Murder & Magnolias - Ep. 6: Judgment Day

0:02Mazda has been named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand. It starts with our approach. Every Mazda comes standard with proactive safety features, so you're more aware of what's around you, more focused on the road ahead, and ready before problems ever start. Mazda. More of what matters most to you. Go to mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer Reports does not endorse or promote any product. Insurance is not one-size-fits-all. That's why drivers have trusted Progressive's Name Your Price tool for years. Just tell Progressive what you want to pay, and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget.

0:43Visit progressive.com to find a car insurance rate that works for you. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. It's a ridiculous notion, really. The idea that 12 adults selected because a judge deemed them relatively honest and lawyers thought them sufficiently malleable, that they should decide someone's fate with a show of hands? Bias and prejudice don't disappear when deliberations start. Of course they don't. Logic and reason don't always reign supreme. In truth, many verdicts are little more than good-faith guesses based on the evidence jurors are allowed to see.

1:31But for the most part, it's a system that works, if not always consistently. And that, of course, is the rub. I had butterflies in my stomach the first day I ever tried a case 35 years ago, and I had butterflies in my case on this date. It took more than 10 hours for the jury to decide the fates of Chris Latham and Wendy Moore. We couldn't understand why some didn't feel the same way as the others felt.

2:03In this episode, you'll hear from some of the jurors who rendered those verdicts. Sounds like that might have been a debate. Am I right about that? Yes. You'll hear a remarkable moment of jailhouse redemption. Nancy Latham doesn't owe me forgiveness at all whatsoever. It's very emotional, it is. And you may be surprised to learn what's become of some of the people we've met over the course of this podcast. The only person I have to make happy is me. And man, is that liberating.

2:43I'm Keith Morrison, and this is the sixth and final episode of Murder and Magnolias, a podcast from Dateline.

2:59It was one of those February mornings in the South that seems to offer a hint of spring. Temps in the 50s, light, velvety breeze. The sun was a blurry white promise behind the morning haze, just like the light at the end of a very long tunnel, or so it may have seemed to the jurors filing into the federal courthouse that Wednesday morning. They sat through nine days of testimony, 50 witnesses, more than 100 exhibits. But all that was over now. Closing arguments had wrapped up the night before. This day was to be judgment day. When we started in the deliberation, we tried to pick out the first charge and take a vote on one of the two defendants.

3:48In this case, it was Chris Latham. That's the voice of juror Bill Hogan. I think once we realized that we weren't together there, then we moved to the next one. The next one? Well, that was Wendy Moore. And there seemed to be little disagreement about her. They'd kept their eyes on her throughout the trial, and several jurors felt she looked guilty. Wendy Moore had her hair hanging down over her face. That was every day. And we couldn't really see her face probably the first two weeks. Their review of the evidence against Wendy was exhaustive. The drop phones, the moneygrams to contract killers, The hit packet printouts from her computer.

4:36And, of course, the fact that her ex-husband was supposed to be the hitman looked bad for Wendy. So they voted. Guilty of conspiracy. Guilty of solicitation. Guilty of aiding and abetting. Guilty of the gun charge. Later, jurors told me they believed Aaron Wilkinson when he described the plot. In fact, some of them gave him points for being brutally honest. Well, he told the policeman, he said, I'm a piece of s***, but I'm no murderer. Yeah, that's exactly what he said. I mean, he just laid it all out right there for me. As for Chris Latham, that's where all the good-natured camaraderie frayed a bit.

5:24I don't think that he orchestrated it. I always thought that she did. That's the voice of juror Christina Weatherby. I think he found out about it later on, what she was planning. And, I mean, but to actually say that he did it? No. So round and round they went, through the morning, into the afternoon. Christina was one of three holdouts who did not want to convict Chris Latham of conspiracy to commit murder for hire. the majority kept pressing. Now, I will say that I thought we might have had Chrissy coming over a little bit. At one time, yeah. At one point, and we kind of got a little too pushy with her, and I think she finally got angry and stopped.

