You can't end his life. You know this. You know you can't end a life. You know it's murder. >> She held his nose. >> Mhm. And what did you do? >> And I put that washcloth in his mouth. >> March 6th, 2015, Palm Harbor, Florida. 85-year-old Anthony Thomaselli was found lifeless on his living room couch by his daughters, Mary Beth Thomaselli and Linda Roberts. >> There were no signs of foul play, no signs of criminal activity. Nothing didn't indicate anything other than Anony's desk. Death was a natural cause. >> With a history of cancer, dementia, and the frailty of age. It seems straightforward. The cause of death natural. But 4 years later, on March 5th, 2019, Linda Roberts was taken in for questioning. Why now? And what changed after all this time? The answer to these questions are shocking. >> I was looking at a a report. Um, so your father your father is deceased, right? >> Yes. >> Okay. Can you tell me a little bit about that? >> About what? >> About what happened? How what is he what happened? >> What happened to my father? >> Mhm. >> The doctor. Well, he had his companion died three weeks prior to him >> and he had dementia. >> Okay. and he was going to go into Brookdale. >> Okay. >> My brother and sister and I all decided he was going to Brookdale. >> Okay. >> So, he didn't want to go there, but he had to go there. It was a beautiful place. >> Let's rewind to 2015. Anthony Joseph Thomaselli lived in Florida with his second wife, Cheryl. Despite battling severe illnesses, he still held on to Joy until Cheryl passed. After that, everything changed. His health declined fast and care fell into the hands of his two daughters. Well, when I was there, my father was he said he felt like he had a stabbing pain in his chest >> and he had this awful cough, very productive. And so I recognized that something was wrong. >> So my niece was also staying there. I said, "Call the doctor, make an appointment. They need to do a chest X-ray, see what's going on my dad's lungs." My dad told me and my sister, we he he said, "I don't feel good." He says, "I'm going to lay down on the couch." And they had two rockers on either end. He said, "Would you mind staying up while I lay down here and sleep?" And we said, "Of course, sure we will." >> Mhm. >> So he went to sleep, snoring away. >> According to Linda, it seemed like just another normal night. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to raise alarms. But everything turned upside down the next day. So, we get up in the morning, 6:00, about 6:00, and I walked right past them, went into the kitchen to make some coffee, and my sister got up and she went over and checked on him, and she yelled to me, "Something's wrong. Dad is not responding to me." So, I went over there and I checked for a pulse. I felt the pulse, but wasn't thinking. My father had a pacemaker in them, so of course he's going to have a pulse. Linda claimed that when it hit her, he was gone. By the time paramedics showed up, she was down on the floor giving CPR playing the role. And for 4 years, no one questioned a thing. Just another tragic end to a sick old man. But now, the cops had puzzle pieces no one else even knew existed. >> I don't think you're not being very honest with me right now. >> What do you mean? >> Um, because that's not what happened with your father. Okay. Um, and you know that, okay? You know that that's not what happened with your father. Um, so I want you to tell me again from the beginning what what happened with your father. >> I don't understand what you're talking about. >> Linda's face dropped instantly. The officers weren't buying a word she said, no matter how convincing it sounded. And the reason it all started on February 19th, 2019 when the case was quietly reopened. A man named Anthony Marsh had contacted police. This man had information that would change everything. >> She said, "Please, I want to talk to you. I have to tell you something very important about why this has happened, why I'm this way. I know I've said things and done things that have upset you." And uh she asked me to come over to talk in person. I did. I went over and then she started telling me, "You don't understand what happened to me in my lifetime and why I'm this way, why I'm so messed up." And um she said, "It has to do with my father." And I said, "Wow, that sounds pretty bad." Of course, I was assuming something completely different. >> Mhm. >> And I said, "I I know I know people. I've I've talked to people. I've, you know, I I know I have a little experience in people that are messed up because of their parents. You can tell me if that's what you