♪♪
Narrator: This is the story of the girl next door
Who caught the eye of an eligible stranger...
She was instantly attracted to him
Narrator: ...And fell madly in love.
[ laughter ]
As their family grows larger...
Yeah, mommy.
...A dark secret threatens to break them.
I didn't really sense that anything was going on.
Narrator: But a love this strong doesn't surrender.
He found the door to be forced open.
Some type of struggle had taken place.
Narrator: It kills everything in its place.
Say goodbye.
♪♪
-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com
Captions paid for by discovery communications
It's October of 2015 in montrose, michigan.
Bride to be mary hinkle is feeling jittery.
Luckily for her, best friend and maid of honor,
Melissa thornton is there to reassure her.
The 24-year-old, known by friends
As missy, takes her role seriously,
Making sure everything goes off without a hitch.
Prestigiacamo: Melissa was very helpful the day of the wedding,
Answering my phone for me,
Just making sure everybody knew where they were going.
And I'm glad that I have her there for my special day.
Narrator: Missy and her fellow bridesmaids wrestle
With mary's bridal train.
Melissa, "what am I supposed to be doing?"
Feel free to like, two people, hold it like
Good and open over here.
Prestigiacamo: That's when they were trying to fix my train.
And you match them up.
I didn't know how to do it, so we were all
Trying to figure it out.
When mary asked melissa to be her maid of honor,
It didn't surprise me a bit
Because they've always been close.
Prestigiacamo: I was like, "you are my maid of honor, you know that, right?"
And she's like, "well, of course."
So I never really asked. She just new.
Her and I made a special date,
Just the two of us going to pick out the dresses,
And so she did pick out the bridesmaids dresses.
It was a plum color.
It was off the shoulders,
So she looked beautiful.
♪♪
Narrator: Missy and mary have remained so close over the years.
They're still like sisters, which is no small feat
Considering missy already has two.
As the youngest of three,
Missing is the baby of the thornton family.
Barbara: She was born August 29, 1991,
A beautiful little thing with big brown eyes,
Lots of dark hair.
Her sisters, who are just over the moon with her
And my husband and I,
We felt like our family was complete.
Narrator: When missy is born, angie is 11,
And stefanie is just four.
Despite the age gaps,
The three girls are incredibly close.
Angie was a lot older than us,
So angie played more of like a mother figure role,
Always watching out for us
And making sure we weren't doing things we weren't supposed to.
And me and missy were...
I don't know, she was like my best friend growing up.
Barbara: They always did stuff together.
Stefanie and missy
Always wanted to be where angie was,
So she always had them with her.
[ sighs ]
It was -- it was wonderful chaos.
I called them the three musketeers.
Narrator: If there were a fourth musketeer,
It would be missy's best friend, mary.
They first met back in ninth grade
When both were high school freshman in montrose.
[ camera shutter clicks ]
Prestigiacamo: Melissa was a sister to me.
I met her in high school.
She was just so fun and outgoing,
And her and I just clicked right away
And we were inseparable.
She was my best friend.
Narrator: At 19 years old, missy decides
To leave the family home,
Joining her sisters 20 minutes up the road
In the city of saginaw.
Barbara: I guess she grew up too fast for me.
She was my last baby, but she was closer to the things
That she needed to be closer to, like work and everything.
Prestigiacamo: When melissa moved back to saginaw,
She loved it because she always wanted to be with,
You know, stefanie and angie.
So, I think that helped.
She loved the city.
It was fun when she moved back to saginaw
Because we've seen each other more and more.
She lived with my older sister, angela
For about a couple months before she moved
Across the street from me.
Narrator: The next step for missy is to find a job.
And following in the footsteps of her mother and two sisters,
She looks for work as a health care provider.
Stefanie: Melissa worked doing home healthcare with me,
And eventually she took on like a private case of home care.
She had a special client named eva that she just adored,
And I know she really enjoyed her time together with her.