6:12That was sort of what I remember. Is that an accurate memory? Pretty much, because I did get frustrated. When some argue that Chris Latham, a rich banker, had surely provided the money that Wendy gave to Sam Yenawine, Christina had this response. I looked at it as she's living in a house, in a beach house. She's still working. She's still getting a paycheck. She's not paying for the beach house. He's paying for the beach house. So where's all her money going to? So she's not paying anything. So she has access to her own money to be able to pay for stuff. So that's how I looked at it. When the majority pointed out that maps in the hit packet had been printed from Chris's computer, Christina offered a counter-argument.

6:55My thing of that was she had all the passwords to his computers, so she had full access to anything. And even if it was her or him, you don't know who it was that was accessing those computers. It could have been her. As it all unfolded throughout that whole time, we realized that there were two charges for Chris Latham that we just were not going to agree on. Those two counts were conspiracy to commit murder for hire and a firearm charge related to the gun that was to be used in that murder. But on the third count, the charge of aiding and abetting, even the holdouts had to agree. Chris Latham had wanted his wife dead, and he'd helped the plotters, even if he'd not taken an active role.

7:41The evidence seemed clear about that. The photos in the hit packet that were traced back to Chris's phone, The recorded jail phone calls with Wendy. The fact he'd paid the legal fees of people who were conspiring to kill his wife. It was just too much that couldn't be explained away. Aiding and abetting, we were unanimous about. Count three is what we got him on. He just didn't get his hands dirty. Yeah, he was very smart, very intelligent. At about six o 'clock that evening, the judge asked the jurors if they wanted to go home for the night or continue. The jurors decided to keep going. And two hours later, they notified the judge.

8:23They reached a verdict. When they filed into the courtroom, no doubt, some of the jurors saw Nancy seated just beyond the prosecution table with a tense and searching look in her eyes. My entire body was tense, and I was holding hands and just looking down, just saying, please God let him be guilty because if it was not guilty I was so fearful that it would give him the opportunity to do a better job and the moment they said guilty it just I felt like I could breathe for the first time so it was like all of a sudden I was human again Chris Latham guilty of one count of aiding and abetting Wendy Moore guilty of all four counts against her For the prosecutors, those verdicts were about what they'd expected, if not entirely what they'd hoped for.

9:21We didn't think there was any chance that they would acquit either defendant. I mean, Wendy Moore, obviously, as we noted in our clothes, her goose was cooked. There was just overwhelming evidence. That's the voice of Prosecutor Rhett DeHart. We were pleased with the result. I mean, if the defense would have offered us before trial that he would plead guilty to count three, which he was convicted of, we'd have taken that deal. I mean, we convicted them of the substantive count. I think any way you look at it, it was a victory for the Justice Department. In spite of the fact that he didn't get the full count against them, he didn't get them all.

9:53He was convicted on a serious charge. So, I mean, we were pleased, and we're just happy to have it over with.

10:07It was about nine when Chris Latham's defense attorney, Stephen Schmutz, stepped out of the courthouse and into the chilly night air. There was a light breeze, felt bracing after a long day spent waiting. As he walked to his car beneath the streetlights, his shadows skittered across the white sidewalk. What was he thinking? Hard to know. But one thing that surely crossed his mind that evening was the jury. He must have wondered what happened in the jury room. What caused those jurors to hang up on two counts against Chris Latham and yet find him guilty on the third? By the time he sat down with us, the answer seemed inescapable.

10:51Chris Latham was in love with Wendy Moore. He still is. and I don't think the jury could get past the fact that he continued to support her when the evidence, as they saw it, apparently, was overwhelming that she was involved in an attempt to kill his wife.

11:28mint mobile plans are only 15 per month wondering what's the catch there isn't one there are no gimmicks and no gotchas just unlimited talk text and data fast reliable coverage on the nation's largest 5g network and an award-winning care team that makes mint mobile a catch you can bring your current phone and your phone number. Choose from three, six, or 12-month plans and say goodbye to a monthly bill. Ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile. It's so easy. Sign up online and get three months of premium wireless service for$15 a month. To get your new wireless plan for just$15 a month, go to mintmobile.com slash dateline.

