Trial Verdict and Final Reflections

A millionaire is found dead in his South Florida mansion after an odd 911 call. So how is that an accident? How is it an accident? The guy fell down the stairs and he's dead. They said, Holy cow, you know we're gonna We got an issue here. body was inside of his sleeping bag, there was a fitted sheet. I opened up the bag a little bit further, pulled some of the stuff apart, and I saw a hand. A bizarre and complex crime scene raises more questions than answers. For me as an investigator, I'm like, what are you doing here? You know, with the attorney. This was a lot more than just an accident. He would drink a bit too much. And that I think But with multiple witnesses and conflicting stories, investigators must determine what's true. Cover up. She says to me he wanna bear in the ocean. She's what, 85 pounds? 85 something. Somebody had to help her. Two people were there, and no one else knew what the story was. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a place most people associate with relaxation. Port Lauderdale and it's a vacation spot. It's a hot spot for taking cruises to go to the Bahamas and everywhere else. We have seven miles of ocean, ocean that you can go to. On June 28, 2011, police are called to the scene of a fatal accident on one of the area's more affluent streets. I wonder when what is your emergency? We need a detective at token a drive for Laudville, please. Okay, what's going on there, sir? They had an accident. Okay, do they need paramedics? Not anymore. So how is that an accident? I held in an accident, the guy fell down the stairs and he's dead. It wasn't frantic when he called 91. I don't wanna say he acted as it was another day at the office, but something just doesn't seem right. When the police arrived, they discovered the body of Ronald Vinci. Present at the scene were Catherine Pellegi, Mr. Vici's significant other. An attorney named Sam Fields. And a close friend of Ronald Vinci named Spencer Gordon. The attorney identified himself as that I am representing Ms. Pelegi. What are you doing here? You know? The attorney. with Spencer, you know, why you here? That was kinda suspicious. Spencer Gordon tells police he's the one who called 911. When he leads the officers to Ron's body, they realize the situation does not match the story they were told. He had apparently fallen down the stairs, which was confounding to the police. Body we're thinking is at the bottom of the stairs. Once you go in the entry, go to the right. Walk into the bedroom and there's a big bed. That's where the body was at. body was inside of this sleeping bag. There was a fitted sheet, I believe. There was a towel. There were multiple elements to all of the coverings, directly around the decedent. His body looked like big clump of dirty laundry sitting off to the right side of your bed. Once they saw that, they said, holy cow, you know, we gotta we got an issue here. we wondered how he could get from the bottom of the stairs into the bedroom. Since appears the body has already been moved, officers clear the scene to preserve any potential evidence. They immediately shut it down and called us out that Catherine Pellegi was being detained in a patrol car as a personal interest or a possible suspect. And the crime scene was sealed. So no one goes in until at least the ME goes in there and then the scene is processed. It was such a complex scene, meaning the scene directly around the decedent. and not knowing what would be in there. Uh I thought it would be better just to to wrap everything up, not disturb anything, and just put the entire unit in a body bag and have it transported. The assumption is that at this point, because of the context of the scene, that this is a homicide. Then we decide our plan of attack here. What are we gonna do? The bigger thing is to collect as much of the evidence as possible, and because we just never know what is going to be important. While investigators are securing evidence, Detectives learn more about who is at the scene. Before you start looking for the boogeyman or They have entered and fled. You you look to see who in immediate area. could have been involved and find out what they know? Ms. Pellegi was taken downtown and then our witnesses the same thing just to get him away from the scene and we can talk to them and try to get their version of what happened. What is the story behind all this? Ronald Vinci was born in Ohio on August 16, 1940, but he lived most of his life in California. A salesman at heart, Ron was drawn to a career in auto sales, and he spent decades becoming one of the most successful dealers in the state. Ronick was a self made man. I would characterize him as being very street smart. Back in the day, nobody really knew how successful Honda Motors would be. But he made a real success out of it. You couldn't hide how much money the boy had. Yeah, y'all. He had uh motorcycle collection. This was not somebody who was scraping by. Ron married in his early 20s and had a son. But after many years