She would always tell me about, you know,
Different conversations that they would share together.
And she really looked up to her.
Narrator: For 10 years missy and mary have been
The best of friends.
They share everything, including the most important
Occasion of mary's life.
[ laughter ]
They usually confident missy finds herself
Overcome with emotion.
[ laughter ]
She was nervous about giving her speech.
[ laughs ]
She didn't want to do it, but I told her you have to.
So, you know, that was very courageous of her.
She was nervous, but she did it.
[ applause ]
Narrator: It's a poignant moment for the two.
Stefanie: Her toast was very cute and very heartfelt.
It made me cry.
It was like funny at the same time
Because we were laughing while we were crying.
Narrator: By the time of mary's wedding in 2015,
Missy is settled and happy.
Hey, mary. Hey, tom. It's libby.
Narrator: As guest toast the bride and groom on camera,
It also captures the final piece of missy's jigsaw,
Her boyfriend robert propp.
They've been together for five years,
And there's no one else she'd want
By her side at a wedding.
Although missy's happy to desert him when the dancing starts.
We loved to go out dancing all the time.
♪♪
I think we were dancing to the "cha cha slide" maybe.
Looks like it. [ laughs ]
Narrator: It's obvious to everyone
That missy thornton couldn't be happier.
Look at how beautiful melissa is.
Aww.
♪♪
Narrator: In October of 2015,
Missy thornton invites boyfriend robert propp
To the wedding of her best friend.
♪♪
The story of how they met begins five years earlier.
Man: Oh, you got balloons.
In July 2010, missy and her family
Are celebrating the birthdays of her niece and nephew.
The party is being held in her sister stefanie's backyard.
Stefanie: My son dominic and my daughter olivia,
They're almost three years apart.
But since their birthdays were so close,
We did a double birthday party every year for them.
And we usually just did like a barbecue in the backyard
And let them have some friends over.
Barbara: It was sunny.
The kids were all playing in the pool
And having fun and getting cooled off.
And we were sitting in the lawn chairs
And having something to drink,
And we had food on the barbecue.
It was a perfect day.
Narrator: During the party, missy spots two kids
Roughly the age of her niece and nephew.
They were looking through the shrubs at the party,
And missy saw them and said, "why don't you see
If it's all right, if you can come over
And have some ice cream and cake?"
I'm missy. I don't think we've met.
I'm robert propp.
Narrator: The children from next door arrive
With a handsome guy in tow, their father, robert propp.
-Thank you very much. -Cheers.
Cheers.
Robert only recently moved in next door with his parents
After going through a divorce.
His son and daughter visit him on weekends.
Robert and stefanie's kids seem to get along well together,
And missy starts to think she might want
To get more friendly with the neighbors, too.
Stefanie: I remember them hitting it off right away.
Melissa was probably instantly attracted to him.
She thought he was very cute,
And he seemed like he was really good dad.
She wanted to have a little bonfire
And a few drinks in the backyard
And she wanted to invite him over,
So that's what we did.
Narrator: Robert propp has his own business
Propp auto, providing car owners
With factory and custom paint jobs.
Missy's drawn to his maturity, something she finds appealing.
I think she enjoyed the fact that she thought he had
A really good head on his shoulders
And he had a lot of dreams
And seemed like he was moving forward with them.
She liked that he had things in his life
Figured out a little bit more.
Okay.
Well, hey. I wasn't expecting you.
Hi. Yeah, I hope it's okay.
This is mary. She's having car trouble.
Prestigiacamo: The first time I met rob probably
Wasn't long after they met
And there was something wrong with my car,
And he fixed it because it was a simple fix.
So, anything?
I was kind of wooed by that.
I was like, "oh, wow, melissa. That's great."
You know? I thought he was a good guy.
Narrator: Within two weeks of the party,
The pair are going out.
The more time they spend together,
The more missy is convinced that he could be the one.
