On the night Jeremy was killed, none of it reacted the way it should have. No alarm had been triggered, the driveway alert hadn't gone off, no footage was captured, and the dogs, who were known to bark at disturbances, remained strangely quiet. There were no signs of forced entry anywhere around the home. All the doors and windows, except for the back door, remained shut. It looked less like a violent break-in and more like something staged to support a story after the fact. November 18th, 2009. A panicked wife calls 911 screaming that her husband has been shot. >> What do you need? Police? >> May I have >> Somebody shot your husband? Is he breathing? Keep breathing. >> As deputies race to the home, Julienne Simko keeps trying to perform CPR following the instructions from the 911 dispatcher. >> Put his nose and completely cover his mouth with your mouth. I need you to force two deep breaths of air into his lungs like you're blowing up a big balloon. Do that right now. Did you see his chest rise? Okay, listen. Okay, honey, listen. >> And when police get there, she's covered in blood, frantic, and blaming an intruder. But how did the intruder get into a house that was protected like a fortress? And how did he manage to get away with no clues left behind? November 18th, 2009, Vermilion, Ohio. It was around 6:00 a.m. when deputies were dispatched to a home after a frantic 911 call from Juline Simko. Through tears and panic, she told dispatchers that her husband had been shot and that she was trying to save him, but they had to come fast. When first responders arrived, they found Juline covered in blood, emotional, and visibly shaken. Inside the home, her husband Jeremy Simko lay dead from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Nearby, on the kitchen floor, officers located a .357 revolver, believed to be the murder weapon. Juline quickly explained what she said had happened. According to her, she had been upstairs when she heard strange noises coming from below. Then came a sound that made her think someone had broken in. >> in the bedroom. If you could, I'd like you to please recount for us your activities leading up to that event, beginning with the previous 24 hours, going back to Tuesday morning, November 17th, 2009, and then going forward to the time you called 911, and then after that we'll discuss the following days after that event. Okay? So, take your time, your own words, if you just recount for us everything that happened. >> You like 24 hours before? >> Yeah, when you got up Tuesday morning, how did Tuesday morning start? >> I don't remember everything. >> Okay. As best you can. >> During the day we um worked on the property behind us, worked in the yard, um leaves, raking leaves, etc. Yard work in general. Um >> Okay. >> We were canning pumpkins the night the night of, night before. >> Um I mean, I don't know specifically. I mean, those you know, just basically what I told you. I don't know anything specifically. Just we were working in the yard, working on the property behind us, um taking stuff to the street for trash pick up. Um And other than that, there's nothing you know, really exciting, just normal day-to-day stuff. And then that evening we were canning pumpkins, watching a TV show. Um discussing, you know, future plans. Um We went I don't know what time we went to bed for sure. Um but when we went to sleep, we usually go sleep together. Um I believe Jeremy had taken the dogs out, hooked them up before we went up. Um Went to sleep at some point during the night. The dogs were barking outside and he'd woke up and, you know, yelled out the window at the dogs. Um and and then both went back to sleep and then another point during the night, I, you know, went up to the third floor and um went to sleep up there. And then I woke up to whatever sound that I heard obviously was a gun. Um I went back down to the second floor uh cuz I thought Jeremy was out the window. >> [snorts] >> And I went to the bedroom and I found him in the bed. >> [snorts] >> And um I thought I heard some noises out in the hallway. I realized that something was wrong that I heard some noises out in the hallway and I picked up one out of the drawer and I [snorts] shot towards the hallway. And then um I think I went over and closed at some point. I don't know if it was right after that I went and shut and locked the door to the bedroom. >> Mhm. >> And then went in the bed to help um Jeremy and I called 911. >> [snorts] >> Okay. >> And then I was on the phone with the 911 operator um until the police got there. >> And what happened then? >> After the police got there? >> Mhm. >> They I remember them coming into the room um I think there were two or three of them. And um I don't I mean I kind of remember little parts. I don't remember the whole thing. >> Okay. >> But I remember them being in the room um I remember them taking me out of the room. Then I remember being in my bathroom at the house. >> Mhm. >> Um [snorts] I remember there being like a a lot of people when I came out of the bedroom. It seemed like there were a ton of people in the house. >> Mhm. >> And then um I mean I remember being in the front room of the house of the second