Ep 13. Death and the Dentist

In season 8, episode 13 of the true crime series 48 Hours on ID, titled "Death and the Dentist," viewers are transported to the small town of Corning, New York, where a highly respected dentist named Dr. Richard Nicholas had been found dead in his home. The episode explores the mystery surrounding Dr. Nicholas’ death and the investigation that followed.

The episode begins with the discovery of Dr. Richard Nicholas’ body by his wife, Michele. She had returned home from a weekend away to find her husband dead in their bedroom. The initial investigation into his death revealed that Dr. Nicholas had been bludgeoned with a blunt object and had also suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Considering that the gun beside him was registered to his wife Michele, investigators quickly turned their attention to her as a possible suspect.

Michele and Richard Nicholas had been married for ten years and had built a very successful dental practice together in Corning. Their marriage, however, had been facing some difficulties, and Michele had recently been contemplating divorce. The investigators soon learned that Michele was having an affair with another dentist, Dr. Michael Nichols, who had been a close colleague of Dr. Richard Nicholas. Dr. Nichols had also been experiencing marital problems with his wife, Kelly, and the two of them had formed a relationship with Michele and Richard Nicholas.

The episode then delves into the investigation of Dr. Michael Nichols and Kelly, as well as an alleged acquaintance of theirs, Leslie Neuman. It seems that the three of them may have had a motive for killing Dr. Richard Nicholas. The prosecution argued that the three defendants had developed a plan to kill Dr. Nicholas, and that he was murdered in order to collect a large life insurance payout. Dr. Nichols had been the one to pull the trigger, while Neuman was believed to have been the mastermind behind the murder, and Kelly Nichols was suspected of being the lookout.

As the investigation continued, the prosecution presented evidence that showed the three defendants exchanging incriminating text messages around the time of the murder, and that their alibis did not hold up. The defense, on the other hand, argued that the evidence was circumstantial, and that the prosecution was trying to create a narrative where one did not exist.

Throughout the episode, the viewer is presented with interviews of family members, colleagues, and investigators, as well as footage from court proceedings. The episode concludes with the jury reaching a verdict, which will leave viewers questioning the extent of the relationships between the characters and the true motivations behind Dr. Richard Nicholas’ murder.

In this episode of 48 Hours on ID, viewers are presented with a complex and disturbing case of murder that took place in a seemingly idyllic town. The questions surrounding the relationships between the defendants and the victim, as well as their possible motives for murder, will leave viewers engrossed in the case until its conclusion.