Talking Dateline: The Intruder

0:01Hi, I'm Dennis Briffey, and I'm here with Andrea Canning and the producer of this episode, Brad Davis. This is Talking Dateline. Hi, guys. How are you? Great. Hey, Dennis. Hey, Dennis. Hey, Brad. Hey. Today's episode is called The Intruder, and it's a case that begins with a violent home invasion and a woman named Rachel Owens. She's clinging to life after being shot multiple times at a friend's house in Maine. But what investigators uncovered was no random break-in. This crime was personal, calculated, and the person responsible was someone Rachel loved and trusted, her husband, Greg Owens. If you haven't listened to the episode yet, you can find it right below this podcast or watch it now on Peacock.

0:39When you come back, we'll share an extra clip from Andrea's interview with Betsy Wanke, one of the women at the center of the story who once ran an organization called the Warrior Princess Academy. And later, we'll share some more behind-the-scenes details about the episode and answer some of your questions from social media. And I've got a little bit of a cold, and I can hear my voice breaking. How are you guys? Look, I had to go to my thesaurus to find extra words to describe this guy, Greg Owens. Narcissist? Cad? Murderous? Andrea? Who did this guy turn out to be for you? I mean, yeah. The fact that—I mean, the whole thing was crazy.

1:18True. You know, I mean, he's got another woman in another state, and he's not only planning the murder of his wife, but he's planning the murder at his wife's friend's house. Yeah. You know, so it looks like the friends were the targets. I mean, the whole thing was wild. This story of a home invasion theory doesn't hold water for very long, does it? Yeah, it seemed like it was targeted from the beginning. They just didn't know exactly what the circumstances were. And it really, in those early stages of the investigation, they got a phone call from this police chief out in Wisconsin who said, hey, I think I heard that there was this shooting and you should know that this woman's husband is having an affair with my friend.

2:12You have two women and they don't realize at all that they are in a romantic love triangle. Right. Yes. Right. Yeah. Greg is happily married to the people who know him, right, in his circles. Yeah. Yeah. And then he's got this relationship going with Betsy Wanke in Wisconsin, and she has absolutely no idea that he's married and has this other life, and she's thinking she's met her prince charming. He was so perfect for her, she thought. He was really lovey-dovey, wasn't he, Andrea? I mean, it was kind of like cringe stuff, the stories they told him. With Betsy, yeah. Dancing on the deck. and I think the pedicures that he would give Betsy, pedicures in the bathtub, which was the detail that we all were sort of cringing at.

2:56Or Mr. Smoothie up in first class saying, I happen to have your seat here for you. Right, right. That was how I know. Yeah, he really was, you know, so charming with her. And, you know, poor Betsy walked right into, you know, this trap. I mean, having just no idea what was really happening. And it was a real relationship. I mean, they were together almost 10 years. So it wasn't sort of like just a brief affair. She really thought this was a meaningful, you know, they were going to be together. And just to give you some background on Betsy, you know, Brad and I got to know Betsy. You know, she was a very lovely woman.

3:36And we went out there and we interviewed her. And we did the Princess Academy, you know, where she was showing some of her moves. and little did Betsy know at that time when we're shooting this dateline that she would be in a future dateline. Another case, and this was the episode called The Safari Story, and it was about the murder of a woman named Bianca in Zambia. So Betsy knew the killer. Betsy knew Bianca's husband, Larry Rudolph, and she was in the same hunting circles as him. And in fact, In fact, Betsy told a story at one point of when Larry, in the middle of the night, tried to get Betsy to come to his hotel room.

4:19And she was friends. Betsy was friends with Bianca. You know, so, I mean. You can't tell me enough about Betsy. I think this is a fascinating character, and it's a great interview. I got the feeling that even after everything was known, she still had a thing for this guy. Do you think there was something there? I mean, I think it's just the idea of him, right? She had found this man that she finally felt was her forever man. You know, this man that shared all the same passions and that she connected with. So it's hard to just turn that off. And it would be very confusing, you know, to know one man.

4:56And then you find out there's this other side of him. I mean, I can't even imagine how, like, just how much that would mess with you. I'm actually texting her right now. So if I'm looking down, it's because I'm texting Betsy. She communicates with me, like, a lot. So I'm just asking her, I'm just telling her that we're talking about her on the podcast and just saying, you know, is there anything you want to say or what are you up to? So we'll see what, I'm sure she'll respond. Andrea, you've got two strong women at the heart of this thing. We talked a little bit about Betsy. Tell me about Rachel.

5:24When you met her, here was this woman who had this remarkable comeback from death's door. Who did you, who did she turn out to be for you? I mean, I see such a strong resolve. Yeah. Survival skill. Really? I mean, just to go through such a nightmare scenario, first of all, a home invasion is terrorizing, obviously. And then to find out that it's your own husband who carried this out, I mean, it's incredible that she survived. And Brad was the one who convinced Rachel to do the interview. And we weren't sure what to expect based on her injury. and she was lovely. And we both thought she did a really good job, right, Brad?