floor. >> [snorts] >> And I remember walking out of the house. Them walking me out of the house um I remember seeing blood in a shoe. I don't know why that I mean it stuck out. There were blood in a shoe by the back door and then I remember getting in I think it was a police car. I don't know what they took me to the hospital. >> Mhm. >> And when I was at the hospital in the hospital room um they kind of I don't remember really ever seeing any um like staff or anything. I don't remember seeing a doctor or nurse. >> Mhm. >> I remember them at some point asking me to call my mom because I realized where I was and that she worked there. And they wouldn't let me out of the room. They wouldn't let me call her. Um They said I couldn't that I couldn't leave, that I had to stay there and that they weren't calling her right now. >> [snorts] >> And I remember being questioned um by the detective. And them taking some articles and of my clothing and um doing some tests and stuff on me. >> Mhm. >> Asking questions and then I remember my my mom coming in. >> Okay. >> Do you want me to keep going? >> Yes, ma'am. I do. >> Um I don't really remember too much after that. I remember being at my mom's house and showering. Because when I got out of the shower I was wearing the wrong clothes when I came downstairs. And then [snorts] I remember the detective being there like I think two times after that coming to the house um >> [snorts] >> and questioning me and I mean, I just I remember them being there. I don't remember everybody that I know their family members that came to visit me, but I don't remember who all was there. >> Okay. [snorts] Where did you spend the night that night? >> At my mom's house. >> Okay. At what point did you return to your house? >> Um Was it Friday that we went? It was when we met him there. We didn't even go in. >> Okay. All right. >> Or was it Saturday? >> She claimed that she found Jeremy bleeding in their bedroom and so she grabbed a gun and locked the door before firing some shots towards where the noise was coming from. She insisted an intruder must have entered the house, shot her husband, and escaped before she could see who it was. At first glance, it sounds like a terrifying home invasion in the middle of the night. A wife caught up in chaos and a husband dead before help could arrive. But as investigators looked closer, almost nothing inside that house supported Julene's story because the scene simply didn't match with what she said happened. At the center of the case was Jeremy Simko, a 39-year-old husband who, from the outside, seemed to be living a quiet and settled life. He had been married to Julienne Simko [music] for around 10 years, and together they lived in a rural home in Vermilion, Ohio, which was far from the kind of place people associate with violent crime. To the neighbors and outsiders, the couple appeared stable, just another married pair living quietly in the countryside. >> You know, that's that's the phase we're at right now. So, let's talk about when you went to bed that night. Let's start there, if you don't mind. What time was that? >> I don't remember. >> Okay, you don't have any idea? Was it early? Was it late? >> 12:00. >> 11:00, 12:00. Okay, so you were canning um pumpkins or pumpkin was it was it pumpkin or pumpkin seed or what? >> Pumpkins in general. >> Okay. All right, so you're canning pumpkins. And while you're canning pumpkins, what is Jeremy doing? >> We were both working at it together. >> Okay, so you're both there. Was anybody else in the house? >> No. >> Okay. And at what point did you cease canning pumpkins? >> I don't remember. >> Okay. >> What time it was exactly. >> During that night, when you finished the pumpkins, did you and he sit down for a bit of relaxation and watch some TV or something like that? >> Yeah, we were relaxing in between. We were It's a process, canning, sitting down, watching TV. >> Okay. >> Back and forth. >> I think I remember we went over some stuff and I think it was called The Prisoner. Is that what it was? I don't really remember the name of it. It was it like a three-day series? >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> What, HBO or Discovery? I mean, do you can you >> I have no idea what channel it was on. >> All right. Was it a Was it a documentary or was it something that was fictional? >> uh fictional. >> Okay. All right. And you think it was The Prisoner? >> Uh I don't really remember the name of the show, but I think that's what it was. >> Okay. All right. And you'd been watching that for about three days? >> I think that was the last day. >> So, what time do you think you you turned off the TV then? >> When we went to sleep? >> Okay. >> Before before we went upstairs. >> Okay. So, would you have finished canning and then went back and watched some more TV or did you finish the TV and go back and do more canning? >> I have no idea what happened first. >> Okay. All right. And >> [snorts] >> when you were canning, what were you wearing? >> I have no idea. >> You don't have any idea? >> I really don't remember what I was wearing. >> Okay. Do you remember discussing this with the police early on in the investigation? >> Not really. >> Okay. All