He seemed nice and everything, and it seemed exciting for her,
But I was a little concerned about the age difference.
Melissa wasn't bothered by the age gap at all.
She thought that he was going to be a family guy
And just settle down.
I think she saw stability and a future.
[ indistinct conversations ]
Narrator: By christmas of 2011, missy and robert
Have been dating for over a year,
And while robert is with his parents,
Paul and barbara thornton
Are hosting their three daughters.
That's missy there on the couch.
The oldest, angie, is in the red sweater
♪♪
While stefanie watches her kids deliver presents.
-Wow! -It's bird house!
Oh, thank you.
Having the kids for christmas dinner
And opening up presents, we always had a great time.
Narrator: This is the last time missy and robert
Will spend the christmas apart...
Man: There's the dollhouse.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
Yeah.
Narrator: ...Because in summer 2012, they move in together.
They got a house that was right across the street
From my daughter, stefanie.
That's when I thought -- I was like, "oh, well,
Maybe, you know, you guys have a future."
I was excited for her. I was happy.
Narrator: But by christmas 2013,
Their relationship begins to waver.
I think it got worse after they moved in together.
Barbara: His shop was maybe a mile or two from where they were living,
And he spent a lot of time there.
She was happy he had the work, but she was worried
That he was doing other things, too.
I don't know what he was doing with his time,
And melissa didn't either.
Narrator: But just as the cracks start to show,
Missy finds out she's pregnant
And things with robert get worse.
Stefanie: I noticed a change in the relationship
When she was pregnant.
It was when he would start taking off for days at a time.
She was very disappointed.
She thought things would be different.
Narrator: But nothing gets in the way of a and family christmas,
And missy puts on a brave face for the camera.
Even robert makes an appearance as the two families get together
For a christmas dance party.
Barbara: There's grandpa dancing.
[ laughs ]
There's stefie dancing.
The kids are having a great time.
Aww.
Narrator: That's robert's daughter in the aqua top dancing
With stefanie's daughter in the red,
While robert goofs around with missy.
♪♪
Woman: Get the family moving.
Narrator: Angie, behind the camera,
Encourages the now eight months
Pregnant missy to bust a move.
Get the belly going.
Stefanie: Melissa was very happy, fun. She'd like to dance.
I don't even remember this video.
Barbara: Christmas of 2013, she was probably eight months along
And I was a little worried that she was doing too much,
You know, with all of the holiday rush and everything.
But she seemed happy and she was doing really well.
♪♪
Narrator: In January of 2014,
Missy gives birth to a beautiful little girl, bee.
It's quite an emotional experience
To see your daughter with her baby
And the love that they're feeling right at that moment,
And it makes you feel a lot of love to.
Narrator: Missy proves a natural mom, and of course,
Robert is already a pro.
Rob loved bee from the beginning.
There was no doubt about that.
[ laughs ]
She gonna walk.
Melissa: Oh, my goodness.
She was wonderful with kids.
She was very nurturing.
Bee was her life.
Being a mom, for her, she just glowed.
She loved it.
♪♪
Narrator: 2014 is a busy year for robert and missy.
His business is thriving, and she has
Her hands full with baby bee.
[ vibrating ]
The family is bonding well, with robert's kids
Keen to entertain their new little sister.
Missy was very excited for bee's first christmas.
Stefanie: Melissa was just so ecstatic about bee.
She just lit up when she talked about her
And she had a lot of fun with her,
Narrator: They look like the perfect blended family.
Yeah, mommy.
♪♪
But behind the scenes, they're struggling.
In 2015, missy enrolls in nursing school.
Juggling work, study and baby falls to her.
Prestigiacamo: He was at his shop 24/7.
I mean, there were times he didn't come home
Because he was at the shop.
She didn't seem to have a lot of support at home from robert.
I don't think that he wanted her to go to college.
Seriously? What?
Narrator: Robert claims that his growing business is forcing him
To work longer hours.
He can't be home to watch bee,
And he doesn't have time for chores.
