1 00:00:01,201 --> 00:00:04,203 [ominous music playing] 2 00:00:06,439 --> 00:00:08,007 [Tish] A tight-knit neighborhood 3 00:00:08,041 --> 00:00:09,842 can feel like a sanctuary. 4 00:00:09,876 --> 00:00:11,377 [Barbara S] It's a very nice community. 5 00:00:11,411 --> 00:00:12,511 Everybody gets along. 6 00:00:12,545 --> 00:00:14,613 [Diane] We used to house hop, 7 00:00:14,647 --> 00:00:16,393 and we would just visit each other's homes. 8 00:00:16,417 --> 00:00:18,217 - We're having a barbecue. - We'd love to have you there. 9 00:00:18,251 --> 00:00:19,385 Oh, we love to. 10 00:00:19,419 --> 00:00:21,120 - [dog barking] - [woman shrieks] 11 00:00:21,154 --> 00:00:23,088 [Tish] The arrival of one twisted soul 12 00:00:23,123 --> 00:00:24,423 can tear everything apart. 13 00:00:24,457 --> 00:00:26,191 This isn't over. 14 00:00:26,226 --> 00:00:29,962 [Diane] We were just hoping to get along and be friends. 15 00:00:29,996 --> 00:00:30,929 [Barbara R] Oh, my God. 16 00:00:30,964 --> 00:00:32,664 Who would do such a thing? 17 00:00:32,699 --> 00:00:34,366 [Christopher S] I knew it was gonna be a matter of time 18 00:00:34,401 --> 00:00:35,934 before he would snap. 19 00:00:35,969 --> 00:00:37,569 Hey, you bozos. 20 00:00:37,604 --> 00:00:40,339 [Diane] He just kept on, and on, and on. 21 00:00:40,373 --> 00:00:42,074 How's your pig of a wife today? 22 00:00:42,108 --> 00:00:44,176 [Lance] He's just toxic, venomous, 23 00:00:44,210 --> 00:00:45,944 confrontational, adversarial. 24 00:00:45,979 --> 00:00:47,446 You did this. 25 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,348 - [man] Your house is on fire. - [Mark] What? 26 00:00:49,382 --> 00:00:52,384 [Barbara S] He said, bullets will fly, and people will die, 27 00:00:52,419 --> 00:00:54,219 and I'll take my neighbors down with me. 28 00:00:54,254 --> 00:00:55,254 I'm sick of your crap. 29 00:00:55,288 --> 00:00:56,288 This ends now. 30 00:00:56,322 --> 00:00:58,090 [Diane screaming] 31 00:00:58,124 --> 00:01:00,993 - [ominous music playing] - [woman] Bye, daddy. 32 00:01:01,027 --> 00:01:02,961 This isn't over. 33 00:01:02,996 --> 00:01:04,763 [man] Squeeze the trigger when the vision is on target. 34 00:01:04,798 --> 00:01:06,932 - [gunshots] - [sirens blaring] 35 00:01:06,966 --> 00:01:08,133 - [woman screaming] - [man grunting] 36 00:01:08,168 --> 00:01:09,501 [alarm blaring] 37 00:01:09,536 --> 00:01:13,072 [man] You started it. 38 00:01:13,106 --> 00:01:16,175 [Tish] Stevensville, Maryland, a friendly community, 39 00:01:16,209 --> 00:01:18,811 situated just off the Chesapeake Bay. 40 00:01:18,845 --> 00:01:21,980 It offers a beautiful rustic way of life. 41 00:01:22,015 --> 00:01:23,449 [Rob] Stevensville, Maryland 42 00:01:23,483 --> 00:01:25,918 would be considered a rural area. 43 00:01:25,985 --> 00:01:29,021 Typically law abiding citizens, respect the police, 44 00:01:29,055 --> 00:01:30,956 respect the law. 45 00:01:30,990 --> 00:01:32,591 [Tish] Emory Circle is a cherished 46 00:01:32,625 --> 00:01:34,593 cul-de-sac neighborhood. 47 00:01:34,627 --> 00:01:37,963 [Barbara S] All the lots are at least like acre, 48 00:01:37,997 --> 00:01:39,832 two acres, three acres, 49 00:01:39,866 --> 00:01:42,234 so you're not really shoved up against each other, 50 00:01:42,268 --> 00:01:44,803 and there is a real very nice community. 51 00:01:44,838 --> 00:01:46,605 Everybody gets along great. 52 00:01:46,639 --> 00:01:50,109 [ominous music playing] 53 00:01:50,143 --> 00:01:52,111 [mellow music playing] 54 00:01:52,145 --> 00:01:54,680 [Jason] I think it was a blown gasket. 55 00:01:54,714 --> 00:01:57,316 - [Mark] I think you're right. - [Diane] Oh, boy. 56 00:01:57,350 --> 00:01:59,918 My whole family's turning into gearheads, what's next? 57 00:01:59,953 --> 00:02:02,988 [laughter] 58 00:02:03,022 --> 00:02:06,225 [Tish] Mark and Diane Xander settled here seven years ago 59 00:02:06,259 --> 00:02:09,561 with their sons, Christopher and Jason, 60 00:02:09,596 --> 00:02:12,531 as well as the family dog, Lena. 61 00:02:12,565 --> 00:02:15,667 [Diane] In 1990, um, we had our home built, 62 00:02:15,702 --> 00:02:17,336 and we moved there, 63 00:02:17,370 --> 00:02:20,372 and we were so proud. 64 00:02:20,406 --> 00:02:22,708 [Tish] Diane is the assistant vice president 65 00:02:22,742 --> 00:02:24,209 at a local bank. 66 00:02:24,244 --> 00:02:27,212 Mark runs his own auto detailing business. 67 00:02:27,247 --> 00:02:29,248 [Diane] We knew each other from high school, 68 00:02:29,282 --> 00:02:31,350 and I always had a crush on that man. 69 00:02:31,384 --> 00:02:36,054 Actually, Mark offered to fix my car for me, 70 00:02:36,089 --> 00:02:38,924 and it was all uphill from there. 71 00:02:38,958 --> 00:02:41,059 He rotated more than just my tires, 72 00:02:41,094 --> 00:02:44,396 and we were very, very happy. 73 00:02:44,430 --> 00:02:47,533 [Tish] Joe and Barbara Saia lived a few houses over. 74 00:02:47,567 --> 00:02:48,634 Hey, guys. 75 00:02:48,668 --> 00:02:50,335 Hey. What you're up to? 76 00:02:50,370 --> 00:02:51,637 Just up for a walk. 77 00:02:51,671 --> 00:02:53,005 - We love the snow. - Yeah. 78 00:02:53,039 --> 00:02:54,306 We like the area, 79 00:02:54,340 --> 00:02:55,974 and we like the lot, 80 00:02:56,009 --> 00:02:58,810 and we thought it would be a nice place 81 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:01,947 to live, and for our kids. 82 00:03:01,981 --> 00:03:03,649 So, are we still on for the barbecue? 83 00:03:03,683 --> 00:03:05,083 - Absolutely. - Yeah. 84 00:03:05,118 --> 00:03:07,219 Looking forward to more of those tasty burgers. 85 00:03:07,253 --> 00:03:08,787 I do my best. [laughs] 86 00:03:08,821 --> 00:03:10,756 We'd have cookouts and, you know, 87 00:03:10,790 --> 00:03:13,091 just visit each other back and forth. 88 00:03:13,126 --> 00:03:14,893 [Christopher X] Everybody that we lived around 89 00:03:14,928 --> 00:03:16,762 were, you know, fabulous people. 90 00:03:16,796 --> 00:03:20,632 You know, it was a very, like, peaceful place for sure, 91 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:21,934 you know, friendly place. 92 00:03:21,968 --> 00:03:23,268 - Awesome. - Perfect. 93 00:03:23,303 --> 00:03:26,238 We'll see you then. [Diane] Bye. 94 00:03:26,272 --> 00:03:27,439 Hi, Linda. 95 00:03:27,473 --> 00:03:30,275 How's Max, that rascal? 96 00:03:30,310 --> 00:03:32,444 He's taking me for a walk. 97 00:03:32,478 --> 00:03:35,447 [Tish] Now, the little community of Emory Circle... 98 00:03:35,481 --> 00:03:37,249 - Hey, look. - [Tish] ...is about to gain 99 00:03:37,283 --> 00:03:40,419 some new members on a lot next to Mark and Diane. 100 00:03:40,453 --> 00:03:43,288 [Diane] They pulled up, and Mark and I said, 101 00:03:43,323 --> 00:03:45,991 you know, we should go over and say hi. 102 00:03:46,025 --> 00:03:48,794 Let's go introduce ourselves. 103 00:03:48,828 --> 00:03:50,562 [tense music playing] 104 00:03:50,597 --> 00:03:51,797 Let me help. 105 00:03:51,831 --> 00:03:52,965 This one's kind of heavy. 106 00:03:52,999 --> 00:03:53,932 I got this. 107 00:03:53,967 --> 00:03:54,933 You okay? 108 00:03:54,968 --> 00:03:56,535 Yeah, I'm fine. 109 00:03:56,569 --> 00:03:58,437 All right. Okay. 110 00:03:58,471 --> 00:04:00,706 [Tish] Charles Richter, known as Pete, 111 00:04:00,740 --> 00:04:03,175 is a former Baltimore police officer, 112 00:04:03,209 --> 00:04:05,811 now working as a security guard 113 00:04:05,845 --> 00:04:08,814 His wife, Barbara, is a baker. 114 00:04:08,848 --> 00:04:10,816 [Mark] Sorry to bother you, just wanted to say hi. 115 00:04:10,850 --> 00:04:12,017 We're your neighbors next door. 116 00:04:12,051 --> 00:04:14,319 [Pete] Hey. Nice meeting you. 117 00:04:14,354 --> 00:04:16,822 Charles, but everybody calls me Pete. 118 00:04:16,856 --> 00:04:19,691 And I'm Barbara, his better half. 119 00:04:19,726 --> 00:04:22,194 [Tish] With two grown children out of the nest, 120 00:04:22,228 --> 00:04:24,529 Pete and Barbara are renovating their new place 121 00:04:24,564 --> 00:04:26,832 to make it their retirement home. 122 00:04:26,866 --> 00:04:30,335 [Diane] Mr. Richter was boisterous, and loud, 123 00:04:30,370 --> 00:04:32,638 and aggressive, 124 00:04:32,672 --> 00:04:35,440 but we figured he was just excited. 125 00:04:35,475 --> 00:04:36,842 I'll tell you. You know what? 126 00:04:36,876 --> 00:04:38,610 We're really looking forward to spending 127 00:04:38,645 --> 00:04:40,512 our retirement years somewhere really nice and peaceful. 128 00:04:40,546 --> 00:04:42,347 [Tish] But today's peace and quiet 129 00:04:42,382 --> 00:04:44,616 is tomorrow's violence and tragedy. 130 00:04:44,651 --> 00:04:46,618 [tense music playing] 131 00:04:46,653 --> 00:04:49,021 He practically admitted that he and his buddy did it. 132 00:04:49,055 --> 00:04:51,490 What kind of bully are you? 133 00:04:51,524 --> 00:04:52,691 You did this. 134 00:04:52,725 --> 00:04:55,127 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. 