IN THE STAUDTE FAMILY, THEY ARE BIZARRELY DYING OFF ONE AFTER ANOTHER ` THE HUSBAND, DEAD OF NATURAL CAUSES,... THERE WAS NO AUTOPSY, NO TESTING. HE WAS CREMATED. HIS ASHES WERE SCATTERED AT A LAKE. THAT WAS IT. ...A SON DEAD FROM SEIZURES,... I'M LIKE, 'OH MY GOD, THIS MOTHER MUST BE DEVASTATED.' SHE LOST HER HUSBAND; NOW SHE LOSES HER SON. ...A DAUGHTER HANGING ON TO LIFE IN HOSPITAL WITH FLU SYMPTOMS... IT'S BAD. (CHUCKLES GENTLY) OK. I MEAN, SHE WAS AS CLOSE TO DEATH AS YOU COULD GET. ...AND A MOTHER AND WIFE, A DEVOUT ORGANIST, LEFT TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN,... EITHER THIS IS A TERRIBLY UNLUCKY FAMILY OR SOMETHING FISHY HAPPENED HERE. ...BUT JUST HOW FISHY? THAT'S WHAT POLICE WANT TO FIND OUT IN A STUNNING INTERROGATION. (SOBS) OH DEAR GOD. TONIGHT ` PIECING TOGETHER THE SECRETS OF A HIGHLY UNUSUAL FAMILY ` THE TELL-ALL DIARY, THE BEDSIDE READING. WE HAD A BOOK ON POISONOUS PLANTS. WHAT DIDN'T THEY WANT THE NEIGHBOURS TO SEE? WHO HAS ANTIFREEZE IN THE SUMMER TIME? AND A VERY STRANGE WAY OF EXPRESSING GRIEF ` I DIDN'T WANT ANOTHER ONE TO DIE IN THE HOUSE. AND WHY IS THAT? COS HOUSES ARE NASTY AFTER SOMEBODY'S DIED IN IT. SO WHO'S LEFT IN THE FAMILY, IF THEY CAN SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH? DID YOU THINK SOMEBODY ELSE WAS GONNA BE NEXT? TALKING ON CAMERA FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLY TO 20/20, THE DAUGHTER WHO LIVED TO TELL ` I CONSIDER THEM AS KILLERS... WHO HATE ME. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN' AT THAT POINT? OH GOD, ANOTHER ONE. (SOBS) (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) COPYRIGHT ABLE 2017 KIA ORA, I'M CAROLYN ROBINSON. TONIGHT ON 20/20 ` OUR STORY IS SET IN THE QUIET TOWN OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI WHERE THE STAUDTE FAMILY LIVE. FROM THE OUTSIDE, THEY'RE A CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY LIVING IN A SMALL HOUSE IN THE BIBLE BELT, BUT THINGS ARE DEFINITELY NOT AS THEY SEEM. DEBORAH ROBERTS TAKES UP THE STORY. (LAID-BACK COUNTRY-ROCK MUSIC) DEBORAH ROBERTS: AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE OZARKS SITS BRANSON, MISSOURI, THE LAS VEGAS OF THE MIDWEST. DRIVE 45 MILES NORTH ON OLD ROUTE 66 AND YOU'RE IN SPRINGFIELD, A TRANQUIL COLLEGE TOWN WHERE THE BUCKLE OF THE BIBLE BELT MEETS BEER JOINTS. HERE ON PAGE ST IN A MODEST 900-SQUARE-FOOT HOME, DIANE STAUDTE AND HUSBAND MARK EMBODY THAT UNLIKELY MIX OF HOLY WATER AND FIREWATER. (BELL TOLLS) (BELL TOLLING, SOLEMN ORGAN MUSIC) SHE'S THE CHURCH ORGANIST DOWN AT REDEEMER LUTHERAN. # WELL, JUST A FEMALE JUDAS. HE'S THE LEAD SINGER AND GUITARIST OF A LOCAL BLUES BAND, MESSING WITH DESTINY. YOU'RE GET THE IRONY A LITTLE LATER. # WELL, YOU'RE JUST A FEMALE JUDAS. TOGETHER, THE COUPLE, FORMER COLLEGE SWEETHEARTS, ARE RAISING FOUR KIDS IN THAT SMALL HOUSE. SIX PEOPLE, THREE SMALL BEDROOMS, ONE BATH ` TIGHT QUARTERS FOR WHAT LOOKS LIKE A TIGHT FAMILY. DID YOU GET ANY SENSE OF WHAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS LIKE? AS FAR AS I KNEW, MARK'S LIFE WAS GREAT. CHARLES ALEXANDER IS MARK'S CLOSE BUDDY AND THE DRUMMER IN THE BAND. HE WAS ALWAYS HAPPY WITH THE KIDS; HE WAS ALWAYS HAPPY WITH HIS WIFE. HE LOVED 'EM; HE LOVED HIS FAMILY, AND IT WAS JUST A GREAT FAMILY. WELL, THINGS AREN'T GREAT FOR EVERYONE. SEE, DIANE ISN'T JUST PRAYING IN CHURCH; SHE'S PAYING THE BILLS AT HOME. OK, MARK PICKS UP AN OCCASIONAL SHIFT BARTENDING, BUT DIANE, A NURSE, IS THE BREADWINNER,... SHE SEEMED TO BE STABLE, ENDED UP SUPPORTING HIM. HE WAS THE HOUSE HUSBAND AND STAYING HOME WITH THE CHILDREN. ...AND IF MARK WAS LAID-BACK MR MOM, THE ACTUAL MOM OF THE HOUSE WAS CIVIL IF A BIT STANDOFFISH. WAS DIANE FRIENDLY, WARM? YOU KNOW, SHE WAS FRIENDLY TO THE POINT THAT, 'I CAN TOLERATE YOU BEIN' IN MY DRIVEWAY.' AS THE YEARS WEAR ON, LIFE JUST KEEPS HEAPING MORE WEIGHT ON DIANE'S SLIGHT SHOULDERS, SUPPORTING HER FAMILY IN THAT CRAMPED HOUSE AND COPING WITH SOME HEAVY CHALLENGES. FOURTH-GRADER BRIANNA HAS A LEARNING DISABILITY; SHAUN HAS AUTISM, AND OLDEST DAUGHTER SARAH, A COLLEGE GRAD, IS STILL AT HOME WITH NO JOB AND MOUNTAIN OF STUDENT DEBT, BUT INSIDE THAT PAGE ST PRESSURE COOKER, DIANE'S BELOVED CHILD IS BLOSSOMING ` 22-YEAR-OLD RACHEL, A STAR STUDENT. THIS IS THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WOULD FORGE THE WHOLE FAMILY'S FATE. SHE CONGRATULATED HER EVERY TIME RACHEL HAD AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, YOU THINK, 'THAT'S A REALLY CLOSE MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP, AND ISN'T THAT GREAT?' RON DAVIS, WITH ABC AFFILIATE KSPR TV, TOOK US TO THE STAUDTE HOME. HUH. AND WHAT WAS IT ABOUT RACHEL THAT DREW HER MOM TO HER SO INTENSELY, DO YOU THINK? BY ALL INDICATIONS, RACHEL IS AN EXCEPTIONAL HUMAN BEING ` VERY SMART, VERY TALENTED, ARTISTIC. ON FACEBOOK, DIANE RAVES ABOUT HER BELOVED RACHEL, HER ART, HER ACADEMICS.... (BAND PLAYS BLUES MUSIC) (PLAYS HARMONICA) ...BUT NARY A MENTION OF HER HUSBAND, MARK, WHO, IN