want to tell me. She said, "I've never told anyone. Nobody knows." And I said, "Well, these kind of secrets." >> Meet Anthony Marsh, a smoothtalking musician who somehow found his way into the hearts of both Mary Beth and her sister, Linda Roberts. Mary thought she'd found something real until she realized Anthony had been secretly seeing Linda, too. What started as a messy love triangle quickly turned into a quiet war. >> The only person who knows my sister, she knows. I said, "Oh jeez, it this is going on with her as well." I said, "Tell me." She said, "It's not nothing. If that's what you're thinking." I was like, "That's what I was thinking. You're you're damaged from this child." She said, "No." I said, "Then what is it?" She said, "Uh, I ended my father's life." I was shocked. And then she said, "Actually, we ended my father's life, me and my sister." And I said, "How did you do this?" >> I was chill. It was chilling to me. >> Okay. >> I started my phone video at that point. After 4 years of silence, Linda suddenly spilled everything to a guy she barely knew. Something felt off. Why now? Why him? But this wasn't just a baseless accusation. Anthony held the reigns to something even bigger. >> Like six of them in a little bit of cuz he had a drink every night anyway. >> Who had a drink every night? >> My dad. I said just put him in a little bit of alcohol. Six, seven of them. and stir them up because he was waiting for a drink. >> A beverage alcohol. >> Yeah. Vodka. >> So what does she do? She makes a drink this big. >> Mary Beth. >> Yes. Instead of making a little drink, she makes a big drink because the the seven halion, I think it was Hian that he was taken, which are very strong, would have been plenty enough to just let him go to sleep and and and sleep peacefully. >> Linda Roberts, a medical assistant with a solid grasp on drugs and overdoses, didn't flinch when she admitted to spiking her own father's drink. But what hit harder was her quiet frustration. Not guilt, not fear, just pure disappointment that the overdose hadn't gone exactly as planned. >> So she makes a drink this big. Well, he isn't going to he can't drink a drink this big. So I looked at her and I said, "I said she So she already hand him the drink. He takes about four swigs of it. Five. And in about 15 minutes, he his hands started shaking. He was dropping his prayers that he was saying, his holy card, and but I knew he didn't have enough in his system. >> This was the moment it all clicked. The evidence had been there from day one. Back when paramedics checked Thomas's medications, they noticed his sleeping pills were fewer than they should have been. Linda brushed it off, saying he'd been taking extra. The officer believed her until now. You killed your father four years ago. >> Do you have to say it like that? >> Well, but that's >> Don't just say it to me cuz it was my sister, too. >> And Mary Beth. >> Correct. We euthanized him. We didn't kill him. >> You can't decide that a miracle of modern medicine couldn't have saved him and cleared his cancer out. >> Never. Never in a million years. >> You can't decide that. >> The doctor said it. He told the doctor's dying. >> But he's not dead. You can't end his life. You know this. You know you can't end a life. You know it's murder. >> Yes, I do. >> That's murder. You I look at you, little innocent you, and you've actually murdered a person in this world. And your own father to boot. I've never murdered a person. And I'm dangerous. I'm a dangerous individual. People start fights with me. And I I don't just wrestle with them. I pound them into oblivion. And I've never murdered anybody. I can't believe it. I've even wanted to in the past. I've even >> Marsh sat across from Linda trying to wrap his head around everything she'd just admitted. But Linda hadn't done this alone. Her partner in this horrifying act, someone expected yet chilling to believe. >> So then why do you think now? What are you going to do? >> What do you mean? >> Then I told you. >> I'm just I can't believe that you you murdered. >> Not me. Me and my sister. >> I can't believe that either. >> Just on me. We made the decision together as a family. >> She's a dumb. You're the ring leader. You know that. The first person to think let's just euthanize him was you. You know that. And she agreed. >> It wasn't. >> And she agreed. >> No, that's not true. >> Oh, you both said it at the same time. >> We >> You went one, two, three, let's euthanize. >> You both decided at the same time because actually, you don't know my sister. My sister has a temper 10 times. >> Linda spoke without a flicker