Stefanie: I don't think rob liked her being away
Because he would refuse to watch bee when she would go to school.
I think he was feeling insecure about her
Trying to do something else with her life
And she might not need him.
Narrator: By the time of mary's wedding in 2015,
Missy and robert's relationship is in trouble.
Robert is determined to make things better
And believes he has the remedy.
Rob asked angie's opinion about asking melissa to marry him
When they were on the way home from our wedding.
Narrator: Robert decides it's time to make it official...
What's this?
...And he arranges for a super sweet proposal.
Barbara: Robert proposed to melissa with the kids all around,
And it kind of caught her off guard.
He had one of his children
Bring melissa the ring in the ring box,
So she felt really compelled to say yes.
What?
Prestigiacamo: When he proposed to her, we were all shocked.
She didn't even tell me for probably over a week,
And she said, "I don't plan
On making any arrangements any time soon."
Why is that?
Narrator: As missy films robert watching the kids
Open presents, not all is as merry
As it might seem.
By christmas of 2015,
They have yet to set a date for the wedding
And robert is spending more
And more time away from the family home.
Melissa: Kids, look at me.
Say merry christmas.
Merry christmas.
Stefanie: It was a normal day.
Melissa had rob and his family, and then later on came over
To my parents to do presents and spend the day over there.
Narrator: The real surprise comes later,
Moments after this video is filmed.
Stefanie: I remember rob is very quiet.
He seemed like he had a little bit of attitude,
And he kept disappearing to go out to his truck.
My fiancee scott went outside to smoke a cigarette
And he saw rob in his truck
Doing lines of cocaine off on his dashboard.
[ knock on window ]
Barbara: We were all having a really nice day.
I didn't really sense that anything was going on,
But my son-in-law said that he was snorting coke
Off of the dash of his car.
And I was really livid.
But there's kids playing all over the house and everything,
And you just want to keep everything
On an even keel on christmas.
Narrator: When missy finds out, she confronts him.
Robert admits that he's been doing cocaine
For over a year.
I know, and I'm sorry.
Just go.
I believe that after she found out
That he had a problem with drugs,
He wasn't the man for her.
I remember her just saying, you know, she'd break up
With him or, you know, say I'm gonna leave you.
You know, I don't want this life.
And he said, "oh, I'm not doing it anymore."
And she just knew he was on something.
It scared her. I know it did.
Narrator: Just weeks after missy's blow up with robert,
She turns her phone on herself and bee.
♪♪
Barbara: Bee was close to being two years old.
Aww, there she is with her mommy.
Aww.
[ speaking indistinctly ]
[ laughs ]
Narrator: Missy tries to give robert a chance to change
For bee's sake.
He had promised melissa that he was going to stop using drugs
And that he was going to start going to counseling.
And I believe he went once,
But I don't think he ever went back.
The pressure builds up until in March of 2016.
Missy finally gives up on robert.
I believe that was the last straw.
She had had enough.
You just can't go on like that.
Narrator: She decides that her and bee
Should move in with angie for a while.
She called me and told me that she was going to leave robert.
She asked me if I could come and help, and of course I said yes.
My dad came over with his truck and we loaded it
And took it over to my older sister's house.
I was quite glad that she was moving away from him.
♪♪
[ speaking indistinctly ]
Narrator: Missy surrounds herself and bee
With love and family
To help move on from robert.
I think missy was in a better place
After she moved out of rob's house.
Narrator: Missy realizes she can be a single working mom
And still have a life.
Prestigiacamo: Melissa was much happier.
She was finally coming out
And just being able to be herself again.
It was so nice seeing her
Happy and free and excited for her future.
♪♪
Narrator: July 5, 2016, and big sister, angie,
Has decided missy needs a fun night out.
Barbara: Missy called me and said that her and angie
Were going to go out and have a drink.
I told her that bee can have a sleepover at grandmas.