135 00:04:55,161 --> 00:04:57,629 [Tish] For now, the only thing the new neighbors 136 00:04:57,664 --> 00:05:00,999 might worry about is occasional loud music. 137 00:05:01,034 --> 00:05:04,069 [Diane] He told us that he worked at night, 138 00:05:04,103 --> 00:05:05,937 and Mark and I looked at each other... 139 00:05:05,972 --> 00:05:08,273 Just letting you know our son Christopher 140 00:05:08,308 --> 00:05:09,841 likes to play the drums. 141 00:05:09,876 --> 00:05:11,777 And our son Jason really likes to play the guitar, 142 00:05:11,811 --> 00:05:13,345 but please let us know if it's an issue. 143 00:05:13,379 --> 00:05:16,014 He was excited. 144 00:05:16,049 --> 00:05:17,916 Your sons area musicians? So am I. 145 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:20,385 I like to play a little piano, sing a little bit. 146 00:05:20,420 --> 00:05:22,421 He talked to us about the fact that he had friends 147 00:05:22,455 --> 00:05:25,757 that would gather and play music. 148 00:05:25,792 --> 00:05:29,461 He did play music sometimes for senior citizens. 149 00:05:29,495 --> 00:05:32,130 Oh, I'm liking this place already. 150 00:05:32,165 --> 00:05:33,532 We're having a barbecue. 151 00:05:33,566 --> 00:05:34,933 All the other neighbors are gonna be there. 152 00:05:34,967 --> 00:05:36,335 - [Pete] Oh? - Yeah. Come, it's at 6:00. 153 00:05:36,369 --> 00:05:37,402 We'd love to have you there. 154 00:05:37,437 --> 00:05:38,537 Oh, we'd love to. 155 00:05:38,571 --> 00:05:40,205 [Diane] Great, see you there. 156 00:05:40,239 --> 00:05:41,740 - We'll look forward to it. - That's a nice thing. 157 00:05:41,774 --> 00:05:43,175 - [Diane] Bye. - Oh, isn't that nice? 158 00:05:43,209 --> 00:05:45,077 - We're making friends already? - Yeah. 159 00:05:45,111 --> 00:05:48,447 [Diane] We were just hoping to get along, and be friends. 160 00:05:48,481 --> 00:05:50,582 They were our next door neighbors, 161 00:05:50,616 --> 00:05:53,051 and we just needed to get along. 162 00:05:56,489 --> 00:05:58,857 [Tish] The renovations on Pete and Barbara's home 163 00:05:58,891 --> 00:06:00,926 are going well... 164 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:03,662 until they make a disturbing discovery. 165 00:06:09,335 --> 00:06:12,237 [Barbara S] Oh, my God. 166 00:06:12,271 --> 00:06:15,140 The Richter's home was vandalized. 167 00:06:15,174 --> 00:06:17,642 Who would do such a thing? 168 00:06:17,677 --> 00:06:20,779 [intense music playing] 169 00:06:20,813 --> 00:06:22,614 Oh, my God. 170 00:06:22,648 --> 00:06:25,016 Oh, Pete. 171 00:06:25,050 --> 00:06:26,318 Oh. 172 00:06:33,526 --> 00:06:34,860 I'll take care of things. 173 00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:37,896 [tense music playing] 174 00:06:38,965 --> 00:06:42,334 [sirens blaring] 175 00:06:42,368 --> 00:06:44,069 Did you see anyone near the Richter's house lately? 176 00:06:44,103 --> 00:06:45,670 Oh, we had a friend went over there the other day 177 00:06:45,705 --> 00:06:47,305 to look around, but we didn't see anyone. 178 00:06:47,340 --> 00:06:48,907 Yeah. That's right. 179 00:06:48,941 --> 00:06:50,742 My husband and another neighbor, 180 00:06:50,777 --> 00:06:54,846 being curious, not up to anything malicious, 181 00:06:54,881 --> 00:06:58,483 um, walked over and peeked in their porch window. 182 00:06:58,518 --> 00:07:01,787 And just to see what the layout was looking like. 183 00:07:01,854 --> 00:07:04,856 [Tish] To Pete, this sounds highly suspicious. 184 00:07:04,891 --> 00:07:07,225 He practically admitted that he and his buddy did it. 185 00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:08,827 - [man] Sir. - [Pete] Take him in. 186 00:07:08,861 --> 00:07:10,395 [Diane] From that escalated the fact that, 187 00:07:10,430 --> 00:07:14,032 from Richter, that clearly, 188 00:07:14,066 --> 00:07:15,801 we were guilty. 189 00:07:15,835 --> 00:07:17,903 Aren't you at least gonna bring him for questioning? 190 00:07:17,937 --> 00:07:20,038 We'll let you know if we turn up any leads. 191 00:07:20,072 --> 00:07:21,640 [Tish] This response is nowhere 192 00:07:21,674 --> 00:07:23,809 near good enough for Pete. 193 00:07:23,843 --> 00:07:25,377 [Rob] Pete claimed that the officers 194 00:07:25,411 --> 00:07:27,312 either didn't do a good job, 195 00:07:27,346 --> 00:07:28,880 or tried to destroy evidence 196 00:07:28,915 --> 00:07:30,882 so they didn't have to do a good job. 197 00:07:30,917 --> 00:07:33,185 And I think he would accuse the police 198 00:07:33,219 --> 00:07:37,155 of looking the other way to that crime. 199 00:07:37,190 --> 00:07:38,890 [Christopher S] I know nobody was ever charged 200 00:07:38,925 --> 00:07:40,358 with the burglary, and I think 201 00:07:40,393 --> 00:07:43,395 that's what set Pete Richter over the edge. 202 00:07:43,429 --> 00:07:46,731 [Diane] Mr. Richter would not leave the vandalism alone. 203 00:07:46,766 --> 00:07:49,134 He didn't understand the word no. 204 00:07:49,168 --> 00:07:52,904 And so, he just kept on, and on, and on. 205 00:07:52,939 --> 00:07:55,140 He had accused all the neighbors of that. 206 00:07:55,174 --> 00:07:57,175 And I... I mean, that didn't make sense. 207 00:07:57,210 --> 00:07:58,510 I mean, you just don't do that. 208 00:07:58,544 --> 00:08:00,178 I mean, it was ridiculous. 209 00:08:00,213 --> 00:08:02,481 [Diane] When you're not guilty of something, 210 00:08:02,515 --> 00:08:06,485 when you're innocent, and you're being targeted, 211 00:08:06,519 --> 00:08:09,955 after a while, it does get upsetting. 212 00:08:09,989 --> 00:08:12,290 [Tish] Despite being falsely accused, 213 00:08:12,325 --> 00:08:14,426 Mark and Diane are determined to keep the peace 214 00:08:14,460 --> 00:08:16,161 in the neighborhood. 215 00:08:16,195 --> 00:08:19,130 [Diane] Most of us just thought it would calm down, 216 00:08:19,165 --> 00:08:21,199 and we would give it a try. 217 00:08:21,234 --> 00:08:23,935 You have to work sometimes at relationships, 218 00:08:23,970 --> 00:08:26,204 but it never calmed down, 219 00:08:26,239 --> 00:08:29,074 it only escalated. 220 00:08:29,108 --> 00:08:31,543 [Tish] Whoever vandalized Pete Richter's house 221 00:08:31,577 --> 00:08:34,212 has gotten away with it. 222 00:08:34,247 --> 00:08:35,981 Now he keeps watch for anything 223 00:08:36,015 --> 00:08:38,450 that crosses the line. 224 00:08:38,484 --> 00:08:40,919 [Diane] One of our neighbors drove a tractor trailer 225 00:08:40,953 --> 00:08:42,587 for a living, that was his livelihood, 226 00:08:42,622 --> 00:08:43,788 that's what he did. 227 00:08:43,823 --> 00:08:45,790 And on the weekends, 228 00:08:45,825 --> 00:08:49,227 he would sometimes bring the trailer home. 229 00:08:49,262 --> 00:08:51,563 It wasn't the prettiest sight to look at, 230 00:08:51,597 --> 00:08:53,465 as you're sitting on your front porch. 231 00:08:53,499 --> 00:08:57,202 We all agreed to that, and we talked about it. 232 00:08:57,236 --> 00:08:59,204 But he didn't have any place else 233 00:08:59,238 --> 00:09:02,607 to park it on the weekends. 234 00:09:02,642 --> 00:09:04,209 [Barbara S] As long as it was only there 235 00:09:04,243 --> 00:09:05,777 a little bit of time, you know, 236 00:09:05,811 --> 00:09:07,112 just for an overnight or something, 237 00:09:07,146 --> 00:09:08,280 it wasn't bad. 238 00:09:08,314 --> 00:09:10,949 [Tish] Yet Pete's not putting up with this eyesore. 239 00:09:10,983 --> 00:09:12,684 It's been out there for days, 240 00:09:12,718 --> 00:09:14,986 makes the whole street look like a garbage dump. 241 00:09:15,021 --> 00:09:16,922 You should get it towed away. 242 00:09:16,956 --> 00:09:19,457 [Mark] Whoa, take it easy, Pete. 243 00:09:19,492 --> 00:09:21,693 Trailer belongs to one of our neighbors here. 244 00:09:21,727 --> 00:09:23,862 [Tish] But Pete makes a fair point. 245 00:09:23,896 --> 00:09:26,498 The neighbors in Emory Circle have agreed to abide 246 00:09:26,532 --> 00:09:28,600 by a set of covenants. 247 00:09:28,634 --> 00:09:30,602 [Barbara S] The covenants are like the house 248 00:09:30,636 --> 00:09:32,270 has to be a certain size, 249 00:09:32,305 --> 00:09:35,140 you can't have extra buildings on your property, 250 00:09:35,174 --> 00:09:36,207 that kind of thing. 251 00:09:36,242 --> 00:09:37,509 It was, um, done so 252 00:09:37,543 --> 00:09:39,678 to keep the neighborhood nice. 253 00:09:39,712 --> 00:09:41,513 Well, what's the sense of setting a covenants agreement 254 00:09:41,547 --> 00:09:43,848 when people do whatever they want, don't you agree? 255 00:09:43,883 --> 00:09:46,685 We're not gonna make life difficult for our neighbors. 256 00:09:46,719 --> 00:09:49,120 We each had to sign the covenants. 257 00:09:49,155 --> 00:09:52,457 The problem was we didn't have an acting association. 