Lorrie12, you can stop playing the Devil's Advocate...truly. I have read and re-read your comments. I appreciate your looking at all angles, but I have to say you have got it wrong in any implication of wife # 2. lori_ann123 is more in line with what makes sense. Why would wife # 2 be literally praying for an investigation to be opened if she did this? Lorrie12, you may or may not be married, but I am and I can tell you that if something this horrible happened to my husband, I would do everything to see justice is done to the fullest extent which would include finding out who was behind his abduction, torture and ultimate murder. And if during this, his death is ruled a suicide, I would do everything in my power to get that ruling overturned. Col Philip Shue did not commit suicide. It is very common for a married couple to each have a life insurance policy with the other spouse as beneficiary, however it is not common for an ex-wife to have one on her ex-husband. Yes, this was a very unusual case and Col Shue agreed to it upon their divorce as part of the settlement. Now threatening letters arrive and he tries to cancel the policy his ex-wife had on him and is unsuccessful. If I were Tracy Shue, I would have done exactly what she did and go after USAA. Who knows? If they had cancelled the policy maybe he would still be alive today as the ex-wife would have nothing to gain. If the ex-wife was innocent, why in the world would she take the 5th? And you think Tracy Shue looks greedy? I totally disagree. She looks like a woman still in shock over what happened to the man she obviously adored and he did like-wise.
Only playing devil's advocate I promise..... I only say this for the sake of "why would 2nd wife keep the investigation going?" I have no idea other than she would get the benefits from the policies from the first wife...if she can show the first wife is implicated in the husbands murder. I guess its hard for me to understand why everyone see's the first wife had a motive of money from the life insurance but nobody seems to look at the 2nd wife and she was in line to get the lion's share...how come that isnt even a bigger motive? Remember....they have nothing implicating the first wife except for one anonymous letter and the 2nd wifes carefully veiled accusations and stories about her from the dead husband....lets not forget that this was made to look like he was tortured in a sexual nature (and they just happen to mention that 1st wife studied S/M...but nobody has said that the 1st wife nor the husband practiced it.) So why even go there? I just really hope that they re-open this case and investigate all angles. It could be anybody at this point., the first wife takes the 5th 20 times, heck even wife number 2 if not guilty, looks really greedy...the investigators still believe it to be suicide...
I don't know that taking the fifth and refusing polygraph incriminates one but it sure does nothing in the person's favor if they are innocent. To the poster that suggests it's the second wife... I entertained that for a few minutes before reading the comments, but think about it. If she had something to do with it why would she pursue them opening the case and claiming it a homicide when they found it a suicide, and take the chance of being caught. It just doesn't make sense.
I do have to question why the military and civilian investigators were so quick to make it a suicide without investigation... is there more to the story that even the second wife doesn't know? Perhaps he knew something, found something out that he couldn't share with anyone for fear that person would also become endangered?
So, the first wife is a possibility, but so is a numerous other situations that we do not know about.
so many scenarios..... Did he kill himself...the dr that treated him said he was responding to treatment....dont people that finally make the decision to kill himself feel calmer...maybe look like they are responding to treatment?
If money is a motive....the 2nd wife got like 2 mill and was trying to get what was left to the first wife....(she was married to him for 20 years!! Its not uncommon for the ex to keep the policies) and nobody has said that there is anything that points towards the 1st wife accept the letter and the 2nd wife.....the unsigned letters from a "friend" ...he and the 2nd wife are the only ones that know about them, has anyone seen more than the one? or the envelopes they arrived in?. The 1st wife did write him back saying she wasnt involved and never has been. And why would the 1st wife plead the 5th? i can only think that just having the policies in her name and knowing that he had accused her of trying to kill him was motive.....what else could she do? IF they wanted to know what happened they wouldve figured out a way to offer her some kind of immunity so that she would have to testify....I do hope they re-open this...or if this is the way it has to be..... I truly hope they have enough information (that we do not know about)....to keep it ruled a suicide.
oh and another thought....2nd wife was a veteran nurse.....lidocaine....excised nipples...like she hasnt seen blood and gore before? 1st wife was a sex therapist....did she study sado/mas. or did she practice it? 2nd wife made sure to point out that the 48 hours interviewer was the first one to ask the question on if the Col practiced sado/mas, (not really sure why that matters, did anyone think this was about rough sex?...I thought everyone was saying "torture")......yet he was married to the 1st wife for 20 years..... if she was that into it...c'mon....you believe he wasnt and she was?