12:12That's mintmobile.com slash dateline. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com slash dateline. That's it. There's no catch. $45 upfront payment required, equivalent to$15 a month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Speed slower above 40 gigabytes on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees, and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details. This episode is brought to you by Penn Foster. Sometimes things don't go as planned. especially with high school. When you start to feel like you're falling behind, having another option can make a real difference. Penn Foster High School is an accredited online diploma program built for flexibility.

13:00So whether you're hoping to go back and finish what you started, or you're the parent of a teen who needs a different approach to education, there is a way forward. With self-paced courses, you have the freedom to learn on your own schedule. That way you can fit school around everything else going on in your life and stop falling behind. Don't just get back on track. Start moving forward with Penn Foster. Visit pennfoster.edu slash dateline to learn more. When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns.

13:39with Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts, and hard to find parts. You can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

14:03It was a setup, of course it was. One of those contrived, made-for-television moments that one sees on reality TV shows. And yet, the substance of it, the emotion, could not have been more genuine. It was late March 2014. It was about a month after the trial of Chris Latham and Wendy Moore had concluded. Aaron Wilkinson sat in the county jail waiting to do a TV interview with Dateline producer Carol Gable. Video from that day shows Aaron sitting with his back to the door and watching the TV crew set up their lights, tweak their cameras. He seems at ease in the company of these men, working men who posed no threat to him and asked no questions.

14:55Then behind him, he hears the unmistakable sound of a female's footsteps In the video, Aaron turns to his left, expecting to see Carol, the Dateline producer But instead, it's a face he has come to know well Hey, I don't think we've met before I'm Nancy Surprise? That would be an understatement Shocked, more like Aaron, at first, offers a limp handshake. He seems unsure of prisoner protocol in a moment like this. Should he stand? Should he sit? He stays in his chair, looking up at Nancy. He is speechless. Then, Nancy takes control. Stand up. And with that, Aaron Wilkinson rises to his full six-foot, two-inch height and embraces Nancy, the woman he'd been told to kill.

15:54Thank you so much. How are you?

16:03You okay? Have a seat. I cannot possibly thank you enough.

16:13I think we all completely understand that the outcome would have been very different were it not for you. At first, the meeting is excruciatingly awkward. The TV cameras seem to demand some kind of performance or something. But as Nancy places her hand on Aaron's knee and he fights back tears, something quite real emerges. Feelings of forgiveness, even affection, become palpable. And before we get sidetracked, I heard you testify. You are so smart. You have so much potential. I'm going to expect great things from you.

17:04You okay? Thank you. Aaron, quite overwhelmed, brushes a tear from his cheek and leans over for another hug. Thank you so much. You are so welcome. And I am so grateful for you. I think of all the people that Sammy could have pulled into his car to do this with him, and it would have been so different.

17:29So, just like you had in my back, tomorrow I'll have yours. You're welcome. Oh, yes, tomorrow. That'll be the day Aaron Wilkinson faces sentencing for his part in the plot. and Nancy assures him she will ask the judge to go easy. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. I'm so happy I got to meet you. Me too. Like I said, you're so smart.

18:01And obviously very chatty. You obviously talk way too much, too. We need to stop that. And so, hopefully, we're going to get a reduced sentence. And with that, they hugged again. And then, as Nancy turned to leave, Aaron smiled. It's unbelievable that you, I mean, the graciousness is overwhelming. me what was it like to spend some time with him in the jail he is surprisingly gentle surprisingly meek in fact he couldn't stop thanking you and I had to say I had to say you have to stop thanking me because I owe you thanks was important for you to speak into his sentencing to absolutely To say something.

18:58Absolutely. To recommend something. Absolutely. At Erin Wilkinson's sentencing, Nancy kept her word. She spoke movingly on his behalf. And perhaps because of that and the plea deal he'd made with prosecutors, the judge gave Erin a reduced sentence. Four years in a maximum security prison.

19:20Later that summer, just before Chris Latham and Wendy Moore were to be sentenced, they agreed to speak with me separately at the county jail. Through it all, neither of them had spoken to investigators. At trial, neither of them testified. But when they sat down with me, they said it was because they wanted the truth to be known, a truth they had been keeping to themselves for the past year. Wendy Moore was first. I think if Sam had not killed himself, I think he would have been able to show that I had nothing to do with it and that it wasn't, there was never any murder-for-hire plot. According to Wendy, her ex-husband Sam Yenowine would have exonerated her, would have convinced the court that she had no role at all in the conspiracy to kill Nancy Latham.