258 00:09:52,491 --> 00:09:55,026 So, if you're going to enforce the covenants, 259 00:09:55,061 --> 00:09:57,696 you had to do it as a one-on-one. 260 00:09:57,730 --> 00:09:59,297 So that's the way it is. 261 00:09:59,332 --> 00:10:01,333 [Diane] When we wouldn't side with him, 262 00:10:01,367 --> 00:10:03,468 for him, that was defiance. 263 00:10:03,502 --> 00:10:05,103 And he looked right at me, 264 00:10:05,137 --> 00:10:08,506 and said, you're either with me or you're against me, 265 00:10:08,541 --> 00:10:11,676 and if you're against me, I will make your life hell. 266 00:10:11,711 --> 00:10:13,178 Cool down, Pete. 267 00:10:13,212 --> 00:10:15,847 Things will sort themselves up. 268 00:10:15,881 --> 00:10:17,849 [Tish] Pete doesn't want to wait for things 269 00:10:17,883 --> 00:10:20,018 to settle down on their own. 270 00:10:20,052 --> 00:10:22,120 [Diane] Richter had the county come, 271 00:10:22,154 --> 00:10:25,323 and post a sign that said you couldn't park 272 00:10:25,358 --> 00:10:28,493 in excess of so many poundage. 273 00:10:28,527 --> 00:10:31,696 And it made it harder for this man that was, 274 00:10:31,731 --> 00:10:34,265 you know, trying to earn a living for his family. 275 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:36,267 I guess he thought he was gonna be 276 00:10:36,302 --> 00:10:38,103 the boss of everybody. 277 00:10:38,137 --> 00:10:40,839 [Tish] And as Pete tries to lay down the law, 278 00:10:40,873 --> 00:10:44,509 things will only go from bad to worse. 279 00:10:44,543 --> 00:10:46,144 - Get away. Leave me alone. - [dog barking] 280 00:10:46,178 --> 00:10:47,078 Stop that. 281 00:10:47,146 --> 00:10:48,847 This isn't over. 282 00:10:48,881 --> 00:10:51,883 [tense music playing] 283 00:10:57,356 --> 00:11:00,225 [Rob] If you're on board with Pete, hey, it was great. 284 00:11:00,259 --> 00:11:02,260 But if you weren't on board with Pete, 285 00:11:02,294 --> 00:11:03,695 uh, there was gonna be hell to pay 286 00:11:03,729 --> 00:11:05,363 from a neighbor's standpoint. 287 00:11:05,398 --> 00:11:07,565 [Tish] Emory Circle is an attractive place 288 00:11:07,633 --> 00:11:10,035 because of the wide open lots. 289 00:11:10,069 --> 00:11:12,337 Yet for Pete Richter, his neighbors, 290 00:11:12,371 --> 00:11:13,738 and especially their dogs, 291 00:11:13,773 --> 00:11:16,408 are still too close for comfort. 292 00:11:16,442 --> 00:11:20,211 Linda Austin's property runs behind Pete's house. 293 00:11:20,246 --> 00:11:23,248 And so, he started picking on her, 294 00:11:23,282 --> 00:11:25,183 and he said he didn't like dogs. 295 00:11:25,217 --> 00:11:26,885 [dog barking] 296 00:11:26,919 --> 00:11:28,787 Get away. Leave me alone. 297 00:11:30,923 --> 00:11:33,258 [Tish] Mark Xander claims to witness a troubling event 298 00:11:33,292 --> 00:11:36,061 involving Pete and Linda's dog. 299 00:11:36,095 --> 00:11:37,529 [dog barking] 300 00:11:37,563 --> 00:11:39,597 Get away. Leave me alone. 301 00:11:39,632 --> 00:11:41,533 [Diane] Were the dogs barking? 302 00:11:41,567 --> 00:11:42,578 Sure. 303 00:11:42,602 --> 00:11:44,202 But those dogs were fenced in. 304 00:11:44,236 --> 00:11:46,682 They weren't in a position to jump the fence. 305 00:11:46,706 --> 00:11:48,540 [Pete] Leave me alone, go. 306 00:11:48,574 --> 00:11:51,676 [Tish] According to Mark, Pete pulls out a spray can... 307 00:11:51,711 --> 00:11:53,011 - Eat this. - [Tish] ...to deal 308 00:11:53,045 --> 00:11:54,079 with his neighbor's pet. 309 00:11:54,113 --> 00:11:55,180 Hey. 310 00:11:55,214 --> 00:11:56,414 [dog whimpering] 311 00:11:56,449 --> 00:11:58,183 [Diane] He was standing there, 312 00:11:58,217 --> 00:12:00,919 shooting this can at her dog, 313 00:12:00,953 --> 00:12:03,588 and Mark observed this... 314 00:12:03,622 --> 00:12:06,791 - Stop that. - What? 315 00:12:06,826 --> 00:12:08,660 [Tish] Mark and Diane have already decided, 316 00:12:08,694 --> 00:12:11,162 as much as possible, not to escalate things 317 00:12:11,197 --> 00:12:12,931 with Pete directly, 318 00:12:12,965 --> 00:12:16,468 but Mark still wants to let Linda know what he saw. 319 00:12:16,502 --> 00:12:19,304 [Diane] Mark thought that it had to be Mace, 320 00:12:19,338 --> 00:12:21,239 so he wrote a note, 321 00:12:21,273 --> 00:12:24,576 and put it in our neighbor's mailbox to let her know 322 00:12:24,610 --> 00:12:27,345 when she came home what he observed, 323 00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:29,247 so that she would have some idea 324 00:12:29,281 --> 00:12:31,249 what might have happened to her dog. 325 00:12:31,283 --> 00:12:34,285 [tense music playing] 326 00:12:35,721 --> 00:12:39,023 What kind of bully are you, Macing a dog? 327 00:12:39,058 --> 00:12:41,826 [Diane] Linda, she's a strong willed individual. 328 00:12:41,861 --> 00:12:43,528 She was furious. 329 00:12:43,562 --> 00:12:45,997 I'm pressing charges of animal cruelty. 330 00:12:46,031 --> 00:12:47,465 I told her what you did. 331 00:12:47,533 --> 00:12:49,634 Your dog was barking and bothering me. 332 00:12:49,668 --> 00:12:51,669 You need to get her under control. 333 00:12:51,704 --> 00:12:54,305 You could've blinded Max. 334 00:12:54,340 --> 00:12:57,075 Both of you, off my property now. 335 00:12:57,109 --> 00:12:59,577 [Barbara S] I don't know if it's because he thought 336 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:02,213 from he had been in the city as a police office, 337 00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:05,884 he could be the boss or do whatever he wanted. 338 00:13:05,918 --> 00:13:08,720 [Tish] Now, Pete wants proof when neighbors break 339 00:13:08,754 --> 00:13:12,023 anymore of the Emory Circle covenant rules. 340 00:13:12,057 --> 00:13:13,191 [Barbara S] He always had a camera, 341 00:13:13,225 --> 00:13:15,059 he would hold it out, 342 00:13:15,094 --> 00:13:16,594 looking all the time, to see what you were doing. 343 00:13:16,629 --> 00:13:18,596 He was always the one to take pictures. 344 00:13:18,631 --> 00:13:22,000 [Pete] I've got you both on camera as trespassing. 345 00:13:22,034 --> 00:13:25,370 Now, I advise you to leave before I call the police. 346 00:13:25,404 --> 00:13:27,172 This isn't over. 347 00:13:27,206 --> 00:13:30,575 I'm going to charge you over what you did to my dog. 348 00:13:30,609 --> 00:13:34,879 [Tish] Pete denies that he used Mace against the animal. 349 00:13:34,914 --> 00:13:38,316 [Diane] I know that they ended up in court over that, 350 00:13:38,350 --> 00:13:40,084 and Mark was subpoenaed. 351 00:13:40,119 --> 00:13:43,555 But unfortunately, since he couldn't read the labeling 352 00:13:43,589 --> 00:13:46,991 on the can, the case was thrown out. 353 00:13:47,026 --> 00:13:50,328 Richter was never charged with anything. 354 00:13:50,362 --> 00:13:52,230 [Tish] In this ongoing dispute, 355 00:13:52,264 --> 00:13:55,366 property lines become battle lines. 356 00:13:57,336 --> 00:13:59,337 [indistinct chatter] 357 00:14:02,141 --> 00:14:05,743 My brother and his friends were playing basketball. 358 00:14:09,815 --> 00:14:10,982 [Lance] He disliked the boys 359 00:14:11,016 --> 00:14:12,784 because they played basketball. 360 00:14:12,818 --> 00:14:15,620 He didn't like the sound of a ball dribbling. 361 00:14:15,654 --> 00:14:17,789 [tense music playing] 362 00:14:17,823 --> 00:14:21,159 [Diane] The basketball hoop was very close 363 00:14:21,193 --> 00:14:22,894 to their property line. 364 00:14:22,928 --> 00:14:24,963 And so, he would stand there with the video camera, 365 00:14:24,997 --> 00:14:27,866 and wait for the ball to trespass 366 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:29,934 onto his property. 367 00:14:29,969 --> 00:14:32,303 And the Richters just couldn't wait for that ball 368 00:14:32,338 --> 00:14:33,805 to go over there. 369 00:14:33,839 --> 00:14:35,373 [Tish] It's just a matter of time 370 00:14:35,407 --> 00:14:37,208 before the inevitable happens. 371 00:14:37,243 --> 00:14:39,777 [tense music playing] 372 00:14:39,812 --> 00:14:41,312 [Christopher X] The basketball, like, missed 373 00:14:41,347 --> 00:14:42,881 the basket, and rolled over into his yard. 374 00:14:42,915 --> 00:14:44,182 That's it. 375 00:14:46,118 --> 00:14:48,987 [tense music playing] 376 00:14:49,021 --> 00:14:51,055 Hey, you bozos. 377 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:52,457 How are you making noise, 378 00:14:52,491 --> 00:14:54,592 and acting like you own the street? 379 00:14:54,627 --> 00:14:57,829 [Diane] Richter was harassing the kids. 380 00:14:57,863 --> 00:15:01,766 So, I went out there... 381 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,836 Anything that comes on to my property belongs to me. 382 00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:06,437 [Lance] He would say you're trespassing, 383 00:15:06,472 --> 00:15:08,139 if you try to retrieve the ball... 384 00:15:08,173 --> 00:15:09,774 Hey. Why don't you leave them alone 385 00:15:09,808 --> 00:15:11,175 and stop being such a grouch? 