right. Um who locked up the house when you went upstairs? >> I really don't know. >> Okay. Did you say perhaps I read it but correct me if I'm wrong. Did you say that Jeremy went out and locked up the dogs or hooked up the dogs? What does that involve when you say he goes out and hooks up the dogs? >> houses around the yard. With chains so he would hooked everybody up. >> Okay. Now, that chain lets them move how much? >> I have no idea. >> I mean was it 6 ft, 8 ft? 20 ft? Was it a lead? Well, I don't want to put words in your mouth. >> ft. I have no idea. >> Okay, but but they they could move in and out of their houses, right? They each could come in and out of their house when they were hooked up. Okay, I just want to make sure. All right. And was it generally >> [snorts] >> um the practice for who to lock up the house? >> It just depended. It wasn't really anybody's job. >> Okay. >> Either him or I did it. >> Who did it predominantly? Who did it? You have no idea? >> I It was a combined effort. Whoever was the last one. >> Okay. So, >> was, I guess. >> and had either of you had anything to drink that night? >> Jeremy had. >> Okay. And what did he have to drink? >> Um I believe he had some whiskey and beer. >> Okay. Do you know what kind of quantities he drank that in? >> I wasn't keeping track. >> Okay. And you weren't drinking anything? >> No. >> Okay. And during the course of that night before you went to bed, did either one of you take any medication? >> Jeremy did. >> And what did he take? >> I believe he took sleeping pills. >> Okay. And how do How do you recall that? >> He normally did before we went to sleep. It was a normal habit of his. >> Do you know what kind of sleeping pills he took? >> I've no idea. I mean, they were blue. They were over-the-counter, I think. >> They were Okay. Over-the-counter, but you don't know what they were. Okay. And how long had you been taking sleeping pills? >> Him? >> Yes. >> As in prior to this? >> Mhm. >> It was I don't know, quite some time. >> Okay. All right. And when you went to bed that night, uh I'm assuming all the lights were turned off in the house? >> I would assume most of the lights were off. >> I mean, is that the standard practice? >> Yes. >> Okay. That's All right. >> Besides like nightlights, I believe the lights would have probably been off. >> Okay. And you both went to the same bedroom? >> Yes. >> Okay. And when you went to that bedroom, was the door open or closed when you went to sleep? >> There's two doors in the room. >> Okay. >> One was closed, one was open. >> Okay. The open door, where does that open up to? >> Hallway. >> The hallway. And the closed door, where does that open up to? >> Mhm. Another bedroom. >> Okay. >> At that time was our office. >> An office. Okay. But one thing that stood out was how much the couple was protective and borderline paranoid. They had security alarms and sirens, as well as motion detection sensors everywhere, along with dogs that started barking at any sign of an intruder. As for why they were afraid, it become very clear once detectives found out what kind of activities they were hiding inside that house. Long pause. And as detectives began digging into Jeremy's life, they discovered that their whole persona was nothing but misleading because the marriage that looked calm from the outside was hiding tension, secrets, and a dynamic only few people truly understood. What the investigators found was a marriage that was far more unusual and far more strained than it first appeared. Among the items recovered was a written dominant submissive contract outlining specific rules and power dynamics between Jeremy and Jaline. And while consensual arrangements like that are not crimes, the document gave detectives hints into the relationship that was built around control, obedience, and imbalance. >> Is this your writing? >> Mhm. >> Okay. You had what could at best be described, and I'm very sorry to bring it up, but I but I think it bears mentioning here. A a very traumatic event happened to you when you were a child. You were by your father, correct? >> Mhm. >> Okay. And that happened for a period of years, correct? Okay. And are you familiar with this document that I have here? >> Um without reading the whole thing. >> I'm in no rush. You can take your time and read the whole thing. >> Um yeah. >> Okay. And whose whose writing is this here? >> Jeremy's. >> That's Jeremy's. Okay. And then I think it's the last four pages of this. It is your writing, correct? >> Mhm. >> Okay. And this has been referred to by investigators as pertaining to the document a master-slave agreement and or a father-daughter agreement. And Are you familiar with this check? >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. And would you agree with me that this is somewhat atypical behavior? It's not normal. >> I don't know what other relationships people carry on, so. >> Okay. All right. How long into the relationship did you guys have what you would call uh the father-daughter master-slave relationship? I mean, is this something that started right away or >> I don't really remember like at what point. >> I mean, is this something that is years old or is