SATURDAY AT 10 P.M. ET/PT: Did a Florida man hire a look-a-like to kill his wife? It's not, Parker said. Shed been hit with the weapon at least 17 times, crushing her skull and causing devastating injuries. Because Rodgers is in the federal prison system, he can serve his time in any prison, including a Florida location. [9] On January 3, 2020, Judge Bruce Kyle sentenced him to death. Through a relative, Shomaker declined to be interviewed. He was used to his wifes career and proudly supported her. Sievers and Wright had been childhood friends in Missouri. Teresa was a holistic physician who ran her own medical practice. Click here to watch a video interview with Greg Bolin on our mobile site. Rodgers was convicted second-degree murder back in October, while Wright, 51, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016, agreeing to testify against both of his co-defendants in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence. The men arrived at Teresa's home at approximately 6:00a.m. on the morning of Sunday, June 28, 2015. There seemed to be no reason why Wright would take a violent friend on a road trip to murder his best friends wife. Wright, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February of 2016 in connection to Teresa Sievers' death, said Mark Sievers asked him to kill his wife. It was unheard of. Wright, the third suspect in the murder, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence. "He saw me," Bolin said, "and he just got in his car and left. Curtis Wayne Wright was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison in the homicide of Dr. Teresa Sievers. Had Teresa interrupted a robbery? Wright said Sievers had promised to pay him $10,000 to kill Teresa in a sickening murder-for-hire scheme. [2], In 2000, she married a man named Kenny Cousins. Wright was well liked and voted senior class president. According to the Naples Daily News, Sievers showed no emotion as the verdicts were read while Teresa's family shared a collective embrace. I asked him about his background and he told me it was something to do with guns, he said. A GPS leads police right to the hitmans door. We hold that time very closely." "I will never forget what that cop said to me," Bolin said. To share a story idea or tip, please email her at jessica.lipscomb@naplesnews.com. Sievers was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the plot to kill his wife. "I have no help with moving and have no income at this time so all money I raise will be used to get all set up so that I can start looking for a job and return to School for me and my babys. Bolin reconnected with Wright when his family moved back to Hillsboro in the middle of high school. Whether it was dedicating her time to family or strangers, Teresas compassion was equal. The area near where Greg Bolin, a former friend and classmate of Curtis Wayne Wright, remembered seeing a cast iron tub used to hold water for horses, photographed Friday, October 23, 2015. Teresa, then 46, was found on June 29, 2015, bludgeoned to death on the kitchen floor of the family's Bonita Springs, Florida, home. According to Wright, the homicide had been orchestrated by his high school best friendDr. Doctor Mom Ready To Divorce Her Cheating Husband Ends Up Hammered To Wright's most recent ex-wife, Kathy Becker, 47, said Wright tried to get her to write Rodgers in jail as a pen pal, something she wasn't comfortable with. On Sept. 17, 2020, [], A North Fort Myers man will spend 25 years in prison for four drug cases. Holistic physician Teresa Sievers, 46, was ambushed in Bonita Springs, Florida. Rodgers, the other suspect in the Sievers case,is also in a Missouri jail. "What I didn't know was apparently in his brain, he was hatching his first murder plot.". Neither Rodgers or Mark Sievers testified during Rodgers trial. We try to give people a second chance, he said. Sievers didnt testify but his lawyers said it was Wright who had beaten Teresa to death and that his word couldnt be trusted. [5] Her killers then left and drove back to Missouri in the early hours of June 29. "I wasn't going to have any part of running a pregnant girl off the road," he said. A jury convicted Mark Sievers,. Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan at the Los Angeles Press Club Tribute to A week later, her funeral took place at Unity Church in Naples. Prosecutors said Wright and Rodgers ambushed Dr. Sievers when she returned home alone from a family vacation. 0 HEAD 1 SOUR PAF 2 NAME Personal Ancestral File 2 VERS 4.0.4.18 2 CORP The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 3 ADDR 50 East North Temple Street 4 CONT Salt Lake City, U "We're cautious with what we talk about," she said. In the senior superlatives, his classmates dubbed him most dependable. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Wideman said her daughter is sureWright will be headed to Florida. Sievers had conspired to kill his wife and had hired his best friend to help him. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The couple dated for about three years and were engaged but broke things off before the wedding. The fire has been called The Jung Fire. Crews have been working overnight to contain the blazes. When asked if she thought 25 years in prison was enough, Wrights defense attorney Elizabeth Parkersaid it can never enough. [1] Her parents separated when she was one month old, and she was raised by her mother. Karen Wideman said Tuesday that her daughterAngela Wideman Wright, 42,datedWright, 47, more than 24 years ago and reconnected with him about a year and a half ago at a church function. All three men were found guilty of the murder. They called her, and Mark, but nobody could reach her. Fryer described Sievers as a sweet guy and said she didn't have anything bad to say about him. When Teresa Sievers husband Mark heard that she did not make it into work the next day, he asked a family friend to check on her in their apartment to see if she was home. He'd previously agreed to a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Wright was inside on drug charges and Rodgers was doing time for weapon charges. The evidence was slowly pieced together, and police believed they knew what had happened. Mark Sievers was still . Everyone grieves differently and Sievers had been miles away at the time, so any suspicions that hed played a part were quashed. Curtis Wright, who killed Dr. Teresa Sievers, gets 25 years in prison, 4 victims transported, one trauma alerted after Lee County crash, Report: Impaired driver crashes and kills 67-year-old Fort Myers man in Charlotte County Friday night, Crash kills 40-year-old man in Lee County, Florida teacher who thought UF student debt was paid 20 years ago gets nearly $1M bill, David Erb changes to guilty plea, gets 12 years in prison 10 years probation, Lehigh Acres man gets 15 year prison sentence for childs death, North Fort Myers man to serve 25-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, Winds stoke brush fires and prompt evacuations across Southwest Florida, Fort Myers High School hosts annual unified basketball game, Public adjuster answers your hurricane-related property insurance questions. Wideman said the tribulations of her daughter have been many, including the death of her daughter earlier in the year. His mother died in 2000 when he was 9 years old. Im sorry.. Both sides in Sievers murder case hit with tragedies - The News-Press Wright was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Feb.. The entire family is. According to South Trail Fire, crews from Engines 61 and Rescue 61 responded to the brutal scene of the crash. Karen Wideman said her daughter and Wright were friends for years. "My granddaughters have broken hearts that will never be mended, Groves said. There were signs of a forced entry, but confusingly, cash and valuables in the house hadnt been taken. Jimmy didnt have a hammer. But the jury found Rodgers guilty of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Florida Man Arrested in Connection With Death of Wife Mark Sievers is in prison awaiting a death sentence, with many appeals expected. "Is the death penalty, is life in prison going to be enough for Teresa's family? "I thought at first he just might be bipolar," she said. A Missouri circuit judge has set a Sept. 30extradition hearing for Wright. These trees can change over time as users edit, remove, or otherwise modify the data in their trees. Dr. Teresa Sievers' Murder: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Moments before Wright was sentenced, he apologized to the victims mother. Jessica Lipscomb covers crime and general assignment at the Naples Daily News. Four days later, Ronnie Bolin's car was found abandoned at a car wash in St. Louis with the driver's door open and the keys still inside. Sievers, the mastermind, got the death penalty. A GPS system log, which was later shown as evidence in court, tracked the route the men took. Greg Bolin last saw his brother on the Fourth of July 1996. Rodgers was found guiltyofsecond-degree murder and trespassingthensentenced to life in prison last year. [17], On December 10, 2019, WFTX-TV (FOX 4 Now) released footage from the trial of Mark Sievers' when the jury recommended he be sentenced to death. Your lawyer did a good job for you, Lee Circuit Judge Bruce Kyle told Wright after the sentencing, Naples News reported. We want to get on with our lives now. Nearly $120 was collected on the site in three days. First to face trial was Jimmy Rodgers in October 2019 and Wright was the star witness. Wright received his 25-year sentence in February this year. On Saturday, June 27, 2015, Jimmy Ray Rodgers and Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. rented a car and entered an address in Bonita Springs, Florida into the GPS. 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Dr. Sievers was beaten to death with a hammer in her Bonita Springs home in 2015 in a crime orchestrated by her husband, Mark Sievers. The fires are in the Golden Gate Estates on Wilson Boulevard and Jung Boulevard. Ican't and it will be with me for the rest of my life and I'm truly sorry., Why Wright's case was significant: For Missouri man with missing brother, Teresa Sievers murder trial is of extra significance. She was last seen alive on surveillance video at the airport in Florida. Rodgers initially faced a first-degree murder charge and the possibility of the death penalty. When the friend went inside, however, they found Sievers dead on the floor. It is pretty crazy. Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 - May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Tangled web surrounds suspects Curtis "Wayne" Wright, Jimmy Rodgers in Were they connected? His father died seven years later. The trailer Shomaker shared with Rodgers was owned by JV Contracting, Juliette said during a segment on the "Nancy Grace" show. Sievers was arrested and it sent shockwaves through the community. "He would just say, 'I don't really care for her,'" Becker said. Staff writer Melissa Montoya contributed to this report. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. According to Florida Highway Patrol, a sedan driven by Stangelo was going South on the inside lane of I-75, just South of Tuckers Grade. The final suspect connected to the 2015 death of a Bonita Springs doctor was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the Lee County Justice Center on Monday. After arriving home and before leaving for work the next day, Sievers was murdered. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Mary Ann Groves, Teresa Sievers mother, stood next toAssistant State Attorneys Cynthia RossandHamidHunter and made a victim impact statement before Wright was sentenced. Police arrested two men from Missouri for the crime: Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. and Jimmy Ray Rodgers. Becker, who married Wright in November 2011, said Wright mentioned Rodgers maybe three times throughout the course of their relationship, which she said lasted less than a year. Curtis Wayne Wright pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and got 25 years, a lesser sentence because he was willing to rat out the mastermind behind the massacre. About eight weeks later, on June 29, Dr. Sievers was found bludgeoned to death in her home in Bonita Springs. Mary Ann Groves was back in courtroom 8-A on Monday. The two became friends and, later, co-defendants: Wright also was arrested in Sievers' death this past August following an eight-week investigation. Stealing car stereos and, you know, car parts, and now he's moved into stealing cars. Angela Wideman, 42, married Wright in May, two months after her 24-year-old daughter tragically died,only to have her husband jailed over his alleged rolein the death of the Bonita Springs doctor. FORT MYERS, Fla. Curtis Wayne Wright, who confessed to taking part in the brutal murder of a beloved Bonita Springs doctor, Teresa Sievers, officially received his sentence Monday.. Prosecutors in the murder trial of Jimmy Ray Rodgers, 29, revealed the ostensible motive behind the brutal 2015 murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers, 46. Theyd met while in prison together. Sievers was accused of asking a longtime friend, Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., to murder Teresa Sievers. When Becker was out of work at the end of 2011, Sievers and his wife helped put Wright in touch with people in the medical field around St. Louis to try to find her a new job. Since the murder, information has surfaced showing Mark Sievers and Wright had a connection that predates the Sieverses' marriage. Wright and25-year-old Jimmy Rodgers were arrested by authorities in Missouri last Thursday in connection with the murder of Sievers, the well-known owner of anEstero-based alternative medicine practice. Mark also wanted Teresa killed so he could claim life insurance money. Photo by Roberto Rodriguez, State Attorney's Office releases new documents in Dr. Teresa Sievers case, Suspect in Sievers death likely bluffing in other case, Man arrested in doctor slaying held without bond, Papers signed for extradition of Sievers suspect, Sievers' defendant interviewed in another case, Deputies revisit Teresa Sievers' crime scene, Slain doctor's colleague recalls 'Mother Teresa', Arrests planned for weeks in doctor's killing, Estero doctor killed in her Bonita Springs home, Click here to watch a video interview with Greg Bolin on our mobile site, Dr. Teresa Sievers' medical practice to close Saturday, Sievers suspect hires Palm Beach defense lawyer Elizabeth Parker, Suspect in Sievers' death, Curtis Wayne Wright, to be extradited to Florida, Reports detail why Sievers suspect is 'person of interest' in preacher's disappearance, Lee County Sheriff's Office explains that visit to the Sievers home, Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. will be held without bond in connection to murder of doctor Teresa Sievers, Man accused in Bonita doctor's killing considered person of interest in minister's disappearance, PHOTOS: County Commissioners square off at forum, Collier commission candidates clash over fracking. Rodgers, who was charged with first-degree murder but convicted of second-degree murder, was sentenced to life in prison. "I thought he was a good guy," she said. Teresa Sievers did not attend the nuptials. Mark Sievers murder trial: Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. testifies Mark Sievers files motion after death row appeal denied Rodgers pregnant girlfriend, Taylor Shomaker, started a GoFundMe page Saturday, asking for help to find a new home for her and her other two children. "You hear things, what's true, what's not? A long-awaited sentencing gives survivors the chance to come