386 00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:13,678 And I said, "If the ball goes on his property 387 00:15:13,712 --> 00:15:15,947 and he feels the need to keep it, have at it. 388 00:15:15,981 --> 00:15:18,016 But let the kids just play ball." 389 00:15:18,050 --> 00:15:20,285 [Lance] He would try to overwhelm people 390 00:15:20,319 --> 00:15:21,519 with his personality. 391 00:15:21,553 --> 00:15:22,687 And if you stood up to him, 392 00:15:22,721 --> 00:15:24,289 he didn't like it. 393 00:15:24,323 --> 00:15:26,391 Get out of here. 394 00:15:26,425 --> 00:15:28,126 [Diane] We really thought, 395 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,462 if we didn't engage in conversation with this man, 396 00:15:31,497 --> 00:15:34,499 that eventually he would just leave us alone. 397 00:15:34,533 --> 00:15:37,602 That he would give up, that he would stop. 398 00:15:37,636 --> 00:15:39,804 But he never did. 399 00:15:39,838 --> 00:15:42,006 [Tish] Day in and day out, 400 00:15:42,041 --> 00:15:44,309 Pete keeps close watch on his boundary line 401 00:15:44,343 --> 00:15:46,144 with the Xanders. 402 00:15:46,178 --> 00:15:49,447 [Lance] He was on a large lot, and for some reason, 403 00:15:49,481 --> 00:15:53,451 that seemed to incite him to be more territorial. 404 00:15:53,485 --> 00:15:57,021 [tense music playing] 405 00:15:57,056 --> 00:15:58,957 [Christopher X] Mr. Richter had put up like stakes 406 00:15:58,991 --> 00:16:00,792 marking the property lines, 407 00:16:00,826 --> 00:16:04,028 and I think one of them was like in my father's way, 408 00:16:04,063 --> 00:16:06,631 and he just like picked it up, and like threw it. 409 00:16:09,902 --> 00:16:13,404 [Tish] For Pete, this is just one more bad neighbor 410 00:16:13,439 --> 00:16:14,939 breaking the rules, 411 00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:18,509 and he won't take it lying down. 412 00:16:18,544 --> 00:16:20,511 [Christopher X] Pete thought that it was me, 413 00:16:20,546 --> 00:16:23,348 and so, he sued me, took me to court. 414 00:16:23,382 --> 00:16:25,083 And that one basically got thrown out 415 00:16:25,117 --> 00:16:27,452 because the judge was, like, this obviously 416 00:16:27,486 --> 00:16:30,521 wasn't me that was on that video. 417 00:16:30,556 --> 00:16:33,191 [Diane] The sad thing is it wasn't just our family, 418 00:16:33,225 --> 00:16:34,592 there were other neighbors 419 00:16:34,626 --> 00:16:36,594 that were also taken to court. 420 00:16:36,628 --> 00:16:40,365 So it seemed like Richter was in court all the time. 421 00:16:40,399 --> 00:16:43,568 [Lance] He'd certainly wanted everything prosecuted. 422 00:16:43,602 --> 00:16:45,403 He enjoyed being in court. 423 00:16:45,437 --> 00:16:48,606 He enjoyed the adversarial nature of litigation. 424 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,910 [Rob] And I think that also fueled Mr. Richter's fire, 425 00:16:52,945 --> 00:16:57,248 and just continue to agitate and agitate, 426 00:16:57,282 --> 00:16:59,417 uh, this situation. 427 00:17:00,986 --> 00:17:02,653 [Tish] It seems fanning the flames 428 00:17:02,688 --> 00:17:05,490 is what Pete Richter does best. 429 00:17:05,524 --> 00:17:08,526 [Diane] As a security guard, he worked at night. 430 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,929 And so, he would sit in his car, ten, 15 minutes 431 00:17:11,964 --> 00:17:13,664 before he had to leave, 432 00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:17,869 and he would just shine his high beams at our home. 433 00:17:19,972 --> 00:17:21,305 What is that? 434 00:17:21,340 --> 00:17:23,641 And our bedroom window, unfortunately, 435 00:17:23,675 --> 00:17:26,010 faced in that direction. 436 00:17:26,045 --> 00:17:27,578 What time is it? 437 00:17:27,613 --> 00:17:29,080 - [Mark] What the... - [Diane] Who is it? 438 00:17:29,114 --> 00:17:30,648 - [Mark] What is he doing? - [Diane] Who? 439 00:17:30,682 --> 00:17:32,917 - [Mark] It's Pete. - [Diane] What? 440 00:17:32,951 --> 00:17:34,919 [Christopher X] It went on for months and months. 441 00:17:34,953 --> 00:17:36,921 Pull the curtains. 442 00:17:36,955 --> 00:17:38,089 Ignore him. 443 00:17:38,123 --> 00:17:39,457 Come back to bed. 444 00:17:39,491 --> 00:17:40,591 [Barbara S] And then, he would go 445 00:17:40,626 --> 00:17:41,659 to the other neighbors, 446 00:17:41,693 --> 00:17:42,760 and he would sit 447 00:17:42,795 --> 00:17:44,162 in front of their driveways. 448 00:17:44,196 --> 00:17:45,763 He would come down to our house 449 00:17:45,798 --> 00:17:47,665 and he'd shine the lights on our house. 450 00:17:47,733 --> 00:17:49,567 And I called the police, and they said, 451 00:17:49,601 --> 00:17:51,402 "Well, there's nothing we can do. 452 00:17:51,437 --> 00:17:53,137 He hasn't done anything." 453 00:17:53,172 --> 00:17:54,739 And I say, "But it's like he's trying 454 00:17:54,773 --> 00:17:56,107 to intimidate everybody." 455 00:17:56,141 --> 00:17:57,809 I guess, you can do whatever you want 456 00:17:57,843 --> 00:18:00,244 until somebody gets hurt. 457 00:18:00,279 --> 00:18:02,814 [Tish] Once again, the Xanders tried to suffer 458 00:18:02,848 --> 00:18:04,816 the harassment in silence. 459 00:18:04,850 --> 00:18:06,818 [Diane] What do we need to do to keep him 460 00:18:06,852 --> 00:18:08,820 from hating us so badly? 461 00:18:08,854 --> 00:18:12,056 We weren't trying to annoy him, 462 00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:13,925 but nothing was working. 463 00:18:13,959 --> 00:18:17,428 [drums playing] 464 00:18:17,463 --> 00:18:19,263 [Tish] Any and every little thing 465 00:18:19,298 --> 00:18:20,698 triggers another explosion 466 00:18:20,732 --> 00:18:23,701 across the adjoining yards. 467 00:18:23,735 --> 00:18:26,871 [Diane] Granted, my son did play, and granted, 468 00:18:26,905 --> 00:18:28,973 you could hear him from the garage, 469 00:18:29,007 --> 00:18:31,542 even though he kept the garage door shut. 470 00:18:31,577 --> 00:18:34,812 And unfortunately, our garage door faced 471 00:18:34,847 --> 00:18:38,149 their property line. 472 00:18:38,183 --> 00:18:40,551 [Christopher X] He heard me playing drums, 473 00:18:40,586 --> 00:18:44,722 and he was very angry about that. 474 00:18:44,756 --> 00:18:47,558 This is supposed to be a quiet neighborhood. 475 00:18:47,593 --> 00:18:50,161 I offered to lend them money to stop this. 476 00:18:50,195 --> 00:18:51,896 [Christopher X] He wanted my parents 477 00:18:51,930 --> 00:18:53,431 to sound proof the garage, 478 00:18:53,465 --> 00:18:55,199 which they didn't have the money for. 479 00:18:55,234 --> 00:18:57,935 He'll stop soon, don't make a fuss. 480 00:19:01,173 --> 00:19:02,807 Pete, don't. 481 00:19:04,976 --> 00:19:06,811 Come back. 482 00:19:06,845 --> 00:19:11,449 [drums playing] 483 00:19:11,483 --> 00:19:14,318 [tense music playing] 484 00:19:14,353 --> 00:19:15,553 [knocks on window] 485 00:19:15,587 --> 00:19:16,821 Open up. 486 00:19:19,324 --> 00:19:20,958 [Christopher X] I think I was overwhelmed 487 00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:23,127 by how angry he seemed. 488 00:19:23,162 --> 00:19:26,898 You could actually just see it in his face. 489 00:19:26,932 --> 00:19:28,699 [Christopher S] A lot of people in the community 490 00:19:28,734 --> 00:19:30,134 knew he was a loose cannon, 491 00:19:30,169 --> 00:19:32,036 and just knew it was gonna be a matter of time 492 00:19:32,070 --> 00:19:33,905 before he would snap. 493 00:19:33,939 --> 00:19:35,973 You leave my boys alone right now. 494 00:19:36,008 --> 00:19:37,308 How's your pig of a wife? 495 00:19:37,342 --> 00:19:39,076 Your house is on fire. 496 00:19:39,111 --> 00:19:42,013 [tense music playing] 497 00:19:45,951 --> 00:19:47,518 I've had it up to here. 498 00:19:47,553 --> 00:19:50,221 [Barbara S] It was just constant tension. 499 00:19:50,255 --> 00:19:52,790 It was just, like, unreal. 500 00:19:52,824 --> 00:19:54,625 I'm tired of this racket. 501 00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:56,694 I offered to insulate this place for your parents, 502 00:19:56,728 --> 00:19:59,096 but they still didn't do nothing. 503 00:19:59,131 --> 00:20:01,933 [Diane] It scared Jason, so he called me. 504 00:20:01,967 --> 00:20:03,601 - Hello? - [Jason] Hey, mom. 505 00:20:03,635 --> 00:20:05,703 [Diane] And said that Richter was there 506 00:20:05,737 --> 00:20:09,073 with his finger in our son, Chris's face, 507 00:20:09,107 --> 00:20:10,741 about the drums. 508 00:20:10,776 --> 00:20:12,276 Richter's here, he's talking to Christopher. 