6:10Like for what she'd been through. Yeah. She was really strong. I had seen her in court. I actually was at the sentencing hearing. I saw her and I met her and spoke with her and her son, who's great, and her son, Wayne. But we were nervous about how she was going to be in an interview. There was a question about her memory, you know, even before this happened, you know, because Greg basically said she had dementia, or early onset dementia. But there was no official diagnosis of that. That was partly his story, I think, to tell Betsy. You know, I think she had some memory issues. But then when this happened, I mean, she could not remember the incident itself.

6:50She could only vaguely remember a man she described in a Jamaican hat. That's like all she could really remember, which became an issue at trial because it was a little different from what the homeowners said. The fact that Rachel sat down and did the interview, that she said yes. How many people would say no to that? Yeah. You know, like, I'll pass. She took the stand. She was amazing. She took the stand and faced down her husband and the person who shot her. Yeah. Maybe that's what sealed the verdict. What do you think, Brad? I think it was very powerful. I wasn't in court for her testimony, but I did see her testify at the sentencing.

7:31And, you know, she was very sort of down-to-earth matter-of-fact about it and also has an amazing sense of humor in spite of what she did. Yeah, she told that wink story, right? She had a great sense of humor. I gave him a wink when I was on the stand. Yeah, yeah. And at the end of our story, I think she says, you know, he's the loser, you know, in the whole thing. It's just like, you know, he really is. He's in prison for life. Yeah, that's the definition of a loser, right? Did the two women at the heart of this thing ever meet? Did they meet at the courthouse? No, they never met. I mean, they were there, you know, at the same time in the same building, but they never met.

8:12And that was why when we were doing this interview with Rachel, we were able to convey Betsy's message to her, which comes at the end of the interview. And Betsy was just like, you know, saying, I'm so sorry. And you were just, you know, I feel so horrible. And Rachel was really, she was just like, wow, that's a really nice lady to be saying those things. Yeah. When we come back, we'll hear a clip from Andrea's interview with Betsy Wonky. She shares what it was like to run the Warrior Princess Academy and how she helped others tap into a power they didn't know they had.

8:52So I can give you an update on Betsy. Yeah, please. Which is a happy ending for her. she i'm looking at a picture of betsy and her husband um they are both into you know cows and horses and all that and they um they got married in her dad's barn on may 24th um she actually invited me to the wedding wow um your cowboy your cowboy boots um so yeah she um she said it was Western wedding, and she found her, you know, maybe her real Prince Charming. So what is a warrior princess academy, this business she was engaged in? Self-defense. Yeah, she was helping women, you know, in sort of self-defense training.

9:40And I think in the clip, we showed her sort of helping Andrea, like, with some tips about, you know, how to defend yourself, you know, if you're facing, you know, some sort of, you know, harassment or, you know, assault, really. She really sort of prides herself as a, you know, as a strong, you know, assertive woman, which is what makes this ironic. And she's herself said, you know, I can't believe that I'm like the sort of person trying to teach other women how to face assault. And then I get caught up in this crazy drama. Capital I, ironic. Let's take a listen to some of your conversation with Betsy.

10:17There is so much power in your body. It's just, how do we use it? How do we harness it? And that's what we're trying to do. I had a young woman, I was doing a training for men and women, and I had this tiny little person. We were practicing kicks and punches and she was doing a kick and she wasn't giving it any effort at all. And she said, well, I don't want to hurt you. And I said, you're good. She kicked so hard that she She almost, the gloves, the pads almost came off my hands. She was just this little powerhouse and had to. It doesn't matter your size. She didn't, she never knew it. She was like, oh my God, I've never, I've never been able to do that.

10:54I said, yeah, you could always do it. You just need to do it. So, and that's where the bags come in as well. Okay, I'm going to hold it. Now I want you to punch it. I want you to punch here and I want you to do it several times in a row as hard as you can. No, I want you to keep your momentum. Don't lean backwards. Lean forwards. Okay. Keep your knees bent. And we're going to go. Punch it! Yeah!

11:27Feel it? There's a lot of power there. I think you have more power than you think. You do. You go. You go, Andrea. That was great. A lot of power there. Oh, that's funny. That's funny. Do you like working the bag now? I think that was like a one and done. But definitely a good exercise for sure. I was reminded of that great show and tell you did with a person in one of your stories years before where she showed you how to get out of being handcuffed. Yeah, it was the duct tape. Oh, duct tape. That's nice. Yes, yes. I know we had tens of millions of views on that. But we learned a bunch of different things about how to get out of a bad situation.