together, the relationship ended in divorce, and Ron's focus turned back to his work. And some rather expensive hobbies. I met Ron Vincey. In a small town called Lake Havasu, Arizona. And found we had similar interests. We liked boats, we liked airplanes, we liked water. Those types of things. Rog was a very fun guy. You wanted to be around him from any standpoint, from A social event to going down to the Bahamas. He had a just a zest for life that was unparalleled. In 1993, at the age of 53, Ron decided it was time to cash out and enjoy the fruits of his labor. When mister Vince retired and sold his interest in And the Honda dealerships that he had. He had a lot of money. Which he spent on toys and and property. And travel. On one of his luxury trips, Ron got a second chance at love when he met a 37-year-old woman from Georgia named Katherine Pellegi. Kathy grew up in rural Augusta. He had a pretty large family. I think she was probably the oldest of five or six children. She was extremely close with both of her parents and with most of her siblings. She was a real lady, a humble lady, a very kind and considerate person. She was a flight attendant when they met. You know, people normally date within an age range. And you know, he he got somebody who was fairly significantly younger than him. I met Kathy about the same time that I met Ron. They were always an item. They had been together for many years, and she was just a really nice person. Kathy was a very good looking, gorgeous woman. I think that she was somewhat of a trophy girlfriend. You know, my girlfriend's an airline stewardess and she's a hottie. Despite their age difference, Catherine and Ron found they shared many things in common, including a taste for the high life. Earlier in their relationship, they shared a joy and and a passion for flying. Kathy was a pilot. She was actually a better pilot than Ron was and used to do most of the flying wherever they would go. There were many trips that they would They would take all over the country and throughout the Caribbean. The couple spent the next 2 years jet setting before putting down roots in southern Florida. He purchased a a two story home in one of Fort Lauderdale's richest, ritzyest uh neighborhoods um that he shared with Catherine. Although they never married. Catherine and Ron seemed to have the kind of relationship most only dream of. The two of 'em attended functions all the time. Gala events. They enjoyed the good life. Two weeks after moving into the new mansion, their high-flying lifestyle has come to a tragic end. After securing the crime scene, detectives bring the three potential witnesses in for questioning. We need to identify almost immediately, okay, who are my key players here that I need to talk to and then separate from the scene. Investigators start with interviewing Catherine. Requests to have her lawyer present. And did you understand your rise is about as high and with them to And you are willing or not only to make a statement now reference to the system. After getting nowhere with Catherine, in a separate room, her lawyer provides some startling information. Put it this way, this was a lot more than just an accident. Hang up. A witness reveals a sinister discovery. Eventually he got her to say, okay, he was shot. And an autopsy reveals the details of a brutal murder. There were budgeting marks from a hammer in his skull. It was overkill, so we know it's personal. Fort Lauderdale police are questioning everyone who is at Ron Vince's mansion the night he was reported to be deceased. Ron's girlfriend Catherine isn't willing to make a statement. But in a separate room, her attorney reveals some disturbing details. He said you'll find blunt force trauma, you'll find stab wounds, you'll find gut chat wounds, you know, on the body. Only a person that would have been there or committed it would have known the injuries. So now we're thinking, okay, well, is that a confession? Just so many questions and so many things that were going on. Catherine's attorney refuses to elaborate, so detectives turn their attention to the man who called 911. Spencer Gordon. You work for Ron. I work for Ron. I fly a helicopter, I fly airplane. Occasionally. Spencer had told us the night before on the 27th, Spencer Gordon, Miss Pelegi, and Mr. Vinci. They were all there, had dinner, Chinese feet, and had some wine and socialized. According to Spencer, they left about seven thirty that evening. As far as he's concerned, Mr. Vinci was alive and well. Here's passed out or sleep. H sleep or passed out on the switch. Spencer tells detectives Ron was something of a party animal, so he didn't think much of him passing out in the living room. But the next morning, he was surprised to get an emergency call from someone who works for Ron. Ronaldo Silver. He was a handyman, but he did a lot of gardening work among his other duties. He called Spencer Gordon, who he knew to be a close friend of Ronald Vinci. I called him back at 1042. That's the one was. Right. And at that time. He said