509 00:20:12,311 --> 00:20:13,411 What? What? No. No. No. 510 00:20:13,445 --> 00:20:15,880 Put Richter on. 511 00:20:15,914 --> 00:20:17,615 Our mom wants to talk to you. 512 00:20:17,649 --> 00:20:19,517 [Diane] And I told Richter, "We can talk about this 513 00:20:19,551 --> 00:20:22,253 if you'd like, when Mark and I come home, 514 00:20:22,287 --> 00:20:25,923 but you are to leave my property immediately, 515 00:20:25,958 --> 00:20:30,528 and you are to never come and approach my sons, 516 00:20:30,562 --> 00:20:31,729 "unless I'm home." 517 00:20:31,763 --> 00:20:33,931 You leave my boys alone right now. 518 00:20:33,966 --> 00:20:37,001 Do we understand each other? 519 00:20:37,035 --> 00:20:40,504 The boys said he was clearly, vividly, 520 00:20:40,539 --> 00:20:43,407 perturbed, and angry with me. 521 00:20:43,442 --> 00:20:46,043 [Tish] Pete Richter won't let this go. 522 00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:49,046 [Lance] Mr. Richter did actually sue his neighbors, 523 00:20:49,081 --> 00:20:53,417 civilly, over the Xander young boy 524 00:20:53,452 --> 00:20:55,086 playing the drums. 525 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:57,421 They had a week-long jury trial. 526 00:20:57,456 --> 00:21:01,592 [Diane] Mr. Richter was suing for over $40,000, 527 00:21:01,627 --> 00:21:04,395 and the jury found us in violation 528 00:21:04,429 --> 00:21:06,163 of a noise ordinance, 529 00:21:06,198 --> 00:21:10,134 and awarded Richter $5,000, 530 00:21:10,168 --> 00:21:13,237 but in the end, the judge decided 531 00:21:13,272 --> 00:21:15,973 that my son could still play the drums. 532 00:21:16,008 --> 00:21:19,844 He just had to do it within a specific amount of time. 533 00:21:19,878 --> 00:21:22,079 [Lance] I think ultimately the family across the board 534 00:21:22,114 --> 00:21:24,415 tried not to engage this man, 535 00:21:24,449 --> 00:21:27,418 tried not to provoke him in any way, shape, or form. 536 00:21:27,452 --> 00:21:29,020 They wanted to live their lives, 537 00:21:29,087 --> 00:21:30,421 but it was very difficult 538 00:21:30,455 --> 00:21:32,990 because he was so venomous. 539 00:21:33,025 --> 00:21:34,692 [Christopher S] It got to the point where 540 00:21:34,726 --> 00:21:38,029 if Mark was cutting the trees and came around, 541 00:21:38,063 --> 00:21:41,565 Richter would scream at him for being on his property. 542 00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:44,802 [Rob] And it's just a constant agitated state, 543 00:21:44,836 --> 00:21:47,171 um, that Pete laid him. 544 00:21:49,941 --> 00:21:51,742 [Tish] It's not just the Xanders 545 00:21:51,777 --> 00:21:54,979 suffering the consequences of Pete's obsessions. 546 00:21:55,013 --> 00:21:58,115 [Barbara S] My one son had, um, a dune buggy. 547 00:21:58,150 --> 00:21:59,517 It didn't have tags, but I mean, 548 00:21:59,551 --> 00:22:00,918 he was just trying it out 549 00:22:00,952 --> 00:22:02,053 in our yard, and then, 550 00:22:02,087 --> 00:22:03,688 he went out into the circle. 551 00:22:03,722 --> 00:22:05,323 Not on the highway or anything, 552 00:22:05,357 --> 00:22:06,991 but we end up in court over that, 553 00:22:07,025 --> 00:22:08,492 and it was so ridiculous. 554 00:22:08,527 --> 00:22:10,461 He saw you on the road with no tags. 555 00:22:12,297 --> 00:22:14,031 [Lance] I do believe Mr. Richter 556 00:22:14,066 --> 00:22:16,133 charged most of his neighbors at one time 557 00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:18,336 or another with something. 558 00:22:19,771 --> 00:22:21,972 Whether it was a civil violation, 559 00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:23,674 an animal violation, 560 00:22:23,709 --> 00:22:27,078 allegations of not keeping their yard 561 00:22:27,112 --> 00:22:28,979 properly maintained, 562 00:22:29,014 --> 00:22:31,115 whatever he could find, he pursued. 563 00:22:32,951 --> 00:22:34,819 [Tish] All through the neighborhood, 564 00:22:34,853 --> 00:22:37,688 Pete is a constant, menacing presence. 565 00:22:37,723 --> 00:22:39,423 Hey, Joshua. How was your day? 566 00:22:39,458 --> 00:22:41,692 - Not so good. - [Barbara S] What? 567 00:22:41,727 --> 00:22:44,128 And he would just follow my son, 568 00:22:46,531 --> 00:22:48,566 just to harass him. 569 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,234 My son was a little bit worried 570 00:22:50,268 --> 00:22:51,569 because we always said, 571 00:22:51,603 --> 00:22:52,870 "Don't ever go by that house. 572 00:22:52,904 --> 00:22:54,138 Don't walk in that yard, 573 00:22:54,172 --> 00:22:55,740 you know, stay away from it." 574 00:22:59,077 --> 00:23:01,846 [Tish] Avoiding Pete is next to impossible. 575 00:23:04,282 --> 00:23:05,883 Life on Emory Circle 576 00:23:05,917 --> 00:23:07,852 gets more and more stressful. 577 00:23:11,957 --> 00:23:14,725 Lovely day, isn't it, Mark? 578 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,627 [Christopher S] He would entice people 579 00:23:16,661 --> 00:23:18,162 into conversations, and then, 580 00:23:18,196 --> 00:23:19,764 start recording them, 581 00:23:19,798 --> 00:23:21,132 trying to provoke them 582 00:23:21,166 --> 00:23:22,800 to do something to him. 583 00:23:22,834 --> 00:23:24,935 How's your pig of a wife today? 584 00:23:28,273 --> 00:23:29,740 [Diane] He would make it a point 585 00:23:29,775 --> 00:23:32,109 to call me names. 586 00:23:32,144 --> 00:23:33,444 He would do stuff like that, 587 00:23:33,478 --> 00:23:35,546 hoping to get a rise out of Mark. 588 00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:36,714 Come on, Lena. Let's go home. 589 00:23:36,748 --> 00:23:38,249 [Diane] He was hoping that Mark 590 00:23:38,283 --> 00:23:41,018 would just fly off and come after him, 591 00:23:42,454 --> 00:23:43,587 but Mark never did. 592 00:23:46,958 --> 00:23:48,659 [Tish] In this tense situation, 593 00:23:48,693 --> 00:23:53,330 Pete is on perpetual alert for any threat. 594 00:23:53,365 --> 00:23:54,865 [Barbara S] He said somebody threw nails 595 00:23:54,933 --> 00:23:56,567 on his driveway. 596 00:23:59,070 --> 00:24:01,605 [Tish] Just like when his house was vandalized, 597 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,809 Pete believes the Xanders are responsible. 598 00:24:04,843 --> 00:24:06,510 [Barbara S] That didn't even make sense. 599 00:24:06,545 --> 00:24:08,813 I think it was more like maybe construction, 600 00:24:08,847 --> 00:24:11,182 or maybe they dropped a box of nails or something. 601 00:24:11,216 --> 00:24:13,517 I just don't believe anybody did that. 602 00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:16,787 [Tish] Pete calls the police, 603 00:24:16,822 --> 00:24:18,622 but is foiled yet again. 604 00:24:18,657 --> 00:24:20,791 Something's got to be done around here. 605 00:24:20,826 --> 00:24:23,494 [Pete] It's obvious the Xanders did this. 606 00:24:23,528 --> 00:24:25,062 Yeah. You. 607 00:24:25,096 --> 00:24:26,897 There's no proof that any of your neighbors 608 00:24:26,932 --> 00:24:28,599 - were involved. - [Rob] And Mr. Richter, 609 00:24:28,633 --> 00:24:30,801 I think, just got to the point where he felt 610 00:24:30,836 --> 00:24:33,637 as though his repetitive complaints 611 00:24:33,672 --> 00:24:36,307 were met with deaf ears. 612 00:24:36,341 --> 00:24:38,709 When in reality, you know, 613 00:24:38,743 --> 00:24:40,177 the matters were looked into. 614 00:24:40,212 --> 00:24:41,579 It's just that the evidence 615 00:24:41,613 --> 00:24:43,681 didn't support his claims. 616 00:24:43,715 --> 00:24:45,049 What's it gonna take for you to do 617 00:24:45,083 --> 00:24:46,650 something about this? 618 00:24:48,854 --> 00:24:50,955 [Tish] Now, the intolerable situation 619 00:24:50,989 --> 00:24:53,624 explodes to a whole new level. 620 00:24:53,658 --> 00:24:55,392 [Christopher X] The neighbor knocked on the door, 621 00:24:55,427 --> 00:24:58,128 and my father was, uh, the one who answered. 622 00:24:58,163 --> 00:25:00,297 What's going on? What's up? 623 00:25:00,332 --> 00:25:01,665 Mark, you have to get out of there. 624 00:25:01,733 --> 00:25:04,268 - Your house is on fire. - [Mark] What? 625 00:25:04,302 --> 00:25:05,769 Oh, my God. 626 00:25:05,804 --> 00:25:07,338 [Tish] This neighborhood war 627 00:25:07,372 --> 00:25:09,673 has reached the point of no return. 628 00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:13,010 -Diane. -[Barbara S] It just got worse and worse. 629 00:25:13,044 --> 00:25:14,178 What's the matter with you? 630 00:25:14,212 --> 00:25:15,446 [Pete] I'm sick and tired 631 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,248 of you not having any respect. 632 00:25:17,282 --> 00:25:18,916 You did this. 633 00:25:25,790 --> 00:25:28,559 [sirens blaring] 634 00:25:28,593 --> 00:25:30,094 [Diane] Oh, my God. 635 00:25:32,764 --> 00:25:34,532 [Christopher X] I was at work at that time actually, 636 00:25:34,566 --> 00:25:36,467 and somebody told me 637 00:25:36,501 --> 00:25:39,837 that my family's home had burned down, 638 00:25:39,871 --> 00:25:41,472 and I was just in shock. 