The interest of the beneficiary in a life insurance policy or contract hereto or hereafter shall be forfeited when the beneficiary is the principal or an accomplice in willfully bringing about the death of the insured. When such is the case, the nearest relative of the insured shall receive said insurance.
All 2nd wife had to do was show that the first wife was involved and she would've gotten that money too...........
....what if its the 2nd wife? she is the one that got the most money out of this and was trying to get more (l looked into the USAA suit she had, she was trying to get the money from the first wifes policy, not just stop the payment to the first wife under a Texas statute) ...if you are looking for a money motive that is. Maybe she didnt want to move to Alabama.....What do we know about her? accept for what she and her own best friend say about her.....why did he keep driving past all the home exits? did the investigators look into her? isnt it the spouse that is the first person of interest? she was the last one to see him alive... and unless the first wife is the stupidest woman on the face of the earth...why .want to kill him after all this time....knowing she would be one of the first ones looked at because of the insurance policies?
we know nothing about the first wife....other than what the 2nd wife says about her. She refused to talk...bummer. but very smart. I keep thinking about how she was married to the Col for 20 years, you get used to a certain hierarchy lifestyle when you are married to an officer. Then during the divorce (?).... he meets another women...and 2nd wife really is adorable.......first wife feels bitter enough to kill him....but all these years later? but ....she remarried....and why would she have killed him now? greed and bitterness.?...wonder if we will ever know what really happend to this soldier?
and lets not forget...he was a psychiatrist....I believe he could've thought this up...he was getting ready to retire after all those years in the military... isnt PTSD triggered by stressful events? he had been in the Balkans during the worst of it, wasnt he also in Vietnam? they portray him as someone that was really upset by the idea that the first wife would profit by his death....he couldve wanted to kill himself, who knows? ....(he was actively seeking therapy according to the show)...... but maybe he also wanted to make sure that the first wife was at least implicated enough that she wouldnt be paid out. Lots of questions...
Although it was painful I had to watch this a few times and everytime I come away wondering HOW the investigators (civilian and Military) could walk away from this being okay with ALL of the un-answered questions. They have to re-open this case. It is possible that he was depressed or suffering from PTSD and he killed himself but chose to do so by implicating his first wife...did you see where the one expert says...he wouldve injected the nipples to numb them....wouldnt that have been the missing injection site the other expert says was missing? Did they find the nipples? the tape roll...did this all happen in the car? Where did all this happen to him? Then again the first wife kept pleading the 5th....it actually worked...they stopped questioning her...I am not a lawyer but I plan on googling ....what would be the normal investigative process for dealing with a case where a person of interest refuses to talk via pleading the 5th. IF this really is all they have in this investigation....they really need to RE-OPEN THIS CASE!!
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I do have to question why the military and civilian investigators were so quick to make it a suicide without investigation... is there more to the story that even the second wife doesn't know? Perhaps he knew something, found something out that he couldn't share with anyone for fear that person would also become endangered?
So, the first wife is a possibility, but so is a numerous other situations that we do not know about.
If money is a motive....the 2nd wife got like 2 mill and was trying to get what was left to the first wife....(she was married to him for 20 years!! Its not uncommon for the ex to keep the policies) and nobody has said that there is anything that points towards the 1st wife accept the letter and the 2nd wife.....the unsigned letters from a "friend" ...he and the 2nd wife are the only ones that know about them, has anyone seen more than the one? or the envelopes they arrived in?. The 1st wife did write him back saying she wasnt involved and never has been. And why would the 1st wife plead the 5th? i can only think that just having the policies in her name and knowing that he had accused her of trying to kill him was motive.....what else could she do? IF they wanted to know what happened they wouldve figured out a way to offer her some kind of immunity so that she would have to testify....I do hope they re-open this...or if this is the way it has to be..... I truly hope they have enough information (that we do not know about)....to keep it ruled a suicide.
Article 21.23 Forfeiture of Beneficiary's Rights
The interest of the beneficiary in a life insurance policy or contract hereto or hereafter shall be forfeited when the beneficiary is the principal or an accomplice in willfully bringing about the death of the insured. When such is the case, the nearest relative of the insured shall receive said insurance.
All 2nd wife had to do was show that the first wife was involved and she would've gotten that money too...........