APRIL OF 2012, IS FINALLY HAVING HIS MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. WE HAD A GOOD BAND. WE WERE LITERALLY TAKIN' OFF. HE'S FLYING HIGH. MESSING WITH DESTINY IS BOOKING SEMI-REGULAR GIGS IN BRANSON, JOINING THE ARETHA FRANKLIN IMPERSONATORS,... # OOH, YOUR KISSES... BACK-UP SINGERS: # OOH. # ...SWEETER THAN HONEY. ...WHO GET MARQUEE BILLING. IT'S ALSO MARK'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND. THESE ARE PICTURES FROM REHEARSAL THAT NIGHT, WHERE CHARLES NOTICES THAT MARK ISN'T QUITE HIMSELF,... WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING ON WITH HIM? HE WAS JUST SO OUTTA WHACK, AND IT WASN'T LIKE HE WAS DRUNK OR ANYTHING; HE WAS JUST OUT OF WHACK; HE WASN'T WITH US. ...THEN THE NEXT DAY, MORE ODD BEHAVIOUR. HE JUST SHOWED UP AT MY DOOR ONE DAY` I MEAN, SATURDAY, AND I SAID, 'MARK,' AND HE GOES, 'OH, I'M HERE TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY, CHARLES.' ONLY ONE THING STRUCK ME SO OUTTA PLACE ` HIS SKIN COLOUR. WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE? YELLOW. HIS SKIN WAS ACTUALLY A YELLOWISH COLOUR. SO SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH HIM. SOMETHIN' WAS WRONG WITH HIM. HE'S RIGHT. ON EASTER SUNDAY DIANE COMES BACK FROM CHURCH AND FINDS HER HUSBAND DEAD IN BED. I WAS DEVASTATED. I WAS DEVASTATED. DID YOU HAVE ANY INKLING THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG? DID YOU GET ANY CLUE THAT MARK'S HEALTHY MIGHT'VE BEEN BAD? I MEAN... NO. YET DIANE TELLS AUTHORITIES HER HUSBAND'S BEEN SICK AND REFUSED TO SEE A DOCTOR. THERE'S A CURIOUS RING OF BLOOD AROUND MARK'S MOUTH, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO ALARM THE MEDICAL EXAMINER, WHO RULES THE DEATH DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES. IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK, BUT I THOUGHT, WELL, YOU KNOW, HE DOESN'T REALLY EXERCISE, DOESN'T REALLY COOK, SO PROBABLY NOT REAL HEALTHY EATING HABITS. THERE WAS NO AUTOPSY; THERE WAS NO TESTING. HE WAS CREMATED. HIS ASHES WERE SCATTERED AT A LAKE. THAT WAS IT. DIANE ORGANISES A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? WELL, THAT WAS... IT WAS` IT WAS SAD. IT WAS A SAD EVENT. THE WIFE WANTED US TO DO A SONG IN HIS HONOUR, SO WE PLAYED THE SONG. MARK'S FAVOURITE SONG ` 'DARKEST HOUR'. THIS IS THEIR AUDIO RECORDING FROM THAT DAY. WOMAN: # WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES... (SOFT ROCK MUSIC) # ...I HOPE TO FIND YOU. # AS THE FAMILY COPES WITH MARK'S SUDDEN DEATH, THERE'S A SMALL CONSOLATION ` A $20,000 LIFE-INSURANCE PAYOUT, ENOUGH FOR DIANE TO MOVE THE FAMILY TO A NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD AND A LARGER HOME. THEY MOVED INTO THIS HOUSE RIGHT HERE. OH, BIG DIFFERENCE. IT DEFINITELY IS; IT'S A STEP UP FROM WHERE THEY WERE. WHEN WE COME BACK, THE STAUDTES MAY HAVE MOVED ON UP, BUT THEIR BAD FORTUNES ARE JUST BEGINNING,... THE CORONER'S VAN WAS IN THEIR DRIVEWAY. ...BECAUSE WHATEVER AFFLICTED MARK SEEMS TO RUN IN THE FAMILY,... I SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. I WAS FLOORED. ...AND EVENTUALLY, POLICE WILL SUGGEST A DIFFERENT DIAGNOSIS. MY HUSBAND DIED LAST YEAR. SO WHAT IS IT THAT POLICE ARE SUGGESTING? THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME WHEN 20/20 CONTINUES AFTER THIS BREAK. (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) WELCOME BACK TO 20/20 AND TONIGHT'S STORY ABOUT THE STAUDTE FAMILY. AS REPORTER DEBORAH ROBERTS CONTINUES THE STORY, THE STAUDTES ARE TRYING TO MOVE ON AFTER THE DEATH OF THEIR FATHER, BUT THINGS TAKE A TURN WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES AGAIN. (SOLEMN ORGAN MUSIC) DEBORAH ROBERTS: AT REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH, PASTOR JEFF SIPPY TENDS HIS FLOCK WITH FERVOUR AND PASSION,... EMPHATICALLY: WE'RE JUMPING FOR JESUS. ...AND IN THE SUMMER OF 2012, DEVOUT ORGANIST DIANE STAUDTE HAS GOOD REASON TO LEAN ON THE PASTOR'S SERMONS FOR STRENGTH. READS: ...THAT MARY AROSE AND WENT WITH HASTE INTO THE HILL COUNTRY, AND SO YOU CAN SEE A WOMAN WITH A MISSION. HER HUSBAND, MARK, HAS RECENTLY DIED, AND SHE'S JUST MOVED WITH HER FOUR KIDS TO THIS FRIENDLY STREET, HOPING TO PUT THAT SADNESS BEHIND THEM. RHONDA ANDERSON, A CHURCH SECRETARY, LIVES ACROSS THE STREET. DID YOU SEE THEM GOING AND COMING? ONE DAY THE GARAGE DOOR WAS OPEN, AND I THOUGHT, 'I'M GONNA GO OVER THERE AND SAY HI,' AND JUST AS I GOT OVER THERE, IT WAS REALLY LIKE THEY LOOKED AT ME AND CLOSED THE GARAGE DOOR, REALLY, BECAUSE I` I COULD STILL SEE THEM STANDING THERE, SO I DON'T THINK THEY WANTED TO TALK TO ANYBODY. RHONDA DOESN'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY, LEAVING HER PRIVATE NEIGHBOURS TO THEMSELVES, UNTIL WEEKS LATER ONE SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER, SHE LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW AND IS SHOCKED BY WHAT SHE SEES. THE CORONER'S VAN WAS IN THEIR DRIVEWAY. A POLICEMAN SAID THERE WAS A DEATH IN THE HOME. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. (SIREN WAILS) ONCE AGAIN DEATH HAS KNOCKED ON THE STAUDTES' DOOR, THE FIRSTBORN CHILD, SHAUN, GONE AT 26. DIANE TELLS POLICE HE HAD FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS FOR THREE WEEKS. WELL, SHE REPORTED SHE CHECKED ON HIM AT ABOUT 6.30 IN THE MORNING, WENT TO CHURCH AND THEN, WHEN SHE CAME BACK FROM CHURCH, FOUND HIM NOT IN BED ANY MORE BUT ON THE FLOOR WITHOUT A PULSE. SHE EXPLAINS THAT HER SON HAD A HISTORY OF SEIZURES, AND THOUGH, LIKE HIS DAD, SHAUN HAS AN ODD RING OF BLOOD AROUND HIS MOUTH, IT DOESN'T LOOK SUSPICIOUS, SO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER, AFTER AN AUTOPSY, DECIDES THAT THE SECOND STAUDTE FAMILY DEATH IN SIX MONTHS IS DUE TO PRIOR MEDICAL ISSUES. THEY'RE THINKING, 'WOW, POOR FAMILY. 'WHAT BAD LUCK.' NO ONE WAS ASKING QUESTIONS. AND NOBODY QUESTIONED THAT STORY. NO. EVEN THOUGH HER HUSBAND HAD DIED JUST MONTHS BEFORE. YES. AFTER POLICE LEAVE THE SCENE, RHONDA WALKS OVER TO CHECK ON HER STANDOFFISH NEIGHBOUR. SURPRISINGLY, DIANE ANSWERS THE DOOR. I SAID, 'WE JUST SAW THE CORONER'S VAN WAS HERE. ARE YOU OK? IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?' AND SHE SAID, 'OH, YEAH, MY SON DIED.' WAS SHE DISTRAUGHT? NO, SHE SAID IT TO ME JUST LIKE THAT. SHE SAID, 'MY SON DIED,' VERY MATTER-OF-FACTLY. I JUST WAS SHOCKED. RHONDA MAY BE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE DIANE TALKS TO ABOUT SHAUN'S DEATH, BECAUSE FOR HIM, THERE IS NO FUNERAL, NO MEMORIAL, NOT EVEN AN OBITUARY. LIKE HIS FATHER, SHAUN IS QUICKLY CREMATED. I'M LIKE, 'OH MY GOD, THIS` THIS MOTHER MUST BE DEVASTATED.' SHE LOST HER HUSBAND; NOW SHE LOSES HER` HER SON. NOW ONLY THE STAUDTE WOMEN ARE LEFT ` DIANE, HER DARLING RACHEL, 12-YEAR-OLD BRIANNA AND SARAH ` LIVING THEIR SECLUDED LIVES. I THINK THEY CLOSED THE DOORS EVEN TIGHTER, BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SEE OUTSIDE. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY EVEN GOT THEIR MAIL, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SEE THEM AT THE MAILBOX. THEN THE FOLLOWING JUNE ` COULD IT BE TRUE? THE STAUDTE PLAGUE STRIKES AGAIN? THIS TIME IT'S SARAH. DIANE HAS SEEN THIS END BADLY BEFORE, SO SHE TAKES HER 24-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. SARAH IS SICK,... GOES TO THE HOSPITAL, GRAVELY ILL. SARAH'S IN` IN VERY GRAVE CONDITION. IT DOES APPEAR THAT SHE IS GONNA SURVIVE. SARAH'S KIDNEY SHUT DOWN, PANCREAS AND OTHER ORGANS FAILING. WORST OF ALL, HER BRAIN IS HAEMORRHAGING BLOOD. DIANE TURNS TO FACEBOOK, MAYBE HOPING FOR DIVINE INTERVENTION. DIANE'S BROTHER-IN-LAW MICHAEL STAUDTE IS FLOORED BY THE POST. WOW. THERE'S, LIKE, A LOTTA BAD LUCK HERE IN THIS FAMILY. WHAT'S GOING ON? A GOOD QUESTION ` WHAT IS GOING ON? 911. WHERE IS YOUR EMERGENCY? FINALLY SOMEONE IN SPRINGFIELD, SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE CLOSE TO THE FAMILY, CALLS IN A TIP TO POLICE, HINTING THAT THE PIOUS CHURCH ORGANIST MAY HARBOUR AN UNHOLY FAMILY SECRET. WHAT DID THE CALLER SAY, EXACTLY? THAT DIANE STAUDTE MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TWO OR THREE HOMICIDES, AGAIN, BROUGHT UP MARK'S DEATH, SHAUN'S DEATH IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER; ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THAT SARAH WAS GOING TO DIE AS WELL. SO THE CALLER WAS, ESSENTIALLY, BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON DIANE STAUDTE. CORRECT, YES. ARMED WITH THAT ANONYMOUS TIP, SPRINGFIELD POLICE DETECTIVE NEAL MCAMIS BEGINS INVESTIGATING. HE STARTS BY PULLING THE REPORTS ON MARK AND SHAUN'S DEATHS. THE UNCANNY SIMILARITIES ARE STUNNING. MARK WAS EXPERIENCE FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS FOR SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO HIS DEATH ` SAME TYPE OF DESCRIPTION WITH SHAUN. NOW WE HAVE SARAH THAT'S ALSO IN THE HOSPITAL WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS. POLICE ARE NOW CONNECTING THE DOTS. THEN DETECTIVE MCAMIS VISITS THE HOSPITAL, WHERE HE GETS MORE TROUBLING NEWS FROM SARAH'S DOCTOR. HE HAD TOLD ME THAT THEY PERFORMED SEVERAL TESTS. THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS, UH, SUSPICIOUS THAT THERE W` IT WAS A POSSIBLE POISONING CASE. SO YOUR RADAR GOES OFF. DEFINITELY. POLICE FIGURE IT'S ABOUT TIME DIANE STAUDTE ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS. SHE VOLUNTARILY COMES TO THE STATION, AND IN INTERVIEW ROOM NUMBER THREE,... IS IT 'STOWD'? 