639 00:25:41,506 --> 00:25:43,474 - [Diane] Oh, my God. - [woman] Are you guys okay? 640 00:25:43,508 --> 00:25:45,342 - We will be. - Oh, thank God. 641 00:25:45,377 --> 00:25:47,044 [Barbara S] It was so fast, 642 00:25:47,078 --> 00:25:49,813 and it started like at the top in the whole house, 643 00:25:49,848 --> 00:25:51,248 you know, it was just burned. 644 00:25:51,283 --> 00:25:53,417 [Diane] Oh, no. Oh, my God. 645 00:25:53,451 --> 00:25:55,152 - [man] You all right? - [Diane] Our house. 646 00:25:55,186 --> 00:25:57,154 - [man] What happened? - [man] Mark, what happened? 647 00:25:57,188 --> 00:25:58,522 [woman] Someone should call the cops. 648 00:25:58,557 --> 00:26:00,057 [Diane] That was my household. 649 00:26:00,091 --> 00:26:02,393 Hey, Mark. 650 00:26:02,427 --> 00:26:03,961 You got what you deserved. 651 00:26:03,995 --> 00:26:05,329 You. You did this. 652 00:26:05,363 --> 00:26:06,997 [Diane] Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no, Mark. 653 00:26:07,032 --> 00:26:08,365 No. No. Please. You would think 654 00:26:08,433 --> 00:26:09,934 that one would have compassion 655 00:26:09,968 --> 00:26:12,069 for a family that just lost everything 656 00:26:12,103 --> 00:26:15,039 they owned, but he was just so hateful. 657 00:26:15,073 --> 00:26:17,541 [Tish] Firefighters are unable to save 658 00:26:17,576 --> 00:26:19,143 the Xanders house. 659 00:26:19,177 --> 00:26:20,644 In the aftermath, 660 00:26:20,679 --> 00:26:23,581 the whole community wants answers. 661 00:26:23,615 --> 00:26:24,815 The fire marshal investigated, 662 00:26:24,849 --> 00:26:26,784 but they couldn't determine 663 00:26:26,818 --> 00:26:28,052 the point of origin. 664 00:26:28,086 --> 00:26:30,154 Ultimately, the investigation 665 00:26:30,188 --> 00:26:32,556 the fire marshal closed it as a mulch fire. 666 00:26:32,591 --> 00:26:36,160 [Lance] It was a mysterious fire. 667 00:26:36,194 --> 00:26:39,396 I don't know how mulch would spontaneously combust, 668 00:26:39,431 --> 00:26:41,632 so that was suspicious. 669 00:26:41,666 --> 00:26:43,767 [Tish] Emory Circle doesn't have long to recover 670 00:26:43,802 --> 00:26:45,302 from this terrible night. 671 00:26:45,337 --> 00:26:47,972 Soon after, in a strange coincidence, 672 00:26:48,006 --> 00:26:51,442 the Saia's house also catches fire, 673 00:26:51,476 --> 00:26:54,311 but they're luckier than the Xanders. 674 00:26:54,346 --> 00:26:55,613 [Barbara S] The next door neighbor 675 00:26:55,647 --> 00:26:57,147 got the fire under control 676 00:26:57,182 --> 00:26:59,249 before the fire department got there, 677 00:26:59,284 --> 00:27:01,285 or our house would've burned. 678 00:27:01,319 --> 00:27:04,655 [Tish] Once again, it's deemed a mulch fire, 679 00:27:04,689 --> 00:27:06,457 and no one has any hard evidence 680 00:27:06,491 --> 00:27:07,925 to prove otherwise. 681 00:27:09,561 --> 00:27:11,228 [Diane] After the house fire, 682 00:27:11,262 --> 00:27:13,664 we entertained moving, 683 00:27:13,698 --> 00:27:15,833 but we couldn't find anything, 684 00:27:15,867 --> 00:27:17,568 and we missed our neighbors. 685 00:27:19,638 --> 00:27:21,171 [Tish] Six months later, 686 00:27:21,206 --> 00:27:23,807 the Xander home has been rebuilt, 687 00:27:23,842 --> 00:27:25,643 and is ready for their return. 688 00:27:29,314 --> 00:27:32,149 - Hi. - [Diane] Hey. 689 00:27:32,183 --> 00:27:33,617 [Barbara S] We had to come and say hi. 690 00:27:33,652 --> 00:27:35,152 - [Diane] We missed you. - [Barbara S] Welcome back. 691 00:27:35,186 --> 00:27:36,620 [Diane] Welcome. New house, what do you think? 692 00:27:36,655 --> 00:27:37,821 It looks fantastic, they did a great job. 693 00:27:37,856 --> 00:27:39,156 - We won't keep you. - [Mark] Nice to see you. 694 00:27:39,190 --> 00:27:40,124 We just wanted to say hi. 695 00:27:40,158 --> 00:27:41,125 Thank you so much for coming by. 696 00:27:41,159 --> 00:27:42,626 - [Joe] All right. Okay. - [Barbara S] Yes. 697 00:27:42,661 --> 00:27:44,495 - So glad you guys are all okay. - [Diane] Bye. 698 00:27:44,529 --> 00:27:46,330 [Tish] But some things in the neighborhood 699 00:27:46,364 --> 00:27:47,898 still can't be fixed. 700 00:27:52,470 --> 00:27:55,372 [Diane] When we moved back into the home, 701 00:27:55,407 --> 00:27:59,309 Richter was on his warpath 702 00:27:59,344 --> 00:28:02,279 with other people in the community 703 00:28:02,313 --> 00:28:04,048 - that he was bothering. - All right. 704 00:28:04,082 --> 00:28:05,249 All right. Okay. Okay. 705 00:28:05,283 --> 00:28:06,583 Boys, let's just go, okay? 706 00:28:06,618 --> 00:28:09,086 Let's go home. Come on. 707 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:12,589 In hindsight, I wish we would have moved. 708 00:28:12,624 --> 00:28:14,958 A few of the other neighbors did move, 709 00:28:14,993 --> 00:28:16,794 but we loved our home. 710 00:28:16,828 --> 00:28:18,962 Our children practically grew up there, 711 00:28:18,997 --> 00:28:21,265 and we love the neighbors 712 00:28:21,299 --> 00:28:25,235 that did stay, so we didn't move. 713 00:28:25,270 --> 00:28:27,871 [Tish] Living so close to the Richters, 714 00:28:27,906 --> 00:28:30,574 every day brings a new provocation. 715 00:28:33,411 --> 00:28:35,913 [crows crowing] 716 00:28:35,947 --> 00:28:38,082 [Christopher X] My father saw that Lena was gone, 717 00:28:38,116 --> 00:28:40,884 and then, went looking for Lena. 718 00:28:40,919 --> 00:28:43,954 [whistles] Lena. 719 00:28:43,988 --> 00:28:45,923 [Diane] That particular day, 720 00:28:45,957 --> 00:28:48,692 I can't remember why the dog went over there, 721 00:28:48,727 --> 00:28:51,628 but I believe she was in chase with a rabbit. 722 00:28:51,663 --> 00:28:54,398 - [whistle] Where are you? - [dog barking] 723 00:28:54,432 --> 00:28:57,434 [Tish] Mark realizes Lena is barking from inside 724 00:28:57,469 --> 00:28:59,870 - Pete's garage. - [Mark] Pete. 725 00:28:59,904 --> 00:29:01,605 [Diane] Mr. Richter grabbed the dog, 726 00:29:01,639 --> 00:29:04,241 he chained her, and then, he called animal control. 727 00:29:04,275 --> 00:29:07,077 [dog barking] 728 00:29:07,112 --> 00:29:09,480 Hey, Pete. 729 00:29:09,514 --> 00:29:10,781 What's the matter with you? 730 00:29:10,815 --> 00:29:12,750 Let my dog out of there. 731 00:29:12,784 --> 00:29:14,618 Your dog attacked my wife. 732 00:29:14,652 --> 00:29:16,787 - It could have killed her. - No way. 733 00:29:16,821 --> 00:29:19,323 [Tish] According to Pete, 734 00:29:19,357 --> 00:29:21,625 when he and his wife Barbara came home, 735 00:29:21,659 --> 00:29:25,863 the Xander dog charged onto their property. 736 00:29:25,897 --> 00:29:28,932 [dog barking] 737 00:29:31,136 --> 00:29:32,770 [screams] 738 00:29:32,804 --> 00:29:34,338 Pete. 739 00:29:34,372 --> 00:29:36,306 Pete. 740 00:29:36,341 --> 00:29:37,508 Get away from her, you damn mutt. 741 00:29:37,542 --> 00:29:39,443 [barking] 742 00:29:39,477 --> 00:29:41,111 Go. 743 00:29:42,347 --> 00:29:44,114 Come here. 744 00:29:44,149 --> 00:29:46,984 [Lance] Mr. Richter claims his neighbor's dog 745 00:29:47,018 --> 00:29:50,754 attacked his wife and bloodied her nose. 746 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:54,324 [Tish] Under questioning, Pete's claim falls apart. 747 00:29:54,359 --> 00:29:55,993 [Diane] When animal control went over, 748 00:29:56,027 --> 00:29:57,961 she had a bloody nose. 749 00:29:57,996 --> 00:30:00,097 Animal control asked her if she was okay. 750 00:30:00,131 --> 00:30:01,442 She said, "Yes, I'm fine. 751 00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:03,100 I just had some sinus surgery done." 752 00:30:03,134 --> 00:30:04,768 Their stories were conflicting. 753 00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:07,771 On scene, we could tell he was fabricating 754 00:30:07,806 --> 00:30:10,574 these allegations that the neighbor's dog 755 00:30:10,608 --> 00:30:12,643 had attacked her. 756 00:30:12,677 --> 00:30:16,013 [Tish] Predictably, Pete files a complaint about Lena. 757 00:30:16,047 --> 00:30:18,949 [Diane] We had to go to court for it, 758 00:30:18,983 --> 00:30:21,985 and the end result of that 759 00:30:22,020 --> 00:30:24,988 was I was told to be more careful with the dog, 760 00:30:25,023 --> 00:30:26,757 and that never pleased Richter 761 00:30:26,791 --> 00:30:29,526 because he wanted something serious to happen. 762 00:30:29,561 --> 00:30:31,028 He wanted us to be, you know, 763 00:30:31,062 --> 00:30:33,130 mandated to chain our dog. 764 00:30:33,164 --> 00:30:35,299 Come on, Lena. Come on. 765 00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:38,335 Look at this day. So beautiful, right? 766 00:30:38,369 --> 00:30:40,070 [Tish] Diane is about to learn 767 00:30:40,104 --> 00:30:43,073 that Pete can teach an old dog new tricks. 