Melissa was single, angie was single,
So they went out and so she finally could
Just let go, just be free.
Thank you.
Narrator: Their first stop is a bar near their home.
Stefanie: There was a bartender that she really took a liking to,
And they had gone out on a couple dates
And she was hoping to bump into him that night.
Narrator: There's no sign of the cute bartender,
But that doesn't stop the sisters having a great time.
Prestigiacamo: They were just having fun,
Just having a girls night and just being silly.
Narrator: Later that evening, the sisters move on to a different bar.
Okay.
Melissa and angela were inside of the bar together
When rob showed up.
He sat down at the table and joined them.
Oh, hey.
I think melissa was just trying to keep things peaceful.
Narrator: And when angie and missy decide it's time
To head home, robert wants to come, too.
[ laughter ]
Angela and melissa went back to angie's house.
And he ended up following them home,
And obviously came inside the house.
They made some tacos.
Angie went to bed,
And melissa and rob left again
To go to another bar.
[ indistinct conversation ]
♪♪
[ man crying on phone ]
July 6th, 10:15 a.M., saginaw police department
Receives an erratic phone call for help.
[ man crying on phone ]
[ siren wailing ]
The caller is robert propp.
First to arrive on scene
Is saginaw police officer jordan engelhart.
The first thing in your head is tend to whoever needs help,
So I entered the house and located her in the bedroom.
I observed the victim laying on the bed with male
On top of her who was trying to do chest compressions.
And at that time, I had felt that she was cold
And her arms were stiff
And it was immediately apparent that she was deceased.
Narrator: Officer engelhart breaks the news.
At which time he became immediately emotional,
Falling to the ground, crying,
He identified the deceased to be melissa thornton
And himself as robert propp.
He had told me that he had been out the night
Prior with melissa.
He had left her around 3:00 in the morning
When she went to bed.
Narrator: Robert tells police missy was fast asleep when he left.
And when he called her in the morning, she didn't pick up.
Engelhart: So, on his way to work, he drove by to check on her.
Everything was locked up until he got to the back door,
And he found the door to be forced open.
Narrator: Robert explains that the door wouldn't shift.
He had to grab a crowbar himself
To force it the rest of the way open.
Narrator: He says he rushed to missy's room
And found her lying on the bed unresponsive.
That's when he called 911.
Engelhart: Once it was determined that there was forced entry,
We got everybody out of the house,
Secured it to treat as a crime scene.
And then at that point,
Family of melissa began arriving on scene.
Police body cam captures missy's sister, angie.
I remember getting out of the car
And running up to the house,
And my older sister told -- told me that she was gone.
When I drove up to her house,
There was a yellow tape around it
And my daughters were holding each other crying.
My mom arrived and I had to tell my mom what happened.
It was the worst day of our lives.
Narrator: With a dead body and signs of a break in,
The police treat missy's death as a potential homicide.
They call in the major crimes unit to take over the case.
Detective trooper adam green heads inside
To assess the crime scene.
Green: When I got to the bedroom, melissa was laying in bed,
Partially covered up with blankets.
And it appeared to me that some type of struggle
Had taken place right in that bedroom.
There was a broken lamp and the room was in disarray.
You do feel bad when you know that her mother and her sisters
Are sitting outside that house
And melissa's never going to come back.
It makes you want to do your job
That much better.
We sat outside and we just waited.
They were still inside doing the investigating.
She was still inside.
She was in that house and I couldn't go to her.
I couldn't go in there and hold her.
Because it was a crime scene.
I felt like I had to go save her for something,
You know, like I thought I still had a chance.
I just wanted to hold her.
Just one last time.
♪♪
[ sobbing ]
Narrator: Signs of forced entry in missy thornton's home
Suggest her death was no accident.
And the last person to see her alive was robert.
Robert had a large black eye
That appeared to be fresh bruising.
He also had several other marks on his arms
And on his stomach area.
That's pretty apparent that he was in some type of a struggle.
