Mother's brutal murder reveals dark family secrets

Bernie Pyne has been spending the holiday season trying to keep some sense of normalcy for his daughter, Julia, as they both wait for a jury to decide whether Julia's brother is coming home.

"The only thing that -- that repeats and goes through my mind is, 'Gotta get my son home to his sister. I've got to restore what's left of my family," he told Tracy Smith. "I had to tell her ... we're pretty sure that Jeffrey's comin' home, but the system isn't perfect and that there is a chance that -- that maybe Jeffrey isn't comin' home.' It shook her visibly."

"What'd she do? What'd she say?" Smith asked.

"'I just can't think about that, Dad. It can't happen,'" he said.

"Do you allow yourself to think about that?"

"I really don't," Bernie said. "I can't imagine Julia not havin' her brother back and I can't imagine not havin' my son back at home."

It's the third day of jury deliberations.

"We're gonna be all right. I'm focusing on the positive right now," said Bernie.

Bernie, who's been waiting more than a year for Jeffrey to be cleared in the murder of his mother, must wait four more hours before he can learn his son's fate due to the judge's crowded court docket.

"The agony of having to wait four hours to hear a verdict, is just, it's torture," he said.

But he is hopeful it will end with an early Christmas present for Julia.

"She has a play tonight -- a Christmas play at 7:00 p.m. that she's playing the prelude for on the piano. And-- my hope and my prayer is that-- I can take him ... to that play and he can see her play that prelude," said Bernie.

"In the people of the state of Michigan vs. Jeffrey Pyne, we the jury find the defendant guilty of second degree murder."

Second-degree murder. The jury determined that Jeffrey killed his mother, but it was not premeditated.

Jeffrey seemed stunned, nodding his head in disbelief; Bernie is distraught and disillusioned.

"I wasn't there to protect my wife when I needed to be and I wasn't able to get my son--home for his sister for Christmas. So it's not been a good year," Bernie told reporters as he walks out of court.

But for Jeffrey's aunt, the verdict was a relief and a vindication.

"Some justice was served by the guilty verdict today. I am deeply saddened... by my sister Ruth's senseless death. This was a heinous crime. Ruth Pyne was a victim..." Linda Jarvie told the court.

Still, she has sympathy for her nephew.

"I hold no grudge against Jeffrey. I just hope Jeff gets help, the help he needs to understand himself, why he did this," she said.

Bernie had to break the news to his daughter.

"She was more upset then I actually have ever seen her." In tears, he continued, "She said "No, no. no. It can't be."

"Do you think if there was no option for second-degree murder, that the jury would have acquitted Jeffrey?" Smith asked defense attorney James Champion.

"No doubt in my mind," he replied.

Champion has no doubts, because he spoke with jurors immediately after the trial.

"The last question I asked them was, 'If you hadn't had the second-degree instruction, would you have acquitted him?' And they said 'yes,'" said Champion.

"I believe the jury got it wrong in this case. Absolutely," Bernie told Smith.

"Could it be that it's just too painful for you to think your son did this to his mother?"

"I don't think so. In fact, if I thought my son had anything to do with his, we wouldn't need court and we wouldn't need attorneys and everything else. I'd have marched him into the police department and we'd have taken care of this," he said.

"What if, somewhere down the line, somehow it's proven to you that he did do this? Would you forgive him?" Smith asked.

"I would forgive him. But that would be tough," said Bernie.

There are mixed emotions for everyone in a case that leaves no victors -- just heartbreak.

"Me and my partner are both fathers and could never imagine what he's going through," Det. Glover said of Bernie. "When the guilty verdict came back, I was happy of the verdict, but at the same point couldn't help but feel bad for Bernie and that family. ...Ultimately, you know, nobody was really going to win in this case. And ... it's a tragedy.

"Julia and I are very close and we're gonna move on. We're gonna take this one day at a time and I've promised her that I will do everything I can to bring her brother back to her," said Bernie.

Jeffrey Pyne will be sentenced on Jan. 29.

Under Michigan law, he could receive as much as life in prison with parole or as little as a year.