'STOW-DEE'. ...ONE OF THE STRANGEST POLICE INTERVIEWS WE'VE EVER BROADCAST BEGINS. DIANE DISCUSSES SARAH'S CRITICAL CONDITION. I'M LOOKING AT THE LAB REPORTS, AND IT'S LIKE, 'YOU CAN'T BE LIVING.' HER KIDNEYS WERE SHOT. SHE HAD A BRAIN BLEED. HER PANCREAS WAS ACTING UP. WELL, THAT'S` IT'S BAD. (CHUCKLES) OK. IT` IT'S` I MEAN, SHE WAS AS CLOSE TO DEATH AS YOU COULD GET. HER AFFECT MAY SEEM STRANGE, BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS A WOMAN DEALING WITH GREAT STRESS EMOTIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY, AND HER FAMILY'S CRUMBLING ONE BY ONE. MY HUSBAND DIED LAST YEAR OF A HEART ATTACK. HE HAD A LOTTA MEDICAL ISSUES, SO... DID HE? YEAH. WHAT KINDA STUFF DID HE HAVE? OH, HE HAD LIVER PROBLEMS; HE WAS DIABETIC. HE WOULDN'T QUIT SMOKING. DO YOU HAVE A SON AS WELL? NO, NO ANY MORE; HE DIED. NOT ANY MORE. HE STOPPED BREATHING. DURING ONE OF HIS SEIZURES. I'VE JUST NEVER HEARD OF ANYBODY DYING FROM A SEIZURE BEFORE. MM. IS THAT`? IS THAT PRETTY COMMON? IT` IT CAN HAPPEN. IT CAN HAPPEN. AND I'LL BE BACK HERE IN JUST... THE DETECTIVE STEPS AWAY, BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, HE DOES TOO TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON THE MERRY WIDOW. THERE'S BEEN SOME THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP DURING THE INVESTIGATION. IT'S TIME TO LEARN WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AT THE STAUDTE HOME. I'M HORRIBLE. I'M A HORRIBLE MOTHER. (LOW, UNSETTLING MUSIC) SO WHAT IS DIANE STAUDTE HIDING? WE'LL FIND OUT AFTER THIS BREAK. (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) WELCOME BACK TO 20/20 AND THE STORY OF THE STAUDTE FAMILY. ON THE SURFACE, THEY'RE A STRUGGLING WORKING-CLASS FAMILY FROM THE BIBLE BELT WHO HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY MULTIPLE TRAGEDIES, BUT THE POLICE ARE BEGINNING TO THINK THERE MIGHT BE MORE TO THIS THAT MEETS THE EYE. DEBORAH ROBERTS CONTINUES THE STORY. DEBORAH ROBERTS: OVER THE COURSE OF 14 MONTHS, THE QUIET GOD-FEARING STAUDTE FAMILY SEEMS AS CURSED AS AN OLD-TESTAMENT TRANSGRESSOR, MEMBER AFTER MEMBER INEXPLICABLY STRUCK DOWN,... (BLUES MUSIC) ...MARK STAUDTE, WHO FRONTED A BLUES BAND, AND 26-YEAR-OLD SON SHAUN BOTH SUDDENLY DEAD,... (SIREN WAILS) ...24-YEAR-OLD SARAH LYING IN THE ICU,... HER KIDNEYS AND BRAIN FAILING. NOW POLICE WANNA KNOW ` IS THIS A MATTER OF BAD LUCK OR BAD INTENTIONS? WHICH IS WHY DIANE STAUDTE ` WIFE, MOM AND CHURCH ORGANIST ` IS SITTING IN THE INTERROGATION HOT SEAT. UM` DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN TELL YOU. WITH CAMERAS ROLLING, DETECTIVE MCAMIS ASKED ABOUT HER MARRIAGE AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME, GLIMPSES A RESERVOIR OF RESENTMENT. WE WERE STILL MARRIED, BUT... IT WAS NOT WHAT YOU CALL A GOOD MARRIAGE. HAD THERE BEEN ANY IN` INFIDELITIES ON EITHER SIDE? HE HAD. HE WAS RUNNING AROUND, AND... HE WOULD DRINK AND SMOKE POT AND... SO HE WASN'T A VERY GOOD GUY IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYIN'. NOT` YEAH. EVEN WITH ALL HIS FAULTS, I STILL LOVED HIM. IN THIS POLICE INTERROGATION VIDEO, DIANE REVEALS CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION OF THE STAUDTE HOME. WAS THERE EVER ANY PHYSICAL ABUSE TOWARDS YOU? NO. NOTHIN' LIKE THAT? SOFTLY: NO. I MEAN, I` I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THAT BAD,... BUT MY KIDS WOULD PROBABLY SAY OTHERWISE. MM-HM. MM-HM. I WASN'T HAPPY. (CHUCKLES) OK. NOW WATCH AS HE DEPLOYS A CLASSIC INTERROGATION TECHNIQUE, SHIFTING FROM INQUISITOR TO SYMPATHISER. I'M A BELIEVER MYSELF,... SO I UNDERSTAND, S` YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE COMIN' FROM ON THAT. HE TELLS DIANE SOMETIMES EVEN THE RIGHTEOUS REACH A BREAKING POINT. SO WHAT HAPPENED WITH SARAH? AS FAR AS ` DID I DO SOMETHIN' TO HER? DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HER. I MEAN, I` I GUESS I COULD'VE TAKEN HER TO THE ER SOONER, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW. A MAJOR REVEAL ` DIANE MAY HAVE DELAYED TAKING HER DAUGHTER TO THE HOSPITAL. THAT WAS JUST KINDA WHERE HER STORY, UH, STARTED TO CRUMBLE. YOU THINK I'M HORRIBLE. I'M A HORRIBLE MOTHER. THEN A SUGGESTION THAT SHAUN MAY HAVE BEEN SUICIDAL, BUT AGAIN, SHE ADMITS SHE DID NOTHING TO HELP. HE'D BEEN THREATENING TO KILL HIMSELF, AND I DIDN'T WANNA BOTHER, COS I WAS TIRED OF HIM. I'M SUCH A CRUMBY PERSON. NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO` TO TELL US WHY... AND` AND TO SHOW SOME REMORSE AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS... THEN SHE DROPS A BOMB. PUT IT REALLY SHORT AND SWEET ` I KNEW THEY WERE DRINKING ANTIFREEZE,... DRINKING ANTIFREEZE?! ...AND I WAS SO MAD AT 'EM; I DIDN'T WANNA TAKE 'EM IN. YOU KNEW, DIANE,... THAT THEY WERE DRINKING ANTIFREEZE,... BECAUSE YOU WERE GIVIN' IT TO THEM. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. I REALLY DIDN'T. AND THERE IT IS ` AFTER TWO HOURS IN THE BOX, DIANE STAUDTE QUIETLY CONFESSING TO POISONING HER OWN CHILDREN WITH ANTIFREEZE. THIS IS A WOMAN WHO'S ADMITTING THAT SHE KILLED HER SON AND TRIED TO KILL HER OWN DAUGHTER. WHAT ARE YOU MAKING OF THIS? I WAS JUST TOTALLY ASTONISHED, TO BE HONEST. I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING. THERE WERE TIMES I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY OR HOW TO REACT. HOW LONG... HAD YOU BEEN GIVING THEM ANTIFREEZE? MAYBE A COUPLE OF DAYS. AND WHAT WERE YOU PUTTING IT IN? COCA COLA. HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PUT IN? COULD OF TEASPOONS, MAYBE? BUT WHY ANTIFREEZE? SHE EXPLAINS THAT IT'S EASY TO GET AND EASY TO DISGUISE, THE MAIN INGREDIENT, ETHYLENE GLYCOL, A COLOURLESS, ODOURLESS, SWEET-TASTING AND DEADLY CHEMICAL. KILLING SOMEONE WITH ANTIFREEZE IS A CLASSIC WAY TO TRY TO MASK WHAT YOU'RE DOING. IT TAKES TIME; IT'S RELATIVELY FLAVOURLESS,... AND THERE ARE NO IMMEDIATE SIGNS AFTER DEATH UNLESS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR 'EM. NOW IT'S ALL POURING OUT ` A FULL-BLOWN CONFESSION, DIANE ADMITTING SHE POISONED HER HUSBAND, MARK, THE EXACT SAME WAY ` SPIKING HIS GATORADE WITH ANTIFREEZE. APPARENTLY, SHE'D HAD IT WITH THE HUSBAND SHE CONSIDERED AN ABUSIVE DEADBEAT. BY THEN I HATED HIS GUTS. HE WOULD THROW THINGS AT ME. HE WOULD THROW THINGS AT THE KIDS, AND I GUESS I JUST HAD ENOUGH. KILLING HER HUSBAND'S AWFUL ENOUGH, BUT A MOTHER POISONING HER OWN CHILDREN? THIS MOM'S MOTIVE IS DOWNRIGHT CHILLING. BOTH SHAUN AND SARAH WOULD JUST, BASICALLY,... I DUNNO, TRASH THE HOUSE AND... NEVER HELPED,... SUPPORT OR EVEN CONTRIBUTE. SHAUN WOULD BE INTERFERING... WITH WHATEVER I WOULD DO. SO HE WAS JUST A CONSTANT BOTHER, WOULDN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE. OH, HE WAS MORE THAN A BOTHER. WHAT, A PEST? WOULD THAT BE A GOOD WORD FOR IT? NO, IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. 'MY HUSBAND GOT ON MY NERVES; I COULDN'T STAND HIM, AND MY SON, YOU KNOW, WAS A PEST.' I MEAN, DID SHE SEEM, LIKE, AT HER WITS' END? NO, SHE TH` AGAIN, THROUGHOUT SHE STAYED FLAT, EVEN WHEN THIS` WHEN SHE'S TELLING ME THAT INFORMATION, SHE, UH` SHE'S` YOU KNOW, SHE SEEMED UNFAZED. YEP, UNFAZED EVEN BY THE ULTIMATE KICKER ` WHY SHE POISONED HER DAUGHTER. AND THEN WITH SARAH, YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SHE WASN'T GETTIN' A JOB, AND THEN SHE HAD THESE STUDENT LOANS, AND YOU WERE GONNA END UP HAVIN' TO PAY FOR 'EM. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. AND YOU'D JUST HAD HAD IT WITH HER AS WELL. YEAH. I'M NOT A PERPETUAL KILLER. I'M JUST STUPID. I REGRET DOIN' IT. MM. I REALLY DO. I MEAN, I,... LIKE, SCREWED UP EVERYBODY. I'VE SCREWED UP MY WHOLE FAMILY. BUT IT'S TOO LATE. (HANDCUFFS CLICKS) HERE COME THE STEEL BRACELETS. RIGHT NOW YOU'RE GONNA BE UNDER ARREST. CASE CLOSED? NOT BY A LONG SHOT. SEE, POLICE ARE ABOUT TO SEARCH THE STAUDTE HOME AND WILL FIND A PURPLE DIARY WITH SOME VERY PURPLE PROSE. THIS WAS A KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE. IT WILL PROVE THAT DIANE HAD A PARTNER AND EYES ON ANOTHER TARGET IN THESE HORROR-MOVIE HOMICIDES. GOD. (SOBS) (UNSETTLING NOTE) SO JUST WHO WAS DIANE'S ACCOMPLICE? AND WHO WAS THE NEXT TARGET? STAY WITH US FOR THE ANSWERS. (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) WELCOME BACK. TONIGHT ON 20/20 ` WE'RE INVESTIGATING THE DISTURBING STORY OF THE STAUDTE FAMILY FROM MISSOURI. AS DEBORAH ROBERTS CONTINUES WITH 'A FAMILY PLOT', SHE FINDS THAT DIANE STAUDTE HAD AN ACCOMPLICE IN THE KILLINGS OF HER HUSBAND AND HER SON AND THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF HER DAUGHTER. JUST WHO IT IS WELL ADD ANOTHER DISTURBING LAYER TO THIS ALREADY SORDID STORY. DEBORAH ROBERTS: AS THE FREIGHT TRAINS ROLL THROUGH SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE ARE TURNING SLOWLY TOO. POLICE ARE INTERVIEWING 22-YEAR-OLD RACHEL STAUDTE, A STAR STUDENT, GIFTED MUSICIAN AND ARTIST ` HER MOM'S PRIDE AND JOY,... MAN: MOM WAS THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, REALLY ENCOURAGING AND CHEERLEADING RACHEL TO BE GREAT. ...BUT NOW HER DEAREST MOMMY, DIANE STAUDTE, IS BEHIND BARS AFTER CONFESSING TO THE POISONING DEATHS OF HER HUSBAND AND SON AND THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF RACHEL'S OLDER SISTER. HEY, RACHEL. HI. CAN I GET YOU TO SWITCH WITH ME AND I'LL...? OK. POLICE JUST HIT RACHEL WITH THE NEWS. CONFUSION, SHOCK. I MEAN, THAT'S... (SNIFFLES) NOBODY EXPECTS TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT THEY KNOW DO THAT. (SOBS) IN THIS INTERROGATION TAPE OBTAINED BY 20/20, DETECTIVE MCAMIS LAYS IT ALL OUT. DEMURE DIANE HAS DELICATELY ENGINEERED A RUTHLESS CULLING OF HER OWN HERD. ONLY THE PIOUS AND PRODUCTIVE WILL MAKE THE CUT. DID YOU THINK SOMEBODY ELSE WAS GONNA BE NEXT? SARAH COULDN'T BE... POISONED JUST FOR SITTING AROUND ON YOUTUBE. I DON'T DO ANYTHING AROUND THE HOUSE. BRIANNA SURE AS HECK DOESN'T DO ANYTHING AROUND THE HOUSE. RACHEL FESSES UP THAT HER MOM HAD SOME UNUSUAL READING MATERIAL. WE HAD A BOOK ON POISONOUS PLANTS. I MEAN, SHE WOULD TALK ABOUT CYANIDE. MM. THEN A CRITICAL MOMENT ACROSS TOWN ` CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATORS ARE BUSY COMBING THROUGH THE STAUDTE HOME. THESE PICTURES SHOW A HOUSE IN DISARRAY. THIS WAS THE HOME, THE` THE SECOND RESIDENCE. DETECTIVE MCAMIS GAVE US A TOUR INSIDE WITH PERMISSION FROM THE NEW HOMEOWNER. THIS WAS SARAH'S ROOM. THERE ARE SOME COUCHES; THERE ARE PAPERS, JUST, KINDA, THINGS STREWN ABOUT. SHE, KINDA, HAD AN OFFICE SPACE SET UP. WE COULD SEE THERE WERE SOME