't quite figure out how he thought this was going to end.

Investigators, of course, go through Rod's phone while they're at the scene and they find photos of Morgan on his phone that appear to be taken without her consent. This is in the hidden folder. If you have an iPhone. There is a folder literally labeled hidden when you go through your folders. And if you are hiding evidence there, it will be found. Yeah, it's not the best place.

Not the best place. So there are these photos of Morgan. They're able to arrest him for invasion of privacy because of that. They do this in order to get him in custody so that he does not destroy any additional evidence. Is that sort of a common practice, like if you can nab a suspect on something else? And what did you think of that tactic?

Welcome back, everyone. Two days after Morgan's attack, sergeants interviewed Rod Metzer. Now, we saw portions of this interview in the hour where Rod is actually argumentative with the investigators. He's trying to get the upper hand, almost trying to intimidate them. What was your reaction to his behavior during the police interview? Yeah.

That was the biggie. I felt like a lot of the other evidence he could have made an excuse for. But why do you need zip ties?

Yeah. Speaking of the evidence, investigators found Rod's browser history and that he searched. And this is a quote. How long to choke someone unconscious? Rod was ultimately charged with 10 counts relating to the attack, including kidnapping, aggravated assault, sexual battery. How come he wasn't charged with attempted murder?

Oh, yes. Maybe they didn't think they could get a conviction on an attempted murder charge, but they did get a deal. Rob Metzer was offered a plea deal and he accepted it. So they didn't have to go through a trial. And he got a pretty hefty sentence, right? 25 years in prison with an additional 45 years of probation.

25 years is a long time, but he's still going to be, you know, a middle-aged man when he gets out. Is Morgan concerned about her safety? I asked her sort of just how she's feeling, you know.

It seems that way. Yes. Did she talk about what kind of father he was? She did say during the interview that he was a good father. The thing with these cases is there's never a good answer to why. But why would you mess up that relationship as well?

Absolutely. Absolutely. So one of the things that you managed to do is you actually interviewed Rod's mom. And I want to talk a little bit more about that. I'm curious if the kids have a relationship with his family.