ABC's Who Do You Believe is all set to explore the brutal murder of Jon Garner in January 2018, where both his wife, Sandra Garner, and his step-son, Wesley Miller, were the alleged suspects after investigators found Sandra's iPad with a search history hinting at a murder plan. Sandra was initially arrested following specific evidence such as gunpowder on her hands, but she was eventually released after a four-week trial.
Who Do You Believe focuses on cases where simultaneous storytelling takes viewers across two narratives from different perspectives. In this case, it would be Sandra and her son Wesley pointing fingers at each other in the backdrop of bizarre discoveries and a constantly changing case.The whole investigation into this case was captured on police body camera and shown in court.
Read on to find out about what happened to Sandra Garner and where she is now.
Who was Sandra Garner and what did she do?
Sandra Louise Garner, originally from Maypearl, Ellis County, was a mother of two children when she worked for a shipping company in Paris, Texas. She met Jon Garner there and fell in love with him despite the fact that he was 13 years younger than her. Two years later, she married Jon. It was her third marriage after the failure of the first two.
Jon took over as the father figure for Sandra's two children, Andrea and Wesley. He became the sole breadwinner for the family after Sandra was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The couple stayed married for eighteen years before the incident took place.
On the eve of Sandra and Jon's anniversary on January 2, 2022, Jon Garner was shot thrice in his sleep. According to reports, Sandra called the police soon after, revealing that she woke up to the sound of gunshots and started screaming. A masked perpetrator asked her to stay shut at gunpoint and made her give $18,000 in cash from the couple's bedroom locker. After he left, Sandra called the police.
After the police arrived, Sandra reportedly recounted the story multiple times with no changes. However, certain things did not feel right to the investigators. The most striking thing about her was her calm demeanor. She allegedly recounted the story multiple times with barely any display of emotion. This made the authorities question her motive.
As the police investigated the case, they allegedly discovered Sandra Garner's iPad in which the recent search history read, "How to kill somebody in their sleep" and "16 ways to kill somebody and not get caught." Along with gunpowder residue on her hands, police singled her out as the prime suspect. Wesley Miller also believed that Sandra was behind the murder.
A couple of days later, the authorities allegedly discovered a firearm under the front seat of Sandra's car. After further investigation, they determined that this particular gun was the murder weapon.
Following this, Sandra Garner was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Her bond was set at $2 million. Unable to pay the bond, Sandra stayed in prison until her hearing began in September 2019.
What happened in Sandra Garner's trial and where is she now?
In Sandra Garner's trial, hours of body cam footage were reviewed by the judge and jury that were taken during the investigation. Prosecutors argued that her body language was just like a guilty person's. With hoards of evidence and testimonies, the case dragged on for four weeks before the verdict was reached.
The defense team vehemently fought back, asserting that the gun could be placed inside Sandra's car by a third party. They also argued that Wesley could be the main perpetrator. This part would be the focal point of ABC's Who Do You Believe, as indicated by the synopsis.
After three hours of deliberation, the jury concluded that Sandra was not guilty. All charges against her were dropped and she walked out of the courthouse a free woman.
Presently, she resides in Maypearl, Ellis County, Texas, at their family home. She believes that her dead husband would have wanted this for her. Speaking to Richard Schlesinger, she said:
"And I know it’s hard, and I know people think I’m crazy for wantin’ to be here. But I just wanna be as close to him as I can."Sandra Garner was in prison for 21 months before the jury found her not guilty.
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