this something that is months old? >> I would I have no idea when when when we put that together. >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> You don't have any idea. You don't remember if it was 5 years ago or 7 years ago or 2 years ago? >> I don't really I mean >> Okay. >> It wasn't something that like we just did. >> Okay. >> it was something that we probably had for a while. >> Who [snorts] introduced this into the relationship? >> We both did. >> Okay. Was there a nexus for this? Was there somebody that had the original idea that said, "Hey, you know, why don't we do this?" >> I don't really remember. Um it was a mutual >> Where did you get the wording for this at? >> I have no idea. >> Okay. Was this ceremony Did you ever conduct this >> There wouldn't There was never a ceremony. It was just role playing kind of. >> Okay. All right. Would you agree that this paints a pretty domineering picture of your husband? >> He was a dominant guy. >> Okay. And you were comfortable in that relationship? >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> You didn't mind being subservient to him. >> This was only >> degradation. >> This was only role playing. >> It was only role playing. >> information, just so you know, it wasn't like in a daily relationship. It was like this. This was just role-playing like in the bedroom. It wasn't like we went out into the world with [clears throat] this. >> I understand it may have been a relationship you kept among [snorts] yourselves. My concern is given the events of everything that have happened. There are videos and pictures of you sometimes in distress. I have seen pictures of you in chains crying. There are picture There are videos of you where pain is being inflicted upon you and you're crying. Are you saying that you are a willing participant for all of that? >> I was a willing participant in everything that went on in the bedroom. >> All right. There was none of that that you were ever forced to do. >> No. >> Okay. All right. You can understand, I think, why we might ask you those questions given the circumstances we have here. Okay. >> Um you indicated though that >> Jeremy was a dominant individual between the two of you. He was the dominant one. >> I would say more so, yeah. >> Yeah. Well, there have been um the police had done a number of interviews where individuals have said they were at your house and and Jeremy would often order you around um uh even to the point of asking you to get certain pictures of you and to bring them to Jeremy so he could show them to his guests. Um >> What kind of pictures and whom are these guests? >> Uh well, I at this time I'm not going to reveal the guest's name, but I just wanted you to know that that was >> that I don't know who said what and what was being looked at. >> that kind of situation then you don't recall. Is that what you're saying? Okay. Okay. Did um some of these individuals had indicated that um he would often order you around, "Get me a beer. Get this, get me that, and you would do so willingly and and submissively. >> I wasn't ordered around and I was a very good hostess. I mean, I usually was the one getting drinks for everybody or food or whatever when we had guests. >> Well, if he was the dominant role player, how would you describe yourself? If he was the dominant individual in your family, how would you describe yourself? >> Publicly, Juliane would later downplay any serious marital problems. She suggested that they got along really well and that there were no major conflicts leading up to Jeremy's death. >> Right. >> At some point the dogs woke us up barking. >> Okay. >> He I think Jeremy was restless. He took another sleeping pill after that. >> Okay. >> And then at some point you know, he was snoring, which he did all the time, and I got up and I took I think a half a sleeping pill and I went up to third floor. >> Okay, when you say you got up to take a sleeping pill, where did you get the sleeping pill from? >> closet. >> On the second floor or on the first floor? >> On on the second floor. >> On the second floor. Okay. All right. So, do you recall what time it was that this happened? >> it was. >> Okay. And then why did you go to the third floor? >> So that I could sleep. >> Okay. Is there a bed up there? >> There's a couch up there. >> A couch. And were you sleeping on the couch? >> Yes. >> Okay. And when you went upstairs to sleep on that couch, how were you attired? >> Same way I was when I went to bed. >> You didn't take a robe with you or anything like that? >> I don't believe so. >> Okay, that's fine. Um do you know what time it was when you got to the to the third floor? >> No idea what time it was. >> Okay. And did you fall asleep while you were up there? >> Yes. >> Okay. And what's the next thing you remember after falling asleep on the third floor? >> I remember hearing a noise that woke me up. >> How can you best describe that noise to me? >> It was a noise. I don't really recall what it was. I mean, when something wakes you up, you know, how do you describe it? I don't know. It's something loud that woke me up. >> Okay. Were you sleeping soundly? Was it a fitful sleep? Were you Were >> I have no idea how