COMPUTERS. LAPTOPS, FLASH DRIVES, SCULPTURES SCATTERED ABOUT, AND IN THE GARAGE, PAY DIRT. THIS IS WHERE OUR CRIME-SCENE DETECTIVES LOCATED THE ANTIFREEZE ON THE WORKBENCH. AND RIGHT NEXT TO THE ANTIFREEZE, THE OTHER COMPOUND IN DIANE'S CRUEL CHEMISTRY ` AN OTHERWISE UNASSUMING SIX-PACK OF COKE. COKE WAS DESCRIBED AS WHAT WAS GIVEN TO BOTH SHAUN AND SARAH IN TERMS OF POISONIN' THEM. THE CONCOCTION RIGHT THERE ` THE COKE AND THE ANTIFREEZE. YES, CORRECT. THAT IS IT. IN THE BEDROOM, A CURIOUS DETECTIVE MAKES THAT DYNAMITE DISCOVERY. THIS IS RACHEL'S PURPLE DIARY HAPHAZARDLY THROWN ON A SHELF, ITS CONTENTS A TROVE OF SINISTER SECRETS. THERE APPEARED TO BE A JOURNAL ENTRY WRITTEN BY RACHEL, KNOWING THAT, UH, MARK AND SHAUN WERE GETTING READY TO BE KILLED. SO AT FIRST, YOU'RE THINKING THIS IS A` A MOTHER, AN EVIL MOTHER WHO'S TRY TO WIPE OUT HER FAMILY, AND NOW YOU DISCOVER HER DAUGHTER MIGHT BE INVOLVED, HELPING HER? YES. THAT JOURNAL ENTRY, DATED JUNE 13TH 2011 ` NEARLY A YEAR BEFORE MARK DIED. IT READS... THAT'S PRETTY CHILLING. VERY. SHE'S WRITING IN A JOURNAL ABOUT` ABOUT KILLING HER FATHER AND HER BROTHER. IT WAS EXTREMELY ALARMING. I'M GONNA HAVE YOU WAIT HERE FOR JUST A SECOND. BACK AT THE STATION, DETECTIVE MCAMIS LEAVES THE ROOM AND GETS BRIEFED ON THAT EXPLOSIVE DIARY. HE RETURNS IN A DIFFERENT MOOD. RACHEL, DO YOU... RECOGNISE THIS? YEAH, I REMEMBER THIS. THIS IS MISSOURI, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO 'SHOW ME'. YOU WROTE THIS, THEN, IS WHAT YOU'RE TELLIN' ME? MM. OK. I'D HAD A LOT OF REALLY BAD DREAMS ABOUT THEM DYING. I TALKED TO MOM ABOUT IT,... AND SHE MENTIONED... SHE WAS THINKING OF... HURTING THEM. RACHEL'S BAD DREAM JUST BEGINNING ` MCAMIS ISN'T BUYING HER STORY OR HER TEARS. (SNIFFLES, SOBS SOFTLY) WHAT DID YOU TELL YOUR MOTHER? THAT IT WOULD BE QUICK, THAT IT'D BE EASY. (SOBS, SNIFFLES) RACHEL REVEALS THE AWFUL TRUTH. MOTHER'S FAVOURITE WAS ALSO MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER. WHEN DID YOU GUYS COME UP WITH THIS PLAN? I MEAN, WE'D TALKED ABOUT IT, LIKE, CHRISTMAS. SHE'S SITTING RIGHT HERE; SHE'S STARTING TO TELL YOU THE WHOLE THING, AND SHE BASICALLY OWNS UP TO IT. TO HEAR THE DAUGHTER AND THE ADMISSIONS THAT SHE IS MAKING AND THAT THIS WAS A PLAN AND` I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED, TOTALLY STUNNED BY` BY EVERYTHING THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. IT WAS JUST A COMPLETELY SURREAL FEELING. THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO CAREFULLY PLAN AND RESEARCH ALL OPTIONS ` SUFFOCATION, PILLS, GOOGLING... THE DEVOUT CHRISTIANS EVEN EXPLORED WITCHCRAFT... LIKE, ON MY COMPUTER SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S A LOT OF WICCA SITES. ...BEFORE SETTLING ON ANTIFREEZE. COS, IN GENERAL, YOU COULD PUT IT ON SOMETHING AND YOU COULDN'T TASTE IT. WHAT ELSE DID SHE TELL YOU? SHE WANTED A SPECIFIC TASTELESS ONE. RACHEL, WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS? MOM BROUGHT IT UP, I MEAN, THEN WE DISCUSSED. MOM RECRUITING DAUGHTER... TO HELP HER SYSTEMATICALLY... KILL HER HUSBAND, HER SON... AND THEN POISON HER DAUGHTER? IT'S ALMOST UNHEARD OF. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST DAD, BUT PRETTY SOON DIAN TURNED HER ATTENTION TO SHAUN, THE SON SHE THOUGHT WAS IRRITATING. LISTEN TO HOW LITTLE IT TOOK TO END UP ON HER HIT LIST. SHAUN, WE ARGUED ON A LOT, COS... I STILL THINK WE COULD'VE PUT HIM IN, LIKE, UH, ASSISTED LIVING, BUT SHE WANTED HIM OUT. BUT` WHAT DID YOU SAY WHEN SHE TALKED ABOUT KILLING SARAH? SARAH WAS EQUALLY UNNEEDED. WE COULD'VE FOUND SOMEPLACE ELSE FOR HER. SHE WAS VERY ADAMANT ON` THAT SARAH WAS JUST A BURDEN, THAT SARAH NEEDED (INHALES DEEPLY) TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. RACHEL TOO NOW UNDER ARREST ` CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER FATHER AND BROTHER. HER SISTER, SARAH ` STILL FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE. WHEN RACHEL WAS ARRESTED, THERE WAS A BIG CLUE FOUND IN HER PURSE. THAT'S RIGHT. HER PURSE WAS SEARCHED, INCIDENT TO ARREST, AND IN THERE WAS A NOTE. WITH HER SISTER SARAH HOSPITALISED, THE STAR STUDENT, RACHEL, HAD AUTHORED A POEM WORTHY OF EDGAR ALLEN POE. WOW. THAT'S PRETTY... COLD STUFF. THIS IS VERY COLD AND DEPRAVED MURDER. THE SPRINGFIELD POISONING CASE. TWO PEOPLE DEAD, TWO IN JAIL, ONE IN THE HOSPITAL. THE FAMILY WAS POISONED WITH ANTIFREEZE. THE NEXT DAY, THE TALE HITS THE NEWS LIKE A TWISTER, WHILE DOWN AT THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, A RARE SIGHT ` A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER, BOTH ARRAIGNED FOR MURDER,... NO WAY, THIS CANNOT BE TRUE,... NOT RIGHT HERE IN OUR LITTLE NEIGHBOURHOOD. ...BUT NO ONE IS MORE SURPRISED THAN MARK'S OLD BANDMATE, CHARLES ALEXANDER. I WAS FLOORED, AND WHEN I HEARD THAT HE WAS POISONED, THEN I JUST CRIED; I COLLAPSED. I SAID, 'I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WOMAN DID THIS.' LOOKING BACK, HE BEGINS RECALLING LITTLE QUIRKS ABOUT HIS FRIEND'S