For more information on the case, visit www.justiceforjeffpyne.com

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[droopyxena]

I am sorry, but this was the most heinous of injustices that I have ever seen. This was a case built entirely around circumstantial evidence. I realize that an overwhelming amount of circumstances that continuously lead in the direction of one or group of killers is possible to substantiate. But, in this case, the evidence was blisters (which I agree with the father, they appeared to be prior injuries that the skin had been peeled off), his supposed lie about planting the flowers for a neighbor (But, again, he calls and leaves a message for the woman explaining he would be there cleaning up after replanting the flowers. So it was not actually a lie. He said he was there to redistribute them, when he was there to clean up and determine if she liked them from when he planted several days previously - which can give a person blisters), and his being home with her that late morning and early afternoon. I mean, come on, why did he not just tell everyone he was at friend's house all day or out somewhere. Placing himself there during those hours was crucial and honest.

Whatever happened to "must find the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?" There are holes all through these supposed evidentiary miscalculations. Just because a person says the murder appears someone who knew the victim is guilty, that may not be the case. The defense attorney could have found numerous examples of murders that were unrelated and considered "overkills." In addition, what about someone she may have known that did not come into question. It was obvious she had her share of mood swings. What about some or even all the recipients of the harmful fueled hate she spewed on a regular basis when off her medication. There is no telling who or when she may have offended the wrong person. She may have been taking her meds the past few months, but what about those individuals lying in wait for the opportunity to extract their revenge.

Obviously, I believe this is a total miscarriage of justice, and I have no idea how any of the jurors can live with the humungous mistake they made in possibly destroying this guy's life. I am glad I do not have to live with the guilt.

[nealpellecchia]

much left out to consider. his alibi? dad does all the talking endears himself to the police, beat someone so hard in a bar fight that they went into a comma, dismissed as normal male behavior when he was younger. He's mad cause he never expected his son to be charged with it. visited him every week in jail probably telling him how to act in court and get off. it didn't work. And og course his wife who can't speak has the illness of the day"bi-polar" that can explain away anything. BS. she probably didn't take the pills because she didn'y think she needed them. and where is the medical people who are so perfect to explain the diagnosis?... dad shows he gets violent and can't stop right??

[ValWy]

Why is it, since I have my DVR set to record this show weekly, half the time, CBS is showing some procedural instead (don't know what show - I delete it in irritation right away)?

Are you showing 48 Hours at different times than advertised?

[CBSMichelle]

48 Hours was delayed by 8 minutes (due to NFL football) on the East coast Saturday night.

[lokibear2]

whether he did it or not they should not have been able to add the 2nd degree charge - that is exactly what the jury did - split the baby

[nosnobs]

He should NOT be prosecuted even if he did it! I have a relative that was mentally ill but did get the right meds and was out of control and caused hell on earth. This poor son of this woman, snapped. He should have gotten sympathy and compassion, something these hard nosed prosecutors simply don't know or understand!This relative is fine now after being committed for a year and put on the right meds. This mother wss not committed and the father should have seen to it that she WAS! Meds would have changed EVERYTHING. Leave this poor kid GO.PLEASE.

[wolfmagic2012]

Stupidest effing thing I've ever read.

[nosnobs]

wolfmagic, You are totally naive about mental illness.

[melziewelzie]

I don't see how this case can be considered "beyond a shadow of a doubt". No weapon, not much of a motive from a mellow person, no evidence with the exception of his hands--He does yardwork and hand intensive manual labor--of course his hands could have blisters. I think Bernie or jeffrey needs to hire a new lawyer. There was no case to speak of on the defense side. This should be a mistrial based on a lousy lawyer--if nothing else. How were they able to legally change the charges at the last minute? I'm not a lawyer, but I think a much better case can be made on the defense side.

People that should have been on Jeffrey's side. For character: his father, his sister, his friends--not an ex!, teachers, etc. For scientific: forensics expert--where's the blood--not in his nails, not in his car, not in the house, etc. Someone to analyze the photo of hands to say those were possibly older wounds.

What about other enemies of the mothers? What about Bernie's ex-girlfriend? The sister? A stranger? A vagabond?

I guess it's possible Jeffrey did this, but I don't sense that he did. Esp, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Let's not have another Michael Morton. Someone who spends 25 years in jail for a murder he didn't commit.

Someone needs to save Jeffrey--just saying.

[wolfmagic2012]

A jury ofhis peers says he did it. Case closed.

[jollychap123]

You forget the lies he told about being at the neighbors' house planting trees and all the phone calls he made to the neighbor to seal an alibi. If anything the lack of evidence left behind shows is first degree murder--planned the attack with gloves on and discarded all in trash in some out of the way location. He had the time -- two to three hours unaccounted for.