I was sleeping. >> Okay. >> I was sleeping with a pillow over my head, which I did quite often. >> Okay. And you heard the noise. And what was your first reaction when you heard the noise? >> Well, it woke me up, so my first reaction was what was the noise? >> Okay. And what >> Obviously, there was a noise that woke me up. >> Okay. And what immediately did you do after that? >> I imagine I probably sat there a few minutes. >> Okay. >> And then I went down to the second floor. >> Okay. Would you say it was a couple of minutes, several minutes? >> Uh time frame, I have no idea. I mean, I'm sure I sat there a few minutes. >> Okay. So, a period of time elapsed from the time you heard the noise and you went downstairs. What caused you to go downstairs? >> I assumed Jeremy was awake shooting out the window. >> Okay. And what >> was awake, then I was going to go downstairs cuz he was awake and I was awake. >> And was that a practice that you guys engaged in frequently? >> What's that? >> Shooting out the window. >> Yes. >> Okay. And what typically would you shoot at? >> Coyotes, raccoons, groundhogs. >> Okay. And that late at night, you weren't concerned about it I'm assuming this prac- this is something you had done previously, correct? >> Many times. >> Okay. And do you have any idea what time of the morning it was when you heard that noise? >> No. >> Okay. But it was You can It Please don't let me put words in your mouth. But as I understand what you're relating to me now, it would have been during the hours of darkness when most people are sleeping, correct? >> Yeah, early morning. >> And wouldn't that be something that would alert neighbors or concern neighbors or annoy neighbors if you were shooting out the window at that time? >> in a rural area. >> Okay. But didn't you have a neighbor right across the street? >> Yeah. >> And >> that would be towards the back of the house. >> within about 100 yards on either side of the house. Correct? >> She's not going to speculate as to what a neighbor could hear or not hear. So, I don't think that's a fair question. >> Well. >> I think that's up to the neighbors to tell you if they heard something or didn't hear something. Uh, so I'm not going to have her speculate on what a neighbor could [snorts] or could not hear. >> understand we need to ask that. >> Yeah, I know, but she I I don't think that she feels >> Well, if she can't, she can't. Um. But it was clearly during the hours of darkness and you assumed that uh that he was shooting out the window at animals. >> Yeah. >> Okay. And what window would he normally be shooting out of? >> Uh, the only window Well, I guess it isn't the only window. The window toward facing the back of the property. >> Okay, just to make sure that we're always on the same page. I have some diagrams that were developed by uh VCI when they did the crime scene. And what I'd like you to do, if you don't mind, Jack, would you like a set of these? I'm going to point out to you here. This is the second floor of your property. And if you would, I've got a red pen here. I'd like you Okay, this would be the craft room, the office off the bedroom, and then this is north. And you see these markings here? Those indicate windows. So, window there, window here. So, if you would, would you indicate for me by circling with the pen what window you typically shot out of? >> I don't really think this is north, but that's okay. >> This is your bedroom here. And this is the hallway leading to the bedroom. >> it would have been. What do you want me to do here? >> I want you to circle the window. >> she said something about you think north is incorrect. >> lake is over here. So, this This would be north. This would be south. >> on the chart is off. >> This would be east. This would be west. >> [snorts] >> Face your house. >> Face the lake. Well, so it's I mean, yeah, maybe like that, but anyways, to me that's >> Okay. >> That's north. This window. Circle it, you said. >> Yeah, if you circle the window. And that Okay. All right. There's no window there. >> Oh. >> So, that's that. >> Sorry, that's a >> That's the window. >> Dresser. >> Okay. >> You want me to exit out? >> Okay. So, that would be the >> here, a window here. >> That's a window right there. Okay. >> it's this window. >> So, it'd be that window. Okay. >> This window. >> All right. Now, as we're looking at this chart, this is this would be your bed. Which side of the bed did you sleep on? >> I usually slept on this side. >> Okay, would you put an X on the side you slept on? >> This Yes. >> Okay, let's draw a line down the middle of that denoting Okay. So, that's your side of the bed. Okay. All right. So, you hear a noise and you wait a couple of minutes upstairs, correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. You come downstairs. What's Is there a particular path you took downstairs? Did you just come right down the stairs? What What did you do when you hit the second floor? >> Well, there's only one door to that bedroom. >> Okay. >> So, I would have had to come out of that door. >> Okay. >> Go down the hallway and over to the bedroom. >> Okay. So, you came down these stairs, walked through the craft room, into this hallway, and into that room. >> Mhm. >> Okay. If you would, just take a dotted line and just trace exactly where you want where you went. Coming down the stairs. Exactly. >> Exactly. >> Came down the stairs. Had to put them through the door. Hallway. This hallway, I'm assuming this is the door. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, through the door. >> Okay, now at this point was the door open or closed? >> It was open. >> It was open, okay. Do you guys sleep with the bedroom door open? >> Generally. >> Okay. >> This one is usually closed. >> All right. That leads to the office. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Excuse me. All right. So, >> This one's usually closed down the hallway. >> Okay. And this is in November, so it's dark. Uh did you turn on any lights when you're coming downstairs? >> No. >> Okay. Did you turn on a light when you came into the bedroom? >> Not immediately. >> Okay. All right. That's fine. Well, well, we're just going to take this a little bit at a time. I wasn't there, he wasn't there, and we're just trying to recreate this so we understand as best we can. >> But friends painted a different picture with some saying there may have been a fight on the night of the incident itself. And as if that wasn't enough, they were also facing financial pressures hanging over the marriage. Investigators uncovered tax-related issues and questionable money matters involving the couple. And it is well known that stress over finances can quietly wear down even the most stable relationships. Around 20 to 40% of couples in America divorce over financial matters, which means that for every 10 couples going through a divorce, four are because of money matters. So, detectives believed it may have added to any existing resentment. And when a marriage already contains control, emotional pressure, and money problems, there's just way too much on their plate for their life to be as simple as they made it look like. So, to the investigators, the question wasn't about whether the couple had any secrets or not. It was about how many of those secrets had remained hidden until Jeremy was dead. And detectives would soon learn this marriage was nothing like it seemed. Because as they continued examining the relationship, they uncovered something that made the contract even more disturbing. >> How would you describe the relationship with your father in the last years of his life? >> I only met with my father one time. >> And when was that? >> It was when he was in the hospital. >> When you say only met with him one time, is that you're talking about after he was incarcerated and he was already in jail? >> was I believe that was the only time that I met with him after that. I'm not sure. >> Okay. What hospital was that? >> uh I think it was at Mercy. >> Okay. What was the nature of that meeting? >> He was dying. >> Okay. >> And all the siblings got together >> Okay. >> and went there. >> Was there anything significant he said to you at that time? >> Nope. >> Okay. Had your father ever apologized to you for the the actions he'd inflicted on you? >> Nope. >> Okay. Did you still resent that? >> I didn't resent it. I was It wasn't even something I thought about on a daily basis. >> It didn't bother you? >> that in my life long before. >> At what point in your life do you think you resolved it? >> I don't know. I went through a lot of counseling for it. >> Okay. Um how many years would you say you went through counseling for that? >> I have no idea. >> I mean, two, seven? >> I don't know. I was young. >> Okay. All right. Here's why I asked the question. Clearly, it was a horrific thing that was done to you by your father. It's horrific, inexcusable. Okay. I I'm sure you're aware that during the course of the investigation, uh subsequent to the search warrants that we seized the computer equipment. And that computer equipment was examined. When we talk about there a number of issues that arise, such as I've laid out for you already, that would tend to make you the prime suspect. Okay? >> Jolene Simko had suffered severe trauma as a child. Court records showed she had been sexually abused by her own father, who was later convicted and sentenced. But this kind of history can leave life-long emotional scars even into adulthood. That context suddenly made the dominant submissive arrangement inside the marriage a far more complicated thing. What may have looked like consensual role-play on paper now raised deeper questions. But investigators found something else that was even harder to ignore. Records from the home computer showed that roughly 11 to 12 hours before Jeremy's death, someone had searched for Jolene's father's obituary. >> 11 hours before your husband is found dead, someone is on the computer in your house pulling up your father's obituary. Now why would that be and who would do that? >> Well, first of all, I would like to see that proof of that because I don't think that ever happened. >> Well, we have that proof. >> Well, I'd like to see it. I'd like to see what time it was and everything else. >> Oh, we can tell you exactly. It happened at 18:57 and 03 seconds on July 17th, 2009. If you go to this URL, this