WIFE. I WAS NEVER REALLY ALLOWED IN THE HOUSE, FOR SOME STRANGE REASON. IT WAS ALWAYS AT THE GARAGE, AND IT WAS SO STRANGE; I SEEN THE ANTIFREEZE BOTTLE SITTIN' IN THE GARAGE, AND I'M THINKING, 'WHO HAS ANTIFREEZE IN THE SUMMERTIME?' STRANGEST OF ALL ` DIANE'S BLASE MANNER AFTER MARK DIED. I WENT TO HER HOUSE AND ASKED HER WHAT HAPPENED, AND SHE PROCEEDED TO TELL ME LIKE SHE WAS GIVING ME A RECIPE TO A CAKE ` NO EMOTIONS, NO NOTHIN'. JUST MATTER OF FACT. IT WAS JUST LIKE, 'OH, HE DIED, AND YOU ADD` AND YOU ADD TWO EGGS.' ALSO SHOCKED ` DIANE'S FELLOW CHURCH MEMBERS AT REDEEMER LUTHERAN, WELL, MAYBE EXCEPT FOR ONE. REMEMBER THAT ANONYMOUS 911 CALLER WHO FIRST TIPPED OFF POLICE? DID YOU EVER FIND OUT WHO BLEW THE WHISTLE ON HER? WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE, UH, THAT THE ANONYMOUS CALLER WAS ACTUALLY THE PASTOR AT DIANE'S CHURCH. THE PASTOR TURNED HER IN. YES. PASTOR JEFF SIPPY ` IF YOU ARE NOT PRAYING FOR YOUR CHILDREN, IF YOU ARE NOT DEEPLY INVESTED IN THEM, I'M GONNA TELL YOU THIS ` NO ONE ELSE IS EITHER. THE LEADER OF THE FLOCK, COMPELLED BY HIS OWN CONSCIENCE TO ROOT OUT THE WOLF AMONG THEM. HE DECLINED OUR REQUESTS FOR AN INTERVIEW. SO HE KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS... EVIL HERE. I THINK HE DEFINITELY HAD HIS SUSPICIONS ` DIANE'S DEMEANOUR, UM, AFTER THE DEATHS. HE TOLD ME COULDN'T TAKE THOSE FEELINGS, THAT HE HAD TO, UH` HE HAD TO CALL IT IN. WHEN WE COME BACK, TWO STAUDTES IN JAIL WAITING TRIAL, TWO STAUDTES DEAD AND A THIRD IN ICU,... BUT THIS ONE REGAINS CONSCIOUSNESS AND LIVES TO TELL. DID SHE SUSPECT THAT HER SODA WAS SPIKED? SO YOU READ IN HER JOURNAL SHE WAS TRYING TO YOU? SHE TELLS HER STORY ONLY TO 20/20 NEXT. HE PASSED AWAY... AND IT'S A STORY YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS WHEN 20/20 RETURNS AFTER THIS BREAK. (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) (DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) WELCOME BACK TO 20/20 AND TONIGHT'S STORY, 'A FAMILY PLOT'. AS WE RESUME THE STORY, WE MEET SARAH STAUDTE, WHO SURVIVED HER MOTHER AND SISTER'S ATTEMPT AT KILLING HER. DESPITE BEING LEFT DAMAGED AND ALONE, SARAH HAS FOUND IT WITHIN HERSELF TO FORGIVE. HERE'S DEBORAH ROBERTS. DEBORAH ROBERTS: YOU ARE LOOKING AT A WOMAN WHO DEFIED ALL THE ODDS AND LIVED TO TELL, SURVIVING A VICIOUS POISONING. WELL, THIS IS WHERE I SLEEP. 24-YEAR-OLD SARAH STAUDTE HAS HAD TO RELEARN TO WALK AND TALK,... I'M RIGHT HERE. ...HER SPEECH STILL STUNTED FROM THE IRREVERSIBLE BRAIN DAMAGE SHE SUFFERED. TONIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME, SHE'S SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE HORROR AND BETRAYAL. SARAH LOST HER FATHER, MARK, SUDDENLY IN 2012 AND HER BROTHER, SHAUN, JUST FIVE MONTHS LATER. YOU FOUND HIM DEAD. YES. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN HORRIFYING. TRAUMATISING. AND MORE TRAUMATISING ` LEARNING THAT HER MOM, DIANE, WAS NOT HER PROTECTOR BUT A PREDATOR, POISONING THEM ALL WITH ANTIFREEZE, AND THE ICING ON THE CAKE ` HER YOUNGER SISTER RACHEL WAS PART OF THE PLOT. AND I WAS ASKING, 'WHY?' WHY DID MY MOM AND SISTER KILL MY DAD AND BROTHER AND HARMED ME? DID YOU BELIEVE IT? OR DID YOU SORT OF ASSUME THIS CAN'T BE TRUE. I ASSUMED THAT IT WASN'T TRUE, THEY WERE INNOCENT PEOPLE BEING BLAMED. BUT ANY TRACE OF SYMPATHY EVAPORATES AFTER SARAH READS IN THE NEWSPAPER WHY HER MOTHER POISONED THREE FAMILY MEMBERS ` SHE SIMPLY DESPISED THEM. THEY REALLY PLANNED... THIS HEINOUS CRIME. I WAS SHOCKED. I JUST FELT LIKE I WANTED TO STRANGLE MY MOM,... BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE DID. THE BIG QUESTION ` WHY DID DIANE BOTHER TO RUSH SARAH TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER LEAVING HER SON AND HUSBAND TO DIE AT HOME? IN A FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW WITH A CLEARLY RATTLED RACHEL AT THE GREEN COUNTY JAIL, DETECTIVE MCAMIS WANTS TO KNOW. WHEN SARAH GOT SO BAD, WHY DID YOU TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL? WAS IT SOME LAST-MINUTE TUG OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE? APPARENTLY, NO. I DIDN'T WANT ANOTHER ONE TO DIE IN THE HOUSE. AND WHY IS THAT? COS HOUSES ARE NASTY AFTER SOMEBODY'S DIED IN IT. I GET A LOT OF NIGHTMARES. BUT WHAT RACHEL TELLS POLICE NEXT MAY BE THE MOST HEINOUS OF ALL. SHE AND MOM DIANE WEREN'T EXACTLY FINISHED. BRIANNA, WAS SHE NEXT? WHEN WERE YOU GUYS GONNA KILL BRIANNA? SOME TIME AFTER SARAH. BRIANNA, THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE STAUDTE CLAN, A TENDER 12 YEARS OLD ` TOO YOUNG TO DRIVE BUT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK HER MOTHER'S POISON, ANTIFREEZE, IN HER ROOT BEER. THEY WERE GONNA KILL THE LITTLE GIRL AS WELL? 