of guilt. No emotion, no regret, just cold words, shifting blame, trying to defend the unthinkable. >> But you told me the one thing you did tell me about your father is that you tried to give your father CPR and that's the one. See, that's a lie. Now you have to admit that's a lie. You're like, I was giving my Yes. >> It's a lie. >> It's a lie. >> I knew he was dead. >> You knew he was dead. But you said that the paramedics >> You knew he was dead because he had >> Cuz you killed him. cuz he had peed his pants and I knew he was Yes, I knew he was dead. >> But you did it for more of a show when the paramedics came in. You were doing chest compressions. >> Admit it. >> Admit it. I admitted it. >> The officers had all they needed to charge Linda and Mary. But since the video was secretly recorded by Marsh without consent, it wasn't admissible. The mystery was unraveled, but Linda wasn't ready to accept defeat. >> Does my sister know about this? I know I know what your sister did >> and I know what sister did. >> I know what what uh what she did and I know what you did. Your father was sick. He was he was ill. People make mistakes. Okay. And I know I know everything. Okay. >> From a trustworthy person, you know everything. >> Who's not trustworthy? who's not trustworthy. >> Somebody obviously told you something that could possibly not be trustworth. The person is not a trustworthy person. I don't quite understand who would say anything to you. Who Who is this person that is giving you this information? I don't have a right to know that they didn't leave a name. They didn't tell you who they were. >> They gave us a very detailed account what of what happened. So, I'm just trying to tell you there's no mystery about what happened. >> They gave a detailed account. >> Linda's guilt showed in the way she talked, dodging, deflecting, buying time. She wasn't looking for the truth, just the right person to blame. >> Who is that person you're talking about? What are you talking about? You keep saying this this person is not trustworthy. What person do you have in mind? a certain person that >> Well, I know. What is that person's name? >> Anthony Marsh. >> Then why is he not trustworthy? >> Well, you know, from his criminal background, you see that he's been in a lot of trouble. >> With Anthony now named, Linda was prepared to discredit everything he told them. What she didn't realize, it wasn't his words that mattered. It was her own. Caught on tape. If you're trying to get me to say what Anthony told you, >> I I don't Anthony didn't tell me anything. I don't know who what you're talking about this Anthony. Okay. >> And Anthony is the only person that we were joking around and things were said. >> Okay. Just let me just walk you through this a little bit. Um just to bring you up to speed. Okay. the conversation that you had with Mr. Marsh. >> Yes. >> We were listening to that conversation. Okay. >> Okay. >> So, we can cut to the chase that there was no joking about this. So, I'm going to tell you one more time. You're not going to come out on the end of this in a very good fashion because you're telling the truth about what happened. We try to give you ample opportunity to tell what happened, but now you know that I know what happened. >> I want to know who told it. I just told you that. >> Okay, >> so we're going to cut through the BS. Agreed. >> Agreed. >> Marsh was all wired up when the cops decided to send him right back in. As expected, Linda slipped, indirectly confessing to it all like it was no big deal. The night before what Sheriff Bob Gualtieri would later call a perfect murder, things got heated. Anthony, Thomaselli, and Mary had a fiery blowout, loud, messy, and full of tension. But Linda's version of the story didn't add up. I knew he was dying because he had this mass in his lung cancer. And she said to me, she held my hand and she said, "I can't remember the exact words, but you can't let dad suffer like this." And we were both crying. And so she said, "Can we euthanize him some way to make put him out of his misery?" I said, "Well, he takes his double sleeping pills so we could give him a few more sleeping pills and he would just go to sleep." >> It wasn't about ending their father's pain. It was about ending theirs. the stress, the care, the constant responsibility, they were done. That's when the so-called euthanizing plan. Yeah, Linda loved using that word started taking shape. >> I felt very bad my father that he was suff suffering so bad. He was in pain. He couldn't breathe. He was having labor breathing. And um so we took him for a ride for the beach. He