I can't find lawn on pass. That was his exact word. Which I took to me while I passed out. Right. So alright, calm down, we'll score over there and we'll see what's happening. The car we went over there. When Spencer arrived at the house to check on Ron, he quickly realized the situation was much worse than he imagined. She was on the foyer. Ronaldo at that time was trying to get me to go into the back bedroom to see what's going on. I was talking with Kathy. Renal is still nervous saying there's a bag, there's a bag, Bon's in the bag. Ronaldo pointed out where Vinci's body was in the bedroom. And Spencer would in. I unzip the thing, I opened up the bag a little bit further, pulled some of the stuff apart and my hand. Well that I was. Before he made an I-1-1 call, he confronted Catherine Pellegi about it, and her initial version was he fell down the stairs. When did this happen? She said about one o'clock or one thirty in the morning. Listen. What did you do? She just stared. Kathy gotta tell me what happened here. Spencer said eventually he got her to say, okay, he was shot. She told you there's a bullet hole in them? That's what she said. They were in an argument, heated argument, got into something, and then she shot him. Sorry. We want to. I don't want to go to the channel. I understand that, but we want to. See my phone. Call 911. Let's see what happens here. No. Well if you're not calling. She said, no, no, don't do that. I walked out to the front and called by one. And um at some point you felt you needed an attorney, so you called an attorney for. What I did is I called my friend. Yeah, this is after calling nine one one. Yes, does you have an attorney there, the script attorney said yes. But when investigators review the specifics of the nine one one call. It doesn't match what Spencer just told them. Are there any weapons involved? No, I don't know. For us, that was weird. Why not just simply say, hey, I need I need help, I need an ambulance. The guy's been shot. He just says somebody fell in a deceased. That takes thought. and you're starting to say, okay, this guy's not being truthful. Detectives confront Spencer about the discrepancy. There's a lot more detail here now than what you gave in your first statement that S. Yeah, I I won't shock, man. I was still in shock, man. After getting nowhere with the witnesses, police are forced to release everyone. They wanted to interview Miss Pelleggi, but she... exercise a fifth minute right to remain silent. We were told that, okay, let's let's go ahead and release her for the moment, and especially Gordon, since we don't have a confession. We don't really know what happened whether she's the person that did it. With hopes of getting more answers, they ask the handyman Reinaldo Silva to come in for questioning. O detetive de Jesus me ligou de manhã. E ele perguntou se eu poderia ir lá. No delegacia. Na hora que eu cheguei, ele falou, me conta tudo que você sabe. Today, one o'clock in the morning, she called me. I have it in my phone. Well in wrongs form. In wrongs form. Then she said to me, Ray, you have to rent a truck tomorrow. Because I rent a truck before. Nunca recebi ordem da Kate. O tempo inteiro, Ron. Eu sei o que é. One forty five in the morning, then I go back to the bed. Daddy. Something like that. I called the house. Wrong's phone. She answered the phone, then she said, Ray, come straight to the house. Then I go inside, then she coming. Cry and say to me, We're going fast. Ron's what? Bass. Bass. Die. Ron passed? Yeah. Say why she fell from this deer. Gang she going she say to me wrong happy to be He wanna bear in the ocean. She wants you to help her to take him into boats. I just see I wanna see wrong. Quando eu entrei... Quando ela me levou pra ver o corpo.. Ele não estava na cama. onde eu respeitava. Com vela, ele estava enrolado. do lado da cama. Reinaldo says he immediately suspected foul play. Eu acho que ela é responsável. Porque ela me ligou de Margada. Ela me mostrou o pô. Queria que eu jogasse no mar. Não liguei pra polícia. Porque... Fiquei com medo. Medo de quê? Medo de não ser entendido. Porque não tinha um inglês.. Que eu sei que é pobre ainda. Eu queria pedir ajuda. Eu não sabia o que eu ia fazer. Eu queria ligar para o expense. He said I'd be dead. Ron, Spencer, is good friends, is together all the time. So I talk to him say hey is the situation I see the body I don't see the face but I see the Then he said to me and to see Raw. I don't think she expected him to call Spencer Gord. He was very traumatized by it. You know, like you told me, uh again, he very emotional about it when he talked about it. And that he couldn't believe that this had happened. Was it the handyman? I don't think it was the handyman. I think he was too traumatized with what happened. Investigators wrap up their questioning with Rinaldo and shift focus back to the crime scene to shed further light on what happened. The first thing they find is a large bin and dive weights. This would come in handy if you wanted to Dispose of a body