12:09But Betsy— You know, Betsy wants to help others, right? Betsy was put in a bad situation, but she's a very strong woman. Well, Andrea has brought us up to the minute on where Betsy is. What do we know about Rachel? How is she doing and her son? As far as I know, I think she's doing well. She lives in Rhode Island. I think she may be in, like, an independent living place, like, that's not too far from Wayne, her son, and her grandkids. so I think she gets to see them. And as far as I know, I think her health is okay despite, you know, the bullet that's still lodged in her brain. She still has a bullet lodged in the brain, can you imagine?

12:51Yeah, unbelievable. Is there any deficit of her speech or movements or anything because of it? Not when we interviewed her. I think it just sort of sits there, but I mean, she's fully, you know, cognitive and everything. So, yeah. So this guy wanted both women, and that's where this horror all comes from. Yeah. Where is he, Brad? Where is he being housed? Do you know? You know what? I don't have it in the—I don't know exactly where he is. I know he's in for life. One thing I thought was interesting that I pulled in from some of my notes, I had forgotten that he was actually discharged from the military prior to all this under sort of murky circumstances.

13:38He was accused of sexual harassment in the military and a sort of scandal there and was forced to resign. And he denied all these allegations, but that later came up at the trial as well. So his career was a little tainted by more than just this. And left the courthouse scene with a rant, huh? Yeah, I was there for the sentencing. He was very incoherent sort of rants about, you know, the FBI is out to get me and, you know, I'm a military guy and I know all these secrets and, you know, this is a conspiracy. So it was a, it was, you could really make heads or tails of what he was saying. This is what it says right now.

14:23So he's serving the life sentence plus 20 years in federal prison. and he, according to federal prison records, he's currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary Canaan located in Waymart, Pennsylvania. Huh. And he had an appeal and his conviction and life sentence were upheld. Yeah. I feel sorry for the boy in this thing, the son. I mean, you always feel so bad for the children that get, you know, caught up in these horrible domestic situations. I mean, you know, this is at the hands of his dad, and this is the ultimate domestic violence. And this son is caught in the middle of all of this, and it's awful.

15:09His dad shoots his mom. It's awful. But we see it time and time again, where the children are, you know, the other victims in this. And he really looked up to his dad. I mean, he, I think he was, I think in the military himself, but, um, uh, Wayne and, um, you know, he, he really sort of admired his dad as his role model. And then it turns out this happens. So. Um, I also just got another text if we're interested from Betsy. The wedding was awesome. She's now Betsy Harrison of Harrison's Hunting. We've introduced more women into hunting. Our guiding business has tripled in size and back on the board of our Safari Club International chapter.

15:51My real estate business is better than ever. We are touring the West as we speak. It's beautiful. Definitely moving on. I miss you too, but let's meet over a drink or coffee next time, okay? And let me know when the podcast will air. There you go. In other social news from Andrea Canning, coming up, we'll answer a few of your questions from social media.

16:16You know, guys, as always, we hear from our viewers in these stories, and I'd like to read out some of the comments that came into our mailbag. Andrea, here's Mike, H1990, saying, I love Rachel winking back at Greg. This is priceless. Talking about that moment in your interview. That's where her humor comes in, right? Like, you know, the wink and the strength and, like, all of it, right? It's like, hey, man, who got the last laugh, you know? It was also sort of funny because in the hearing, in the trial, Greg actually winked at Betsy. And that was Greg trying to wink to sort of get her to be on his side, his controlling move.

17:03And Rachel's doing the reverse. So it's sort of funny how they were each doing their own thing. Yeah. Yeah. And Andrea, here's a character shout out for your friend, Betsy. This is from at Katie Human, at Katie the Human. Betsy is a queen, all in caps. Yeah, Betsy's a queen. And I'll say Rachel's a queen too, both of them. And guys, this is in the category of true weird romance. At Deni writing, Greg's in prison and still begging Betsy to be together. Yikes. Is there still a thread connecting them? Not that I'm aware of. No, there's no communication. Yeah, Greg is behind bars. That was a hard pass for Betsy on that one.

17:46Yeah.

17:49As much as he tried to manipulate her and call her and keep her in his pocket. Andrea, Brad, hey, thanks for taking us down what's probably memory lane for you in Dateline Stories. This was a very good one. I was compelled and tugged all the way through. And again, Andrea, I look for words to describe your perpetrator here. What a murderous scheme he got involved in. Yeah. But that'll put a bow on Talking Dateline for today. Thanks for listening and thanks to Andrea and Brad for joining us. If you have a case you want to cover or a question for the team, reach out anytime on social at Dateline NBC.

18:26Or you can leave us a voice memo in a DM. Or call and leave a voicemail at 212-413-5252. And one more thing, we're hitting the road. Join me and the whole Dateline team in Nashville on Sunday, September 28th for Dateline Live. It's a first-of-the-kind of event featuring captivating onstage panels, audience Q &As, and a VIP reception. Tickets are now on sale at datelinenbc.com slash event. And you can also find a link in the description of this episode. We hope to see you there and see you on Fridays on Dateline on NBC.