always wanted to go to the beach. And then um he we brought him home and she took his sleeping pills. >> How many? >> I don't know. She probably put maybe 10 if I had to guess. >> Okay. >> Into a big glass of He always had a shot of vodka before he went to bed. and she made this big giant trying to get him to drink with the chickens in it. He drank maybe this much of it. >> Okay. >> And he um he was had his little St. Joseph cars at night and he dropped them and he laid down and went to sleep. Tomaselli had no idea the drink handed to him wasn't out of love, but laced with death. They thought it would be quick, quiet, over, but that's not how it went. >> He opened his eyes, but then he closed them immediately after he opened them. And um my sister said he's obviously not it's not working. >> He's not dead. Yeah, he had not he had not died, right? My sister and I both said, "Well, we've started euthanizing him. He's now he understand >> he we have to we have to finish it now." >> Okay. What'd you do? >> So, we just got a hand washcloth. >> Who got the hand washcloth? I believe I did. Okay. >> But I'm not 100% sure. >> The first attempt failed. Watching their father teeter on the edge of death, they jumped straight to plan B. It was cold, quick, and final. The man didn't stand a chance. >> She held his nose. >> Mhm. And what'd you do? >> And I put the washcloth in his mouth and >> to block the airway. >> Block the airway. And it was just >> Did he move around? Was he trying to fight it a little bit? He acted like he had to go to the bathroom is what a man did the main thing I remember about it. >> Okay. >> And he urinated. >> Did anyone hold his hands? >> I did not hold his hands. >> Did your sister hold his hands? >> She may have >> to stop him from fighting or anything. He wasn't fighting too much because he was drugged from the sleeping pills, >> but there was some movements there. >> He did move his hands. >> Okay, that's what we're asking. Okay. >> Linda chose to lie. She thought she could get away with it. She believed the cops wouldn't notice, but they did. >> I know you you tried when he woke up um and opened his eyes and you guys went ahead and did the washcloth, >> right? Prior to doing the washcloth, um, you used a pillow and it didn't work. >> Well, that I don't remember honestly using a pillow. That honest to God do not remember using a pillow. I honest with you about that. I don't remember ever saying I used a pillow. We used a pillow. >> No, not >> do you remember saying it? Do you remember the incident in which you used the pillow? That's different. That's a different question. >> I don't remember using a pillow. I just remember getting a washcloth. >> Well, cuz you tried the pillow first. >> I don't remember. I honestly do not remember using a pillow. >> Okay. >> I don't remember a pillow being used. >> You don't just forget trying to suffocate your own father with a pillow. The poor man fought. Used whatever strength he had left to push back. But by the third attempt, he couldn't anymore. The narrative was clear. There was only one thing left to know. the real reason. >> Now, is it true that he did not want to go to the that group home or the >> correct >> and it was was it a burden watching your dad >> because you guys had to spend so much time going there? >> No, that was nothing to do with being a burden. He was going to be in a beautiful place. He had the insurance that covered it, >> but he didn't want to go there. They were going to have to put him eventually. When he got there, they were going to put him. >> At first, officers assumed the sisters did it for the inheritance, trying to cash in fast. But the truth hit harder. It was never about the money. >> He didn't like it is what I'm saying. Whether it was the good, best thing for him or not, he personally did not like it. >> He was begging a lady that Shirley's niece who was known to be on crack. He was begging her to stay with them and take care of her when we knew she was on crack. Now, I understand this. Um, but the long and the short of it is that he was resistant to going there regardless if it was the best thing for him. All these other collateral matters, he was resistant to going there. Is that correct? >> He was resistant because he did not have his money. >> I understand, but I'm just we're just walking through this. I'm just saying I'm not saying that wasn't the best thing for him. We're not getting any of that. I understand where you thought it was, and maybe it was. I'm just saying he personally was resistant to it for whatever variety of reasons. He he just didn't want to do