at sea and and make sure no one found it? You would imagine that this would be suspicious. They also discover evidence of a hasty cleanup. By the naked eye, there was no blood there. You can clean some areas with with Clorox. and completely clean and as clean as you think it could be. The luminol will bring it out and you can see it. Detectives low and hold the tile floor by the bottom of the staircase and Found bloodstains. The blood trail led to The first four bedroom. and then into, you know, on the bed and where everything else was at. So they tested it and determined that it was Mr. Vincey's buttons. If it happened in that hallway at the bottom of stairs, how did he get into the bedroom? Maybe she just pulled them and dragged them. If you look at Miss Pellegi, she's what 85 pounds, maybe five something. So for this woman of such small stature, you know, to have done this, something just doesn't seem right, I want the whole story. Yeah. June 29, 2011, the day after Ron Vinci died, the medical examiner conducts a full autopsy of his body. Detectives believe the results will confirm if Ron fell down the stairs or was shot by his long-term girlfriend, Catherine Pellegi. We still didn't know what we were gonna find in the autopsy. body bag is x-rayed with the decedent and all the wrappings in it. Once we look at the X-rays, we have a feel for anything like bullets. The X-ray gave a clue as to there was very likely a gunshot wound. and then immediately you can see the sharp force injuries on the neck and blunt force injuries to the head. He also had a large bruise on his chest. He had a gunshot wound to the left side of his head and it had fractured his skull and actually lacerated his brain. He had, I believe it was seven incise wounds on his neck and five stab wounds to his trunk. Whoever killed Ronald Vinci. Wanted to make sure he was not getting up. It was overkill. And any time we go to a scene where we see that the injury sustained are overkill, then we know it's personal. As far as detectives are concerned, Catherine's refusal to cooperate with their investigation makes her the prime suspect. We suspect it who may have done it, but we have to tie the suspect to the crime scene. We spent three or four days at the house. In Ron's Bentley, they find a treasure trove of evidence. In the trunk were several plastic bags filled with items that turned out to be of evidentiary significance. More significantly was a 380 handgun. Knife that appeared to have blood on it. And a hammer. On the 380 Handguns magazine were fingerprints that were subsequently matched to Catherine Polegie. Is that the same firearm that Mr. Vincey, you know, was killed with? We don't know. But according to the Spencer Accords, she's handled those firearms. So the fingerprints could have been in there from who knows whenever. We continued our investigation. We determined that she had made purchases, you know, on her credit card. She had actually went out and purchased a bin at Home Depot. She had gone to uh Brownie's, which is a dive shop. Purchase some weights, dive weights. that allegedly she was gonna use. To take a victim's body out in the ocean and and dump them. The receipts show it was her, the video surveillance showed it was her. There was no one else with her. The purchases are consistent with what the handyman Reinaldo told police. But what's also suspicious is when Catherine bought some of the items. The weight say had been purchased the day before the body was discovered. with a red flag because if she was planning to do this ahead of time. This would be an earmark of premeditated murder. Questions facing investigators now are, why would Catherine plan the murder of her longtime boyfriend? And did she have help trying to dispose of his body? When they ask friends of the couple, they discover the relationship was more volatile than it appeared. Ron and I went to breakfast two or three times a week. He didn't share with me what the problem between the two of them was, but it was apparent to me that Ron would drink a bit too much. And that I think Caused some uh some riff between the two of them. They had reached the point, clearly, according to their friends, this relationship was not going to go very much further. Catherine and Ron even separated for a few months in 2000. One of the times that we went to breakfast, he disclosed to me the potential settlement agreement. Kathy had asked for. And that was she wanted a new car. She wanted a hundred thousand dollars. And she wanted the pet house. That she was living in. Ask me my opinion if I thought that was the right thing to do. And I told him that it was. I told him I think it was the An easy count. But I guess that didn't happen. But friends say after their time apart, they wound up reconciling. If Catherine was back in Ron's good graces. was her motive for killing him. The day after Ron's murder, police learn of another suspicious death. In talking with some of Ms. Pelezi's closest friends we were told that she blamed Mr. Vincey for her sister's