Narrator: While they wait for the autopsy results,
Police talk to robert.
♪♪
At the police department, robert explains his injuries.
Very shortly into our interview,
Robert offered up information about how he got the black eye
Without even being questioned.
Narrator: Robert claims that he got into a bar fight.
Robert said he was with melissa having some drinks.
On the way out of the bar, he made a smart comment
To a gentleman who then punched him in the eye.
[ glass shatters ] oh, I'm so sorry.
It was an accident.
Narrator: The black guy is suspicious,
But without enough evidence to charge robert,
Police are forced to let him go.
Green: It's extremely frustrating to let a person go free,
Not knowing if they're going to run hide from you
Or ever be back.
Narrator: Detectives need to corroborate robert's story
And trace missy's final movements,
Starting with the bar where robert says
They had their last drinks.
This particular bar had cameras pointed
At nearly every angle inside
And outside the bar.
They watch as robert and missy head inside and sit down.
Green: And upon reviewing that surveillance footage,
We found that melissa and robert had several drinks.
They paid for those drinks and left.
Narrator: There's no sign of a fight.
Green: There was clearly no fighting,
No arguing with anybody else in the bar.
So we knew he was he was lying about the black eye.
Narrator: Detectives are now convinced that robert was involved
In missy's death.
But without a cause of death,
They can't charge him.
For now, he's a free man.
I was scared to be at my home because I was worried
About bee's safety, because I wasn't sure
If someone was going to come try to take her.
Narrator: On July 7th, police received the autopsy results.
Green: The forensic pathologist determined
That she had died of neck compression
Where he could actually see marks
On the rear of her of her throat
And her esophagus area that rubbed her spine
And determined that her manner of death was homicide.
Narrator: The report determines missy died of strangulation.
They now have enough evidence to make an arrest.
That same day, robert propp is charged with the murder
Of melissa thornton and taken into custody.
At his February 2018 trial, robert pleads not guilty.
It was horrible to see him standing there.
He's living and breathing and my daughter is dead.
Narrator: Robert takes the stand...
...And to everyone's shock, changes his story.
It was very offensive.
He said the excuse of her
Liking to be strangled during sex.
I almost felt like he was bashing her.
He was making her out to be something she wasn't.
I had to call on a couple of her ex-boyfriends up to the stand
To see if she was really like that,
If she was really into those things
Which they testified that she wasn't.
It was humiliating,
And I think it was disrespectful to my sister.
Narrator: The prosecutors argue the evidence
Doesn't support roberts story.
They explain that after leaving the bar
And returning to her home, he strangled missy in her bed...
[ gasping ]
[ grunting ]
...Just quietly enough that angie wasn't suspicious.
He only came back later to stage a break in and feign innocence.
Friends and family testify that robert was controlling,
Had grown obsessed with missy and had even begun stalking her.
Barbara: When you have a gut feeling about somebody,
Get away from that person and stay away.
Narrator: After two hours deliberation,
The jury find robert propp guilty of first degree murder.
Barbara: It was a huge relief.
It's too late to save my daughter,
But I know that he will pay for this
With the rest of his life.
And every lie that he told, they found out about it.
I think you killed her because
He saw that she had a future.
She made a future for herself.
He, I think, was jealous
Because he knew he couldn't control her.
Narrator: Robert is sentenced to life without parole.
In 2020, robert's appeal was denied
Pending review by the state supreme court.
Robert is a monster.
He's the monster that killed my daughter.
Stefanie: I think the worst thing about what happened
Was just her not being here anymore.
I mean, I don't understand why he couldn't just
Leave her alone.
Prestigiacamo: He took away a mother.
He took away a daughter.
He took away a friend, a sister.
And he didn't care.
He's left our family heartbroken
Because we miss melissa every day.
Bee misses her mama.
[ speaks indistinctly ]
[ chuckles ]
Don't pinch my cheeks.
[ laughs ]