768 00:30:43,107 --> 00:30:44,741 [whistling] 769 00:30:44,776 --> 00:30:46,577 [Lance] Mark Xander had a special whistle 770 00:30:46,611 --> 00:30:48,579 that he used to call his dog. 771 00:30:48,613 --> 00:30:51,181 Mr. Richter learned that whistle, 772 00:30:51,216 --> 00:30:52,950 learned to mock that whistle, 773 00:30:52,984 --> 00:30:54,318 would try to get the dog 774 00:30:54,352 --> 00:30:55,619 to come on to his property. 775 00:30:55,653 --> 00:30:57,921 And she went to the whistle. 776 00:30:57,956 --> 00:30:59,122 - [dog barking] - Hey. Hey. Hey. 777 00:30:59,157 --> 00:31:00,524 Hey, Lena, that's not Mark. 778 00:31:00,558 --> 00:31:02,025 [Tish] And now, there's something 779 00:31:02,060 --> 00:31:06,029 even more disturbing to worry about. 780 00:31:06,064 --> 00:31:09,399 [Diane] Mr. Richter carried a 22-caliber derringer, 781 00:31:11,102 --> 00:31:13,804 and he made us aware of that 782 00:31:13,838 --> 00:31:15,572 on numerous occasions. 783 00:31:15,607 --> 00:31:17,808 What's going on? Are you okay? 784 00:31:17,842 --> 00:31:19,576 No, I'm not okay. 785 00:31:19,611 --> 00:31:22,212 I just saw Pete, he had a gun. 786 00:31:22,247 --> 00:31:25,649 I believe Richter targeted Mark the most 787 00:31:25,683 --> 00:31:29,086 because he didn't carry a weapon. 788 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,055 The other neighbors, they all had weapons. 789 00:31:32,090 --> 00:31:35,392 Mark and I, we never believed in weapons. 790 00:31:35,426 --> 00:31:38,395 Mark didn't hunt, and of course, 791 00:31:38,429 --> 00:31:39,696 we were an easy target 792 00:31:39,731 --> 00:31:41,265 because we were right next door. 793 00:31:41,299 --> 00:31:43,133 Maybe we should have a gun, too. 794 00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:44,668 - No, no. No. - For protection. 795 00:31:44,702 --> 00:31:47,871 No. No. No. That's not the answer. 796 00:31:47,906 --> 00:31:50,007 I know what to do. 797 00:31:50,041 --> 00:31:51,308 I know what to do. Let's go. 798 00:31:51,342 --> 00:31:52,876 [Tish] Diane turns to the courts 799 00:31:52,911 --> 00:31:55,913 to keep her neighbor at a safe distance. 800 00:31:55,947 --> 00:31:57,047 [Diane] We obtained 801 00:31:57,081 --> 00:32:00,250 a no trespassing order for him. 802 00:32:00,285 --> 00:32:03,320 Peace order was to keep him off her property. 803 00:32:03,354 --> 00:32:05,756 Keep him from contacting her, 804 00:32:05,790 --> 00:32:07,758 harassing her, speaking to her. 805 00:32:08,927 --> 00:32:10,827 [Tish] But the peace order won't work 806 00:32:10,862 --> 00:32:13,997 if both parties don't follow the rules. 807 00:32:14,032 --> 00:32:16,099 [Diane] Pete still comes to that property line, 808 00:32:16,134 --> 00:32:17,434 and make hand gestures 809 00:32:17,468 --> 00:32:19,436 and start, you know, calling names. 810 00:32:19,470 --> 00:32:21,071 Hey, Xander. 811 00:32:21,105 --> 00:32:23,540 I want you, your damn dog, 812 00:32:23,574 --> 00:32:25,909 your family on that side of property. 813 00:32:25,944 --> 00:32:29,479 You try going over here, it will be the last time. 814 00:32:29,514 --> 00:32:31,915 [Tish] No property border or peace order 815 00:32:31,950 --> 00:32:35,585 will stop this ticking time bomb. 816 00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:37,587 And the worst is yet to come. 817 00:32:40,858 --> 00:32:42,092 [Diane] Mark came home. 818 00:32:42,126 --> 00:32:44,261 He gave me a kiss. 819 00:32:44,295 --> 00:32:47,264 He told me he was gonna go trim the hedges 820 00:32:47,298 --> 00:32:51,068 that we had in the back, and I said okay. 821 00:32:51,102 --> 00:32:52,703 And that was it. 822 00:32:52,737 --> 00:32:55,105 He left, and of course, the dog followed him. 823 00:33:03,514 --> 00:33:05,716 And then, at that point, some time, 824 00:33:05,750 --> 00:33:07,684 Richter imitated the dog whistle, 825 00:33:07,719 --> 00:33:10,320 and the dog ran across the property. 826 00:33:10,355 --> 00:33:11,755 [whistling] 827 00:33:14,425 --> 00:33:18,328 [dog yelping] 828 00:33:18,363 --> 00:33:20,831 Lena. Where are you going? 829 00:33:20,865 --> 00:33:22,265 [Christopher X] He was well aware that Pete 830 00:33:22,333 --> 00:33:23,967 would bait her, you know, 831 00:33:24,002 --> 00:33:27,604 that this had happened before. 832 00:33:27,638 --> 00:33:30,474 Your damn dog has been on my property again, Mark. 833 00:33:30,508 --> 00:33:31,641 [Christopher S] Mark came over 834 00:33:31,676 --> 00:33:33,176 to try to get the dog. 835 00:33:33,211 --> 00:33:37,047 That's when they got into the confrontation. 836 00:33:37,081 --> 00:33:38,548 [Barbara S] Richter once said, 837 00:33:38,583 --> 00:33:40,984 bullets will fly and people will die, 838 00:33:41,019 --> 00:33:43,120 and I'll take my neighbors down with me. 839 00:33:43,154 --> 00:33:44,621 Send police. 840 00:33:44,655 --> 00:33:46,523 I'm sick of your crap. This ends now. 841 00:33:46,557 --> 00:33:48,525 No. 842 00:33:48,559 --> 00:33:51,561 [ominous music playing] 843 00:33:53,398 --> 00:33:55,365 [ominous music playing] 844 00:33:56,734 --> 00:33:58,101 [Diane] You know, it's odd 845 00:33:58,136 --> 00:33:59,302 because when I was in the kitchen, 846 00:33:59,337 --> 00:34:00,670 starting dinner, 847 00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:04,007 something told me to take Mark a beer, 848 00:34:04,042 --> 00:34:05,675 or check on him, or let him know 849 00:34:05,710 --> 00:34:07,778 that we were gonna eat dinner early that night. 850 00:34:07,812 --> 00:34:10,380 [sirens blaring] 851 00:34:10,415 --> 00:34:11,882 [Diane] Out of nowhere, 852 00:34:11,916 --> 00:34:13,850 the police officers were everywhere. 853 00:34:13,885 --> 00:34:15,352 The fire truck. 854 00:34:15,386 --> 00:34:16,686 [man] Ma'am, there's been an incident. 855 00:34:16,721 --> 00:34:17,788 It's involving your husband. 856 00:34:17,822 --> 00:34:19,523 What? What? 857 00:34:19,557 --> 00:34:20,724 And that's when I noticed 858 00:34:20,758 --> 00:34:22,592 Mark laying on the front yard. 859 00:34:22,627 --> 00:34:26,363 No. 860 00:34:26,397 --> 00:34:28,532 [Rob] Mark Xander had been shot. 861 00:34:28,566 --> 00:34:29,433 Mark. 862 00:34:29,467 --> 00:34:31,101 And I screamed, 863 00:34:31,135 --> 00:34:34,671 "You can let me go, that's my husband." 864 00:34:34,705 --> 00:34:36,573 [Tish] Emergency crews worked desperately 865 00:34:36,607 --> 00:34:38,608 to save Mark's life. 866 00:34:38,643 --> 00:34:42,679 [Diane] I could tell by their actions 867 00:34:42,713 --> 00:34:46,116 that it was horribly, horribly going wrong. 868 00:34:46,150 --> 00:34:48,885 [Christopher S] They loaded him into the ambulance, 869 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,621 took off up the road. 870 00:34:51,656 --> 00:34:55,459 [Diane] Jason and I went to the hospital. 871 00:34:55,493 --> 00:34:58,361 And that's when we were immediately told 872 00:34:58,396 --> 00:35:00,597 that we had lost Mark. 873 00:35:00,631 --> 00:35:02,632 That he didn't make it. 874 00:35:02,667 --> 00:35:04,000 That he was gone. 875 00:35:09,373 --> 00:35:11,842 [Tish] The man who shot and killed Mark Xander 876 00:35:11,876 --> 00:35:14,945 is next door neighbor Pete Richter. 877 00:35:14,979 --> 00:35:17,881 He also made the call to 911. 878 00:35:20,551 --> 00:35:22,686 [dispatcher speaking] 879 00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:24,621 [Pete speaking] 880 00:35:24,655 --> 00:35:25,989 [dispatcher speaking] 881 00:35:26,023 --> 00:35:30,026 [Pete speaking] 882 00:35:31,963 --> 00:35:34,164 [dispatcher speaking] 883 00:35:34,198 --> 00:35:39,169 [Pete speaking] 884 00:35:41,806 --> 00:35:43,473 [Tish] After summoning authorities, 885 00:35:43,508 --> 00:35:46,610 Pete sets up his video camera in his garage. 886 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:52,582 [Christopher S] Richter was sitting on a stool. 887 00:35:52,617 --> 00:35:54,851 He was spinning the gun around his finger, 888 00:35:54,886 --> 00:35:56,786 just sitting there, kind of nonchalantly, 889 00:35:56,821 --> 00:35:58,421 spinning the pistol. 890 00:35:58,456 --> 00:36:02,526 [police speaking] 891 00:36:04,395 --> 00:36:05,729 [Pete speaking] 892 00:36:05,763 --> 00:36:10,734 [police speaking] 893 00:36:12,003 --> 00:36:14,171 [Pete speaking] 894 00:36:14,205 --> 00:36:19,209 [police speaking] 895 00:36:23,047 --> 00:36:26,049 [Pete speaking] 896 00:36:26,083 --> 00:36:27,050 [police speaking] 897 00:36:27,084 --> 00:36:29,352 [Tish] According to Pete, 898 00:36:29,387 --> 00:36:32,756 Mark's dog came on his property. 899 00:36:32,790 --> 00:36:33,924 [Christopher S] He then claims 900 00:36:33,958 --> 00:36:36,927 that he is wringing the dog 901 00:36:36,961 --> 00:36:38,228 back to the garage, 902 00:36:38,262 --> 00:36:40,497 as he's done in the past, 903 00:36:40,531 --> 00:36:42,899 to phone animal control. 904 00:36:42,934 --> 00:36:45,402 So Mark, according to Pete, 905 00:36:45,436 --> 00:36:47,137 went to get the dog, 906 00:36:47,171 --> 00:36:50,707 got into a fight with him in the garage. 