20:16That is, if he hadn't killed himself seven months before the trial began. I don't think Sam would have let me go to jail for something I didn't do. I just don't think that would have happened. I have to believe that he would have done the right thing. And you were waiting for him to do that? I figured he would, yeah. And Chris Latham, the once well-respected banker? I'm telling you the truth. I have no incentive to harm Nancy. According to Chris, none of this murder plot business made any sense. All he'd ever wanted was an amicable divorce. Murder? He knew nothing about a hit for hire. He insisted on that.

21:03You dream about the outside and then you wake up inside and it pierces your heart. It makes you jump. You can't believe that you're here. and you know you first go through shock at what has happened then you're angry and bitter at what's taken place and where you are i've spoken to wendy too your stories are contrary to the most obvious indications that you and she were involved in a plot to kill nancy And I think to myself, my God, if they're lying to me that skillfully, what does that say about them?

21:49Are you lying? No, I'm not lying. I mean, what are you going to say? Yeah, I'm lying. Think this thing through. I mean, you've got to remove all emotion and look at it logically. Why would I do this? Why indeed For money, for pride For love When I spoke to Wendy Her eyes lit up When she talked about Chris You're still soulmates? I've never met anyone better than him And I never will again He is a good person And I love him And he is He's an innocent man There is no reason Not to love him All of this was what trumped up? All of this is a huge mess. Then neither one of us would have ever wanted Nancy harmed.

22:42The jury, of course, saw things differently. On the day Chris Latham was sentenced, the judge gave him the maximum for the single count of aiding and abetting, 10 years, a$1 ,500 fine, plus three years of supervised release. At Wendy's sentencing, the judge handed down sentences on her four guilty verdicts that could be served concurrently. That meant Wendy would be behind bars for 15 years. After that, three years of supervised release.

23:17When the gavel came down for the last time in August 2014, it had been almost exactly three years since that night on the lake when Chris Latham told Nancy he didn't want to be married anymore to her. For Nancy, at least, that big and turbulent chapter of her life was over. Now the question was, what's next? It's sort of this liberating thing that has happened to me. Liberating, of course, is not exactly a word Wendy and Chris would have used in that moment to describe their futures. It's like a horrible nightmare that you cannot wake up from. The love affair that entangled their lives was about to be put to the test in prison.

24:05It's awful. It's not right. And it's not fair.

24:20There's a freedom in South Dakota. One that reminds you how travel is supposed to make you feel. No crowds, no rush, no pressure. Just the freedom to explore on your own terms. With over 5 million acres of forest and clear mountain lakes and national monuments, you're free to go fast or slow or whatever. Get your hiking boots dirty in the Black Hills. Get lost in the mazes of the Badlands or cast a line into the Missouri River. More into arts and culture? South Dakota offers creativity without constraints. There's unexpected art, local flavors, Native American heritage, and the freedom to explore at your own pace.

25:03Plus, family fun is whatever you want it to be. Kids can run ahead, parents can slow down, and everyone can enjoy the moments you never saw coming. South Dakota. Free to roam. Start planning your adventure at TravelSouthDakota.com. Protecting your home shouldn't be a headache or break the bank. Many security companies lock you into multi-year contracts with huge cancellation fees if your needs change. SimpliSafe does things differently. With SimpliSafe, you get award-winning 24-7 professional monitoring for a fraction of the cost at around a dollar a day. There's no waiting for technicians or drilling into your walls.

25:43Customize your system online in minutes, ship it to your door, and set it up yourself in under an hour. You get premium protection without the long-term commitments. It's security that earns your trust, and not through trapping you in fine print. That's why over 5 million people rely on SimpliSafe, and why U.S. News and World Report named them the best home security system of 2026. Right now, get 50 % off a custom system at simplisafe.com slash dateline. That's half off at simplisafe.com slash dateline. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. Summer is the perfect time to rethink what clothes you're reaching for every day.