website, you'll pull up exactly this obituary. >> You said July 17th? >> No, no, no, no. Uh November 7th. I may have said July. November 17th. It's 11 hours before the homicide was called in. >> Can we see what was accessed before and after that? >> Sure. >> Uh let me see. What I mean, what is this? That doesn't tell us anything. >> This looks as though >> Jolene, I can assure you there's no trick here. A computer expert was willing to testify that that is exactly what that is. >> Well, first of all, did you access this? >> No. >> Okay. >> I didn't access it, but I am curious about >> Yeah, we just want to see who was maybe on the computer. You Can you tell, Michael? >> Well, somebody searched. Looks as if somebody searched Jeremy Simcoe. Looks like someone had searched Julie Nick, Julie Simcoe. >> Somebody searched >> So, it looks like somebody >> So, somebody searched Jeremy Simcoe at the same time and somebody searched this article, somebody searched Julie Nick. Now, who's Julie Nick? That's you? >> Yeah. Maiden name. >> So, somebody searched you. >> Someone searched Julie Simcoe. >> So, somebody searched Julie Simcoe. >> Somebody searched Judy Maldonado. >> And Judy Maldonado is your mom? >> Mhm. Um >> What is this? >> There's another obituary apparently searched. I don't know what that was. Do you know what that was? >> Not off the top of my head, I don't know. >> Okay. >> Was it determined during the course of investigation? I'm sure it was. >> Somebody searched another obituary. >> Yeah. >> What are Are those the times on times off? >> 3:00, 6:00, 21, 23, and 22. Do you know what >> I'd have to pull up the key to that. For our purposes, the only thing we're interested in at this time is who would have done that and why they would have done that. >> of this? Yeah, I probably can get copies. >> Couple other articles Morning Journal Another Morning Journal Some other websites I don't know. Zedo.com. It looks like it's kind of an odd website. I don't >> Zedo's an ad that pops up when you search stuff. >> Okay. >> Okay. Getting back to the point. >> put a note that we want to ask for a copy of these just so we can search to see what who is maybe >> All right. Getting back to the point. Again, you can see that adds to our sense of concern about only two people in the house 11 hours before he's found deceased. >> What time would that be? What is 18? Is that what >> 18 6:00. It was 3 minutes till 7:00 p.m. Okay? That search is conducted. At 6:00, I think it's 6:06 a.m., you make a call to 911. So, roughly 11 hours before your husband is shot a person that you have a father-daughter, master-slave relationship, role-play, as you say, someone pulls up the obituary of the very person that uh had a father-daughter relationship with you. That makes one wonder if there is a nexus here or or a tie-in uh with this. I mean, you can understand how we might be concerned about that. >> I can understand I'm telling you I am not the one that >> Okay. Is there any reason Jeremy would have done that? >> No idea. >> Has anybody ever come in your home and use your computers? >> Mhm. >> Who does that? >> We've had friends use the computers before. >> Okay. And did anybody come in your home and use the computers at 7:00 that night? >> Mhm. >> Okay. So, >> was just two of us there all evening. >> Okay. All right. So, nobody could have done that search except one of you two that night, correct? >> Mhm. >> Okay. All right. We get to the 911 call. Okay? You call the 911 operator. She asked you at one point, "Did he shoot himself?" And you answer, "No." How did you know that that he did not shoot himself? >> Because he wouldn't himself. >> How did you know? >> It was my husband. >> Okay. >> You usually know these things. >> Okay. The operator asked you, "Is there an intruder in the house?" and you say, "Yes." How did you know there was an intruder in the house? >> The same reason I shot the gun. Obviously, I didn't shoot Jeremy. I didn't kill my husband. So, obviously, somebody else was in the house. >> Okay. >> And they weren't there for any good purposes. >> Okay. If we get back to the inconsistencies that that we see in this case, All right. >> Police could not ignore the timing. Why would someone inside the home be searching for the obituary of the man who had abused Jolene just hours before her husband was killed? Whether it was coincidence, memory, anger, or something more calculated, it just added another layer to an already twisted case. The more investigators studied the crime scene, the less Jolene's intruder story made sense. This was not an easy home to enter. The Simcoe property had multiple layers of security. There were alarms for the house itself, additional driveway alerts designed to signal movement outside, security cameras, and four dogs known to bark whenever anyone unfamiliar approached. And in a rural area, that kind of setup mattered. [music] It meant strangers didn't just walk onto the property unnoticed. Yet on the night Jeremy was killed, none of it reacted the way it should have. No alarm had been triggered, the driveway alert hadn't gone off, no footage was captured, and the dogs who were known to bark at disturbances remained strangely