907 00:36:50,741 --> 00:36:52,642 What the hell are you doing with my dog? 908 00:36:52,677 --> 00:36:55,979 [Rob] He's tying his dog up in his garage, 909 00:36:56,013 --> 00:36:58,715 and he's now attacked from behind 910 00:36:58,749 --> 00:37:00,550 by Mr. Xander. 911 00:37:00,585 --> 00:37:02,652 I'm sick of your crap. This ends now. 912 00:37:06,023 --> 00:37:07,557 [Christopher S] Pete Richter claimed 913 00:37:07,592 --> 00:37:10,093 that he was trying to shoot Mark Xander 914 00:37:10,127 --> 00:37:12,028 in the butt, that's what he said. 915 00:37:14,265 --> 00:37:17,534 - [gunshot] - [Mark grunts] 916 00:37:17,568 --> 00:37:19,402 [Christopher S] According to Richter, 917 00:37:19,437 --> 00:37:21,404 Mark took off running across the yard, 918 00:37:21,439 --> 00:37:24,407 made it through the tree line and collapsed. 919 00:37:24,442 --> 00:37:25,709 [Rob] Now, look, let's face it, 920 00:37:25,743 --> 00:37:29,546 if Mr. Richter is attacked in his home, 921 00:37:29,580 --> 00:37:31,715 he has a right to protect his home, 922 00:37:31,749 --> 00:37:33,817 his property, his family. 923 00:37:33,851 --> 00:37:37,220 And maybe the shooting is justified. 924 00:37:37,255 --> 00:37:39,089 [Tish] Investigators start combing 925 00:37:39,123 --> 00:37:43,093 through Pete Richter's house, gathering evidence. 926 00:37:43,127 --> 00:37:46,229 [Lance] They found lots of ammunition. 927 00:37:46,264 --> 00:37:49,399 He had all these videos of the neighbors, 928 00:37:49,433 --> 00:37:52,202 which showed he was obsessive. 929 00:37:52,236 --> 00:37:54,070 The most telling thing though was that 930 00:37:54,105 --> 00:37:58,241 we found a picture of the Xanders burned house. 931 00:37:58,276 --> 00:38:02,178 The top of that had written on that photograph like, 932 00:38:02,213 --> 00:38:04,381 "The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways." 933 00:38:04,415 --> 00:38:05,849 And at the bottom said, 934 00:38:05,883 --> 00:38:07,684 "What goes around, comes around." 935 00:38:07,718 --> 00:38:09,953 That shows you that he relished the fact 936 00:38:09,987 --> 00:38:12,322 that their house burned down. 937 00:38:12,356 --> 00:38:13,990 [Tish] Pete's version of events 938 00:38:14,025 --> 00:38:16,960 is soon completely shredded. 939 00:38:16,994 --> 00:38:19,162 There is no blood or sign 940 00:38:19,196 --> 00:38:21,331 of any struggle in the garage. 941 00:38:21,365 --> 00:38:24,601 Mark could not have been shot there as Pete argued. 942 00:38:24,635 --> 00:38:28,271 He was clearly struck in the back on his property. 943 00:38:28,306 --> 00:38:29,606 [Lance] The medical examiner 944 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,175 and the other forensic investigator 945 00:38:32,209 --> 00:38:34,477 didn't believe that Mark Xander 946 00:38:34,512 --> 00:38:37,280 could have travelled very far with injuries like this. 947 00:38:37,315 --> 00:38:40,183 That defied Pete Richter's theory 948 00:38:40,217 --> 00:38:42,185 that Mark Xander ran all the way 949 00:38:42,219 --> 00:38:45,155 from his garage back into his own yard. 950 00:38:45,189 --> 00:38:47,023 He couldn't have gone that far. 951 00:38:47,058 --> 00:38:48,391 I mean, it was obvious to us 952 00:38:48,426 --> 00:38:51,895 that Pete shot this man in cold blood, 953 00:38:51,929 --> 00:38:55,699 and then, tried to come up with his best self-defense 954 00:38:55,733 --> 00:38:58,535 fabricated story to save himself. 955 00:39:00,304 --> 00:39:02,439 [Diane] I do believe that Pete, 956 00:39:02,473 --> 00:39:04,541 when he came home that day, 957 00:39:04,575 --> 00:39:06,209 he saw an opportunity 958 00:39:06,243 --> 00:39:09,379 because he saw Mark trimming the hedges, 959 00:39:11,282 --> 00:39:14,451 and he did what he had done in the past. 960 00:39:14,485 --> 00:39:17,020 He baited our dog. 961 00:39:17,054 --> 00:39:18,555 [whistling] 962 00:39:18,589 --> 00:39:22,559 [dog yelping] 963 00:39:22,593 --> 00:39:24,461 Lena, where are you going? 964 00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:33,236 Your damn dog is on my property again. 965 00:39:33,270 --> 00:39:35,739 You're trespassing on my property now. 966 00:39:35,773 --> 00:39:38,908 Give me my dog back, right now. 967 00:39:38,943 --> 00:39:40,844 Are you threatening me? 968 00:39:40,878 --> 00:39:42,345 [Diane] Richter was standing there, 969 00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:44,414 and said something to Mark, 970 00:39:44,482 --> 00:39:47,050 hoping that Mark would approach him, 971 00:39:47,084 --> 00:39:50,153 and come into his garage, but Mark didn't. 972 00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:55,558 I'm calling the cops. Let's go, Lena. 973 00:39:55,593 --> 00:39:58,194 [Diane] He just turned around and walked away, 974 00:39:58,229 --> 00:40:01,064 and that's when Richter shot him in the back. 975 00:40:05,403 --> 00:40:07,270 - [gunshot] - [Mark grunts] 976 00:40:17,148 --> 00:40:19,682 [Tish] To increase their chances of conviction, 977 00:40:19,717 --> 00:40:21,785 prosecutors charged Pete Richter 978 00:40:21,819 --> 00:40:24,454 with both first and second degree murder, 979 00:40:24,488 --> 00:40:26,456 and the use of a firearm in the commission 980 00:40:26,490 --> 00:40:29,926 of an act of violence. 981 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:32,262 [Diane] Thank God... 982 00:40:32,296 --> 00:40:34,597 the jury saw through him, 983 00:40:34,632 --> 00:40:37,333 it didn't take the jury long 984 00:40:37,368 --> 00:40:41,538 to find him guilty of second degree murder. 985 00:40:41,572 --> 00:40:42,906 [Rob] Mr. Richter was sentenced 986 00:40:42,940 --> 00:40:46,376 to 20 years in prison, 987 00:40:46,410 --> 00:40:48,344 and then, consecutively, 988 00:40:48,379 --> 00:40:51,681 five years for the use of the handgun 989 00:40:51,715 --> 00:40:53,616 in the commission of the felony. 990 00:40:53,651 --> 00:40:55,685 [Tish] The Xander family and their friends 991 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:57,954 take some comfort from the decision. 992 00:40:57,988 --> 00:41:01,424 All continue to mourn Mark's tragic death. 993 00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:02,859 [Christopher X] It was pretty incredible 994 00:41:02,893 --> 00:41:04,627 how the community came together, 995 00:41:04,662 --> 00:41:06,629 and supported my family, 996 00:41:06,664 --> 00:41:08,331 and showed their respects to my father. 997 00:41:08,365 --> 00:41:09,833 That made me realize that 998 00:41:09,867 --> 00:41:12,068 there's far more love in the world 999 00:41:12,102 --> 00:41:15,171 and support than there is evil. 1000 00:41:15,206 --> 00:41:16,906 [Tish] In honor of her husband, 1001 00:41:16,941 --> 00:41:19,175 Diane is working to get Mark's Law 1002 00:41:19,210 --> 00:41:22,078 passed in the Maryland State Legislature. 1003 00:41:22,112 --> 00:41:23,446 Under this provision, 1004 00:41:23,481 --> 00:41:25,081 gun owners would not be allowed 1005 00:41:25,115 --> 00:41:26,516 to regain a gun permit, 1006 00:41:26,550 --> 00:41:29,185 if it had previously been revoked. 1007 00:41:29,220 --> 00:41:31,287 [Diane] I want so badly to try 1008 00:41:31,322 --> 00:41:34,123 and prevent the pain my family and friends 1009 00:41:34,158 --> 00:41:36,526 have carried for almost 10 years 1010 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:38,461 from happening to another family 1011 00:41:38,496 --> 00:41:40,430 or another neighborhood. 1012 00:41:40,464 --> 00:41:43,733 I deeply feel when Mark's Law is passed, 1013 00:41:43,767 --> 00:41:46,002 others will be spared the pain 1014 00:41:46,036 --> 00:41:49,405 that we have suffered. 1015 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:50,907 [Barbara S] I think in the beginning, 1016 00:41:50,941 --> 00:41:52,509 everything was so numb. 1017 00:41:52,543 --> 00:41:54,110 Some people have moved away, 1018 00:41:54,144 --> 00:41:56,479 and a lot of things have changed. 1019 00:41:56,514 --> 00:41:57,614 But we're still there. 1020 00:41:57,648 --> 00:42:00,683 And Diane's still there. 1021 00:42:00,718 --> 00:42:04,487 [Diane] I met my husband when I was just 18, 1022 00:42:04,522 --> 00:42:06,923 what the heck do you know at 18? 1023 00:42:06,957 --> 00:42:09,325 But we managed to stay happily married 1024 00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:10,927 up until he was murdered. 1025 00:42:10,961 --> 00:42:13,930 And, um, had two wonderful boys, 1026 00:42:13,964 --> 00:42:15,732 we used to tease each other, 1027 00:42:15,766 --> 00:42:18,368 um, and say, if we didn't do anything else right, 1028 00:42:18,402 --> 00:42:21,905 we did raise two wonderful human beings. 1029 00:42:21,939 --> 00:42:24,574 My beautiful grandson, Caleb, 1030 00:42:24,608 --> 00:42:27,477 was born in 2018. 1031 00:42:27,511 --> 00:42:29,679 And so, I retired. 1032 00:42:29,713 --> 00:42:31,514 And he is my sunshine. 1033 00:42:31,549 --> 00:42:33,516 He is everything.