it. >> No. >> Okay, that's okay. >> He wasn't a father to care for, just a burden to erase, but honestly, it was all about them. Tomelli didn't want to leave his house, the one place he still felt in control. And that simple refusal, it ended up costing him his life. >> My guess is, let me ask you this. You must have been torn about this. I mean, you know, um, >> I was terribly torn about it. I understand you have your father that's that's there and he's suffering but you know ultimately this was not proper or not lawful. Let's just put it that way. You're a smart person. >> At the time I felt I was euthanizing my father and helping him. >> I understand that. >> That is my honest answer I can give you. >> Linda kept pushing the whole euthanizing angle, repeating it like a shield. She wasn't just denying the truth. She was deep in denial herself. But at this point, there was no running. >> You're a smart lady. >> I mean, do you think that's lawful for someone to do? >> Take the morality out of that. >> Anthony told me no, it was not lawful. >> You don't Let me ask you this. You don't know independently of Anthony telling you that whether that was right. I forget more. Was itally right or anything? I'm just saying lawfully. You had to know that that was not lawful cuz if it was legal to do that, you would have came out and just told us what happened and you didn't do that. You knew there had to be a downside to this. >> Already told me that it was not legal to do what we did. iPhone. I euthanized him and put him on his to say. >> Now it was time for the next bombshell. What Linda didn't know, her sister, Mary Beth, had been sitting in the room right across from hers the entire time. Then the officers put them together, same room, no warning. What happened next? Absolutely mind-blowing. I don't know what to say. Can I say anything? You didn't say anything to them. >> You're fine to tell them. And so did I >> cuz you told someone. >> I know. It's because I thought I could trust him. >> No tears, no regret, not even a flicker of emotion. Mary Beth leaned in and started spinning a whole new narrative like she was rewriting the story in real time. One where she was the victim. He came to my house. >> What? >> And when Thursday and he told you he was going to do this? >> He told me to speak to me. Scared out of me in my driveway in my car in the garage cuz I have to talk to someone. boy had no idea what could be so important. Insisted on letting him in the house and told me what you told him that he must start blackmail. What do you mean with him or he'll turn me in? I said you turn me in. I don't care you. I have nothing to say to you. But he came back again. >> She was being careful. She didn't want anyone to question her loyalty. And when that fell flat, she switched gears fast, dropping logic and going full emotional, hoping sympathy would do what lies couldn't. >> Now look at this. We're going to jail. >> My life is over. So is mine. I thought about taking the string and hanging myself in the other room. Taking these off here in the room. Kill myself just now. >> Take them off. >> What? These springs come out of my boots. >> Well, you going to hang yourself? >> I was going to tie it so tight that I couldn't breathe. >> We know what we did and we did it for a reason. >> I told him why they did it. It doesn't matter what you tell that monster. I told the police what we did. I told him why we did it. When my father was had dementia and he was getting worse every day, he was uncontrollable. And he had we had gotten a call with the lung cancer. It's true that none of this is a lie. I know. >> Even with the walls closing in, all these two could talk about was themselves. Not the man they killed, not what they did, just how their lives were ruined. I can't believe you, didn't you? I can't believe I told them nobody. You called me speaking to me. So what? At that time we did what we felt that wasn't there. He may have made that surgery. He was going to go through chemotherapy. That doesn't mean he may have lived on for what a year or whatever. I don't know. I don't know what his fate was. But his dementia was very very bad. Either way, the end was definite and the gavl came down hard >> with murder in the first degree. >> Linda Roberts was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Mary Beth Thomaselli took a deal. She agreed to testify against her sister and in return got 15 years. Two sisters, one twisted plan, and a betrayal that sealed both their fates. For more high octane takedowns and VIP fails, don't forget to like, subscribe, and check out our next video. [Music] [Music]