death. They were out at some Swary somewhere in the Caribbean or something like that. Her sister became sick. Vince gave her some of his medication. But at some time thereafter. Obviously the sister passed. She blamed him. Her death. Show you there was a lot of anger there. Could that be Moto? Sometimes a heat of passion can be so great that it might negate conscious intent to kill. Coming up, Catherine finally opens up and reveals claims of self-defense. She realized, oh this time he really meant it. really was gonna kill. But is she telling the truth? There's no question in my mind she had developed better woman syndrome. Armed with evidence linking Catherine Pellegi to the death of her boyfriend, Ron Vinci, Florida police obtain a warrant for her arrest on July 5, 2011. This point Based on witness testimony. Based on the evidence collected at the scene and processed. We submitted it, the Commonwealth Attorney stuff to say I think we have no problem with Call of Story arrest her. But now, Catherine has hired a new attorney. Bruce Udolf. I got the call from Fort Lauderdale Police. Asking me to bring her down to self surrender. She did so. Crime scene folks photographed her and fingerprinted her. Uh we got DNA swaps from her. She was charged with murder in the first degree. Once again, Catherine refuses to give a statement to police. Months later, when Catherine is evaluated by a forensic psychologist, her version of events finally comes to light. She confessed that she had shot Mr. Vince. But Catherine claims it had nothing to do with money or her sister's death. According to her, she was a long-term victim of domestic abuse. She was gonna offer a defense that what she did. It was an overreaction due to battered spouse syndrome. And that's some way, shape, or form, this was really self-defense on her part. She said he had two personalities. He said, you know, he'd be nicest as ever. and then he could do a flip on you in a heartbeat and become the meanest person, you know, uh in the world. He would just drink, become very boisterous, he would bump into people, or he would be obnoxious. And I think he was being somewhat too obnoxious to Kathy from time to time. I actually told him if he didn't quit being obnoxious, I was gonna throw his ass overboard over the side of the boat. In addition to that, he was taking lots of different medications, which had a variety of effects on him, including hallucinations. losses of consciousness. Catherine claims she suffered in silence for more than a decade. But on the night of June 27, 2011, she decided she'd had enough. She said he had an argument at the top of the stairs. She was trying to keep a condominium that she liked to live in, a mass all this boulevard, from being sold. And he blamed her for the deal not going through. And we know this only from her words. He stuck a gun in her face. He's so drunk and out of it from all the drugs that he was taking, that he fell backwards and fell down and hit his head at the bottom of the stairs. He's not bleeding that much, but uh she wipes up all the blood and she puts him on a rug. So she could pull him into a bedroom. She puts him in bed. She finishes cleaning up. It took probably about a half an hour by her estimate. She gets dressed, she goes downstairs, and she sees the gun, sees the clip is half out. This is semi-automatic. And the the gunhead jam. She realized, oh, this time he really meant it. He really was gonna kill it. And That's when she takes the gun and goes into the bedroom, sees him lying there. She described How she raised that gun. Closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. Next thing I know, I'm standing over Ron. And he's in bed, dead. And I have a knife in my hand. I don't remember what happened. I must have killed him. Investigators attempt to verify Catherine's claims, but there are no records of any domestic violence calls. It seemed like they had several monas of acrimony that they really, really, really didn't like each other from time to time, but I didn't see any hint whatsoever of physical violence. Victims of domestic abuse generally do a pretty good job of concealing their bruises. Wear long sleeve shirts, or makeup. Investigators are working to corroborate Catherine's allegations when a pivotal witness comes forward. The captain of one of Ron's boats. They were out again, I don't know, water somewhere. And there was an argument that he says it Ron became so angry at it, he just simply pushed her either to get her away. Aaron Brown had been with them for a while, and he said he had witnessed a great deal of physical abuse. He's one of the few people that actually saw it in real time. Ron also is pointing a gun at her and at Aaron Brown on another occasion. But that night, the Mr. Vinci had been killed. Two people were there. My victim and my suspect. And no one else knew what the story was. Investigators still have to figure out one more piece of the puzzle. How does she do this alone? Maybe she just pulled him and dragged them. Well that would have certainly