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? AND WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR BRIANNA? COS I KNOW THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'D BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HER. (SOBS) I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF ME, (SNIFFLES) SO HOW COULD I EVER TAKE CARE OF HER? SHE HAD DESCRIBED, UH, BRIANNA AS A BURDEN THEY DIDN'T WANT AROUND THE HOUSE. THAT WAS THEIR EXPLANATION. FOUR PEOPLE, THEY WOULD'VE KILLED FOUR PEOPLE IN THIS HOUSE IF THEY COULD'VE? CORRECT. RACHEL SAID THAT HER MOTHER WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT UNDERSTOOD HER. THEY COULD RELATE TO EACH OTHER, AND IT WAS JUST GONNA BE THOSE TWO. DO YOU THINK THIS WAS JUST A CASE OF A MOM AND DAUGHTER WHO JUST, IN SOME SICK WAY, WANTED TO HAVE A SIMPLER LIFE? I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY ACCEPTABLE, REMOTELY RATIONAL EXPLANATION. THE QUESTION IS ` HOW COULD THIS HAVE POSSIBLY HAPPENED? DID THE POLICE BLOW THIS THING? COULD THEY HAVE PREVENTED SARAH'S POISONING BY CONNECTING THESE DOTS? I THINK IT'S EASY TO GO BACK NOW, AND THERE WAS NOTHING AT THAT POINT TO INDICATE ANYTHING MALICIOUS. NEITHER ONE OF THEM KNEW ABOUT THE OTHER DEATHS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE, WHO CRITICS SAY BUNGLED THE BODIES OF MARK AND SHAUN BY MISSING OBVIOUS SIGNS OF FOUL PLAY? THEY DEFEND THEIR WORK ON THE CASE,... WHEN YOU HAVE PHYSICAL FINDINGS AT THE AUTOPSY THAT MATCH THE STORY THAT WAS GIVEN, TYPICALLY, OTHER ORGANS AREN'T LOOKED AT MICROSCOPICALLY. ...SAYING ANTIFREEZE IS DIFFICULT TO DETECT UNLESS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT. LATER TESTS DID CONFIRM THAT SHAUN'S BODY HAD THE PRESENCE OF THAT KILLER CHEMICAL ETHYLENE GLYCOL, FOUND IN ANTIFREEZE. THAT NEWS CAME A BIT LATE FOR SARAH. STILL, SHE'S LEARNT TO ACCEPT HER NEW REALITY, LIVING IN AN ASSISTED CARE FACILITY, MORE ALONE THAN EVER. DO YOU STILL CONSIDER THEM FAMILY? NOT ANY MORE. I CONSIDER THEM AS KILLERS... WHO HATE ME. YOU'RE ANGRY. I JUST FEEL LIKE I WANT TO SLAP BOTH OF THEM AND CALLING THEM 'B' WORDS. THEIR FAMILY PLOT UNCOVERED, PERHAPS IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDERERS WOULD EVENTUALLY TURN ON EACH OTHER, AND SURE ENOUGH, RACHEL MADE A LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE HERSELF WITH A PLEA DEAL,... REACTION TO A GUILTY PLEA FROM RACHEL STAUDTE, THE SPRINGFIELD WOMAN CHARGED WITH POISONING THREE OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS. ...THROWING HER MOM UNDER THE BUS. THAT'S CRUCIAL. TH` THE FACT THAT HER DAUGHTER HAS PLED GUILTY, SEEMS READY TO TESTIFY COULD IN AND OF ITSELF... BE ENOUGH TO CONVICT HER AND POTENTIALLY SEND HER TO DEATH ROW. JUDGMENT DAY FOR DIANE STAUDTE. SHE ENTERS THE COURTROOM, HER BACK AGAINST THE WALL, FACING DEATH BY LETHAL INJECTION, BUT THEN... YOU INTEND TO ENTER A PLEA OF GUILTY IN THIS CASE? DIANE: YES. ...PLEADING GUILTY TO KILLING HER HUSBAND AND SON, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE. ALSO IN COURT IN THE FRONT ROW ` THE DAUGHTER SHE TRIED TO KILL, 24-YEAR-OLD SARAH, FACING HER MOM, WHO POISONED HER WITH ANTIFREEZE. I'M DEFINITELY A SURVIVOR... THAN A VICTIM. SHE NOT ONLY TOOK AWAY MY DAD AND BROTHER, BUT SHE TOOK MY` MY INDEPENDENCE. CALLOUS TO THE END ` DIANE NEVER BOTHERING TO LOOK AT HER DAMAGED DAUGHTER, YET WEEKS LATER WHEN IT'S RACHEL'S TURN TO BE SENTENCED, SHE DISSOLVES IN TO TEARS READING A STATEMENT TO HER SISTER. I'M SORRY THAT I COULDN'T FIND THE COURAGE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT. (SNIFFLES) YOUR SUFFERING COULD'VE BEEN PREVENTED, (SNIFFLES) AND I HATE MYSELF FOR NOT BEING THERE FOR YOU. AND YET FOR ALL THE PAIN AND LOSS, TODAY SARAH SAYS SHE HARBOURS NO ILL WILL. I FORGIVE MY MOM. HOW DO YOU FIND IT IN YOURSELF TO FORGIVE HER? SHE TRIED TO KILL YOU. YES. WHEN WE LAST SPOKE, YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD WANNA SLAP THEM,... RIGHT. ...YOU'D WANNA CALL THEM THE 'B' WORD. RIGHT. NOT ANY MORE. WHAT CHANGED? AS TIME WENT BY, I MATURED. SHE SMILES FONDLY WHEN SHARING PHOTOGRAPHS OF A LIFE THAT SEEMS LIKE A DISTANT MEMORY ` THAT LITTLE BOY HERE IS MY BROTHER, SHAUN. THAT'S ME. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) YOU'RE SUCH A CUTE LITTLE GIRL! A FAMILY GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. (BAND PLAYS BLUES MUSIC) (PLAYS HARMONICA) WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES HANGING OUT WITH YOUR DAD? OH, I LOVED GOING TO CONCERTS WITH HIM. MARK STAUDTE'S MUSIC MAY HAVE BEEN MORE PROPHETIC THAN POETIC. JUST LISTEN TO THE LYRICS OF HIS FINAL SONG, 'FEMALE JUDAS'. (BAND PLAYS BLUES MUSIC) TO THIS DAY, BANDMATE CHARLES ALEXANDER ` STILL HEARING THOSE LYRICS IN HIS HEAD. I JUST WISH I COULD'VE HELPED HIM. I WISHED I COULD'VE SAVED HIM. (BLUES MUSIC CONTINUES) (INHALES DEEPLY, EXHALES HEAVILY) (SOBS) WHO WOULD DO THAT TO THEIR FAMILY? WHY? THERE'S BAD RELATIONSHIPS EVERYWHERE, BUT YOU DON'T DESTROY YOUR OWN FAMILY. HUMPH. (SNIFFLES) DESPITE HER EMOTIONAL APOLOGY, RACHEL STAUDTE WAS SENTENCED TO SERVE TWO LIFE SENTENCES PLUS 20 YEARS. HER MOTHER, DIANE, IS CURRENTLY SERVING A TERM OF LIFE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. KIA ORA. NGA MIHI.