quiet. There were no signs of forced entry anywhere around the home. All the doors and windows except for the back door remained shut. It looked less like a violent break-in [music] and more like something staged to support a story after the fact. Then came the forensic problem. No outsider DNA was recovered. There were no unknown fingerprints found. Nothing inside the house suggested a stranger had entered, confronted Jeremy, fired a fatal shot, and vanished without leaving the smallest [music] trace. And if the alarms didn't react, the dogs didn't react, and the evidence didn't support an outsider, [music] it left only one possibility. But to confirm that they still needed something more. And that came from the forensic results. Once the laboratory results came back, investigators had something stronger than suspicion. They had science. And nearly every forensic detail created new problems for Jolene's version of events. The weapon recovered from the kitchen floor was a .357 revolver believed to be the gun used to kill Jeremy. A close-range gunshot, especially one involving a wound to the back of the head, often creates blowback, which means tiny traces of blood and biological material that can land on the firearm. Yet, investigators found no blowback blood on the gun. They also noted an unusual lack of residue and signs suggesting the weapon may have been cleaned or wiped down after the shooting, but no intruder would have the time to do that. Then, there was the cabinet where the gun was normally stored. Testing found only Juline's DNA on the curio cabinet area. If Jeremy had recently handled the firearm or accessed it himself, investigators expected to see evidence of that, too, but they did not. Another issue involved the kitchen door Juline said Jeremy had used. Detectives found no fingerprints from Jeremy on the door he was supposedly interacting with during the incident. >> You say that you make that immediate statement to 911, he didn't shoot himself, but if you weren't present at the shooting, how would you know that? You say there's an intruder in the house, yet you have You heard a noise is all you heard. Let's go to the kitchen where the gun was found. Okay? We find the gun. First of all, in any shooting like that, if you ever shot into a mud hole or anything like that or shot into the water, close to a tree, you ever done any of those things? If you have, you'll you'll notice that you get splashback or blowback onto the weapon. Okay? Um So, someone took the time in between the time Jeremy was shot to clean that weapon of any blowback. Here's the really interesting thing. If we assume your theory that there is an intruder in the home, don't you think the intruder would be in a hurry to leave if he heard the shot that you fired? >> Even the blood evidence inside the home failed to support her sequence of events. Some patterns and transfers were inconsistent with the panic-driven scenario she described. When seen together, the scene looked less like a sudden attack by an intruder and more like something arranged after Jeremy was already dead. The gun looked less like evidence and more like a prop. But the case did not end quickly. For years after Jeremy Simko was killed, investigators continued reviewing evidence, rechecking statements, and building a case piece by piece. Instead, authorities believed the truth was buried inside contradictions, forensic details, and a story that never fully held together. It was finally in 2017 that Jolene was formally charged in connection with Jeremy's death. Prosecutors accused her for the murder of Jeremy Simko and also of trying to mislead investigators and tampering with evidence afterward. The case eventually went to a bench trial in 2017, meaning a judge and not a jury would decide the verdict after hearing all evidence. Prosecutors laid out a methodical argument stating how there was no sign of an intruder, no alarms triggered, and no forced entry. They pointed out the contradictions in Jolene's statements, suspicious computer searches, and forensic evidence that undermined her version of events. She was ultimately found guilty of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and additional related charges tied to the homicide and the cover-up. In delivering the decision, the judge relied heavily on how the circumstantial evidence and forensic evidence reinforced one another. There was no single clue that stood [music] out alone, but together, they formed a clear direction. Jolene Simko was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison. It was a delayed form of justice, but one that prosecutors believed reflected what happened inside that house in 2009. Because in the end, she wasn't convicted because of one clue. She was convicted because every clue pointed the same way. In the end, there was no confession or dramatic admission, just a trail of inconsistencies in the storyline that eventually all led back to [music] one person. But what do you think actually solved this case? Was it the forensic evidence or the silence of the alarms? And in cases like this, where there's no confession, should circumstantial evidence alone be enough to convict? Let me know what you think.