Nancy Seaman was an award-winning teacher living in a wealthy suburb in Michigan. In 2004, she stabbed her husband, Bob, to death with a hatchet. At trial, Nancy admitted she killed Bob, but claimed it was self-defense and that Bob had been mentally and physically abusing her for years. The couple's two sons were divided on what to believe. “48 Hours" Correspondent Maureen Maher reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 11/3/2007. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who was Nancy Seaman and what led to the tragic event?
You're talking about people that lived in a gated community in one of the wealthiest suburbs in Metro Detroit. We lived in a beautiful house, had a boat, a plane. Life is too short and life is too good to fight over stupid things.
Certain pictures, you'd be able to get everybody smiling, get an impression that we were a happy family. You put on a happy face sometimes.
They would yell at each other, you know, and argue with each other. I didn't think it was that out of character for two married people to yell at each other. You really saw his temper start to get worse and worse, and then the fights were worse. My dad could say things that would make you madder than you would ever believe.
Him being such a physical guy, there's just no doubt in my mind that it led to a kill or be killed situation.
And I heard his footsteps coming toward me. He grabbed me. Bob liked to grab and squeeze.
I thought he just lost it.
You no good bitch. I don't love you anymore. I hate you. I've wasted my life with you. Why can't you just die?
I think she snapped.
I feel the handle of the hatchet. I picked it up and I swung it.
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Chapter 2: What were the dynamics within the Seaman family?
I knew that if I talked about that way, it would escalate the abuse. It would escalate his anger and his rage. And I knew not to do that because if I did that, it made the situation worse.
Once, Nancy did call the police when Bob allegedly struck her, but no charges were filed. Bob would never forgive or forget. As the boys grew up, Nancy wanted them to love and admire Bob. Both kids became engineers, just like their father.
I pretty much modeled my life after my dad and his choice of profession, his degree in college.
For the first 20 years, Nancy says the physical abuse was sporadic, maybe one or two incidents a year. But in 1995, there was a new strain on the marriage. Bob lost his high-paying job just as Nancy was about to launch her own career as an award-winning elementary school teacher.
It all started to spiral out of control when my dad stopped working and my mom started working and my dad started to lose some of his identity and my mom started to feel some resentment because now she was the major breadwinner and he wasn't.
Meanwhile, Bob decided he would pour his heart into something that had always made him happy, baseball. He opened a batting cage for kids called the Upper Deck. Was your mom happy about the batting cage business?
she viewed it as another wedge that was between them. That now he had his own activities he wanted to do, separate from her.
Nancy felt the real wedge between them was a happier family Bob met through the business, the Dumbletons.
It was almost like my dad assumed this father role with their family.
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Chapter 3: How did Nancy Seaman's marriage deteriorate over the years?
From the team that brought you Up and Vanished comes an all-new podcast that brings you a weekly dose of true crime cases. Join me as I talk through cases with special guests and true crime experts.
There's got to be something at the heart of that evidence that they've got.
It's got to be DNA. Yeah.
I'm Payne Lindsey.
And I'm Maggie Freeling.
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