[Meezermom1951]

Darlaine1, Just because the woman had a mental illness also did not give her the right to totally destroy her family. Her son had already spent much of his life dealing with the messes she caused and her little girl was now dealing too. The husband could not take more responsibilities on! He had to provide for his family. Was he supposed to sit at home on welfare? His best option was to have her committed and divorce her and give the children the chance at as normal a home as possible. Living and dealing with a bi-polar or other mentally ill person is hell on earth and just because "they can't help it" does not give them the right to destroy those around them. This was simply a case of Not Proven. They should never have been allowed to add second degree murder at the 11th hour as there was simply no evidence to convict the son. Sounds indeed like poor police/detective work!

[darlaine1]

I never said that the husband needed to go on welfare... but guess what he should have been the adult in the situation. Never said that she should have a free pass for having a mental health problem, but I would guess that the outcome would have been very different, if the father, the husband had been more responsible. So you think he should have left the care taking of his daughter to his son? Yeah the husband could have taken more responsibility in what was going, any responsible adult would not leave a mess for their children to take care of. He didn't exhibit any judgement in leaving that mess on his son. An adult who cares about their children would not in your own words have had his son dealing with the mess caused by his mother. So again in your words his best option was to divorce or have her committed, he did neither so he is complicit in not providing the safety that his children should have expected in a home where there was violence or abuse inflicted on them by their parent. I never said that mental illness gives you a free pass, but neither does ignoring it by the dad who was equally responsible for providing a Safe environment for his children.

[darlaine1]

Never said the mother should get a pass for her mental health issues. I also never said the father should go on welfare to take care of his wife. However if he had not left his son to take car of his mother messes, your words, and been the responsible adult in handling a very poor situation for both of his children, there would have been a different outcome. It should have never been his son's primary duty to care for his mom and his sister, he after all at one point in this was a kid himself. His father should have taken one of those choices you mentioned divorce or committment, but never should have allowed his children to be abused by their mother. In that he was just as complicit as she was to allow it happen. No she couldn't help it, but he could have, he could have made better decisions for the well being of his Family.

[saturn05]

Very interesting. I don't know if the son did it. Id he did do it, he probably lost it.

[31horizon]

There is one person no one mentioned as a possible suspect and that the father's paramour. He was having an affair which he broke off when his wife said she would cooperate with the doctors and take her medicine. There is a possibility that the former female friend held such a grudge that built up until she lost it and killed the wife. She may have figured he would take her back after the wife was gone. I believe the son is innocent. How sad. That poor family. I couldn't sleep all night thinking of them.

[tmittelstaed]

I think he did do it. But, I have experience with family members who are mentally ill - self destructive - and refuse to take medication and I can understand completely why he did it.

His mother's responsibility as a parent was to take her ******* medication and she had no right to subject her family to the horrors that she did.

His father's responsibility as a parent was to give the mother an ultimatim - take your dam medication or we are getting a divorce and I'm taking the kids and your not getting ANY visitation until your verifyably on medication.

The mother refused to do what her parental obligations required her to do. She had to be forced by a court to do it. And you can be for dam certain that on the day she was murdered, she got up in the morning and thought "I don't feel like taking my meds" and she DIDN'T and as a result - her old nasty ugly personality came roaring back.

I think Jeffrey saw his mother getting better - then on the day SHE selfishly decided to stop taking her meds - he saw everything going back to the bad old way it was before - and he just couldn't bear it anymore - and something snapped. All the years and countless unwarranted and unjustified abuse that his mother had heaped on him came roaring back and he snapped.

I don't blame him.

There is only ONE way to deal with bi-polar individuals - you harden your heart and tell them take your meds or hit the street.

Every last bi-polar person out there hates taking their medication, they loath doing it. They have this personal grudge against their meds. The bi-polar people who have empathy for what their family has to deal with - they overcome their revulsion to taking their meds and they take them. Religiously. Every single day. They deserve high praise.

But, the selfish bi-polars - they don't. They skip meds. They lie to themselves that they have "gotten better and don't need to take the meds anymore" And they do not deserve one ounce of compassion.

[darlaine1]

Your comments are not grounded in logic. The woman was diagnosed with a mental illness, the very nature of a bipolar person is they don't believe they are ill. Her husband SHOULD have taken more responsibility. He should have been the one responsible for the Family not leave the job up to his son, to take care of the sister, to provide the normalcy to the Family. Perhaps if the father had taken a more responsible interest in his Family instead of trying to run around this horrible tradegdy would never have happened. Yes the son did do it. And no he DOES not get a free pass because his mother had mental health problems. If you truly believe that rant that you posted, then yes as a society we are in deep deep trouble.

[vermejo]

he did it...