face-to-face with their attacker, who eluded them for so long. You have robbed usall of the most brilliant, unique and compassionate doctor and human being.. Wright had gone to Teresa and Marks wedding, and had even attended Teresas funeral. Sievers' attorneys told FOX 4 they plan to appeal the sentence if the death penalty is imposed. It was a brutal end for a woman who was trying to save lives. Thats for somebody else to do. He then sentenced Sievers, 51, to the death penalty. He is slated to appear in federal court Wednesday for a hearing related to a violation of probation. Dr. Teresa Sievers crime scene photos [WARNING: Graphic Content] If he doesn't stop now, he's going to graduate into killing people. had disbanded, and Eazy-E fell prey to complications from AIDS. In January this year, Sievers made a statement at his sentencing saying he was innocent and heartbroken, adding that Teresa was his soulmate. Wright had done some work on the computers at Teresas clinic and Sievers had been best man at Wrights wedding. Wright's most recent ex-wife, Kathy Becker, 47, said Wright tried to get her to write Rodgers in jail as a pen pal, something she wasn't comfortable with. The case originally seemed open and shut to investigators thanks to GPS technology, but it later turned out to be much more complicated. Meanwhile, a sports car driven by a 67-year-old [], A deadly crash involving three vehicles and a motorcycle happened in Lee County Friday evening shortly before 9:30 p.m. The day before her funeral he was at the beach inviting people back to his house for a pool party and he was cold when people tried to comfort him. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. While Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 47, sits in a Missouri jail on murder charges in the death of Dr. Teresa Sievers, his wife of less than four monthsis again dealing with a tragic situation. It can never be long enough, but my client did what he needed to do and was a very importantpartof the trials. Shortly before her death, Teresa was profiled in a local women's magazine. Wright said Sievers told him having his wife killed was the only option. About Public Member Trees. She said the area of Missouri that they are in is like a little commune. Shomaker asked if it was with a gun and Rodgers said, no it was a hammer. [5], Teresa landed at Southwest Florida International Airport that night, having cut short a family vacation in Connecticut. GPS showed they had arrived at the Sievers home. Radio Times - February 1117 2023 | PDF A Florida man was convicted of murder and conspiracy for enlisting his best friend to kill his wife in 2015, PEOPLE confirms. Judge denies motion for Mark Sievers, accused in wife's 2015 murder-for [7], On May 11, 2016, Teresa's mother gained custody of Teresa's children as the case prepared to move toward trial. Was Wright jealous of the Sievers family? In 2015, holistic doctor Teresa Sievers returned to her home from a family trip ahead of her husband and children in order to treat her parents. "Mark called from Florida and he said, 'What happened?' In exchange, Wright threw Sievers's husband Mark Sievers and Jimmy Ray Rodgers under the bus. Her husband, Mark Sievers, 51, allegedly told childhood friend Curtis Wayne Wright Jr., 51, that he feared losing his daughters in a divorce. ", Speaking to the Naples Daily News, Teresa's brother, Patrick Tottenham, said, "We are obviously very happy with the verdict. The co-defendants denied the allegations, but both failed in court. Sievers was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the plot to kill his. Curtis Wright was sentenced to 25 years in prison; with time served, leaving him to 22 more years. Wright is accused of recruiting Jimmy Rodgers, 51, a former jail cellmate, to help him. Investigators foundahammer next to her body. exploded onto the scene. Three years later the couple divorced, and Teresa met another man called Mark Sievers through his sister, with whom she was good friends. Cassandra Williamson, 6, barefoot and dressed only in her nightgown, was seen by witnesses riding piggyback on a man down the street to her death on Friday morning, the St. Louis County police Chief, Ron Battelle, said, the Times story read. The reason? Unbeknownst to Mark, Wright later enlisted the help of a third man to assist in the killing, Jimmy Ray Rodgers, who Wright paid to help him. More probing revealed that Sievers and Teresa were having marital problems along with some serious financial issues. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. In 2019,Cole was arrested for selling trafficking amounts of Fentanyl on two occasions, as well as crack cocaine during another drug sale, according to the State Attorneys []. The family has also come to know Rodgers. "I haven't talked to him since he was engaged to my little sister (Shelly) about 24 years ago.". "We just drifted apart," she said recently from her home in Illinois. Curtis Wrights the only one that ever hit that woman and hes lying to you to save his own worthless skin they said. He admitted he and Rodgers had killed Teresa. [6], On June 29, 2015, Teresa was found dead at her home by a family friend. Teresa Sievers murder: Curtis Wayne Wright Jr. sentenced to 25 years