took an effort. But then to get him on the bed, was she physically able to do that? Not to me she wasn't. You know, somebody had to help her. To investigators, one man seems to be a perfect fit. This is the point we're starting to suspect that Spencer Garner may have some involvement in it. His actions, his demeanor, just at times really confuse us. I didn't see what I wanted to see in saying that he's gonna say, oh my God, my friend, he's dead, you know, uh I loved him, he treated me well, we didn't we didn't get that from him. So we started talking to friends and saying, hey, what's this relationship between Spencer and Mr. Vinci? According to Mr. Gonzalez, he was a leech. Quite often, people with a lot of money. Have Hangers on. And that was Spencer Gordon. He liked to hang around for the free lunch. You got to go on Ron's boats and fly his flying machines and Those kinds of things. Was he trying to help her because he liked her? Or was it something else? Was his mind on the business end of it? Oh god, I I'm losing my my bankroll here. However, detectives are unable to confirm their suspicions. Can I prove that Mr. Spencer was involved in it? And that he had a hand in it? Or was it an accessory after the fact? After reaching a dead end with Spencer, investigators turn their focus to their main suspect. Worried that sympathy for Catherine's emotional story will overshadow the evidence at trial. Prosecutors consider other options. I wanted to see our state attorney for approval to potentially seek a plea. In this case, resolve it that way. He said, let a jury of appears decide. Bring this to the people of Broward County in a jury trial. And that's what we did. In November 2014, Catherine Pellegi's murder trial begins. Despite her claims of domestic abuse, prosecutors believe they have a solid case against her. It's not a self-defense case because she chose. Two. But she did. To shoot him, to budget him. Or while I lay conscious or semi-conscious. So all she had to do was call the police. But Catherine's lawyer presents expert testimony arguing Catherine believed she had no other option. I'm a clinical and a forensic psychologist. I've interviewed Miss Pellegi, who at that time was incarcerated. There's no question in my mind after doing the evaluation that Catherine Pellege was a battered woman in her relationship with Ron, that she had developed battered woman syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. the time of the incident when she shot and killed him, she definitely was impacted by all of that trauma. that she believed that she was in danger, that he could no longer control himself, and that he would kill her. It's what prompted her to actually take his life. I did my best to convince the jury that can't you sincerely believe that? It's one of the few times I've ever put My clan on the witness stand. I felt I had no choice. She took the stand and it was sad. She just didn't look like somebody who could possibly. Do this and if she wasn't telling you. that she did it, you'd never believe her. When testimony ends. The judge instructs the jury not to consider a conviction for first degree murder. It went to the jury as either a murder to a manslaughter or not guilty. And I not only think, I know that decision was Lawfully and rightfully. Morally correct. The prosecutor who goes for a first degree murder conviction and doesn't get it is gonna be upset about it. This one didn't get it and was satisfied with that outcome. That alone tells that this case is highly unusual. After two days, the jury returns with a verdict. She was found guilty of second degree murder. And ultimately the judge. indicated dead. Although he didn't want to impose a sentence of 25 years, he felt he had to because the case involved use of a firearm, which under the law calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years. Ultimately, the self-defense was not believed by this jury. I would say that this was one of the more nuanced cases that I've ever covered because you had a suspect, a defendant, um, who fit the role of victim. In a lot of different ways. And You definitely feel compassion for her. I can't help but wonder. Whether she's been punished enough. It was that she had no criminal history in this one moment when she snapped. Literally snapped. Had this out of body of experience. It's a troubled case. There are other details that still nag at the minds of investigators. When we went to the grand jury, one of the grand jury actually asked us, why haven't we arrested Mr. Gordon? And I had that same question. Well, we haven't arrested Mr. Gordon because we don't have the evidence to show that he was involved. But uh how did this frail woman You know. Do what she did. You will always stick with me. As far as Ron is concerned. Um I really enjoyed his company. I enjoyed him's friendship. Uh never had a dislike for Kathy. I liked her. I never expected any of this, so it was a complete shock to me. So it's hard for anybody to get their mind around how it happened. Sad, sad story. Yeah.