Ep 22. Candie Zito
- TV-14
- September 5, 2021
- 43 min
Candie Zito had a seemingly perfect life. She was married to her high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and lived in a picturesque neighborhood in Louisiana. However, behind closed doors, her marriage to George seemed anything but perfect.
As the investigation unfolds, the detectives discover that Candie had been enduring years of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of her husband. She had confided in her friends and family about the abuse, but they didn't believe her. In fact, they thought that she was the problem.
Despite her husband's abuse, Candie remained devoted to her family. She worked hard to support them and put on a facade of a happy marriage for the outside world. But one night, that facade shattered.
On the night of September 23, 2010, Candie shot her husband, George, three times as he slept in their bed. She then called 911 and calmly admitted to the murder.
The prosecution painted Candie as a cold-blooded killer who premeditated the murder of her husband. They argued that she had been planning to kill him for months, citing a letter that she had written to her therapist about her desire to leave her husband and her fears of what he would do if she did.
The defense, on the other hand, argued that Candie had acted in self-defense. They presented evidence of the abuse that she had endured at the hands of her husband for years, including police reports and hospital records. They argued that Candie had suffered from battered woman syndrome and that she had shot her husband out of fear for her own life.
The trial was emotional, with both sides presenting compelling arguments. In the end, the jury found Candie guilty of second-degree murder and she was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The episode explores the complexities of domestic abuse and the legal system's handling of cases involving battered women. It also raises questions about the societal expectations placed on women to remain silent about their abuse and the consequences of not being believed.