Judge Agrees to Release Murderer "Bernie" Backed by Austin Filmmaker

[Disir]

CARTHAGE — On Tuesday, more than 17 years after Bernie Tiede shot 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent in the back and tucked her body under potpies in a deep freezer, a judge released him on bond, agreeing with lawyers that his life sentence should be reduced.

But his release comes with strict conditions, among them that he live in the Austin garage apartment of his moviemaking benefactor, Richard Linklater, and receive counseling for sexual abuse.

State district Judge Diane DeVasto agreed to allow Tiede's release after she heard evidence that sexual abuse he suffered as a child contributed to his crime and after a psychiatrist said Tiede would not pose a danger to society.

Standing before the judge in an orange jail-issued jumpsuit, a now gray-haired Tiede agreed to follow the court's orders to remain in the Austin area, to follow his treatment plan and to maintain his employment as a legal clerk for the Austin lawyer who successfully appealed his case, Jodi Cole.

"You're subject to re-arrest at any time if you don't comply," DeVasto warned.

“Yes ma’am, I will,” said Tiede, who repeatedly wiped tears from eyes during the 90-minute hearing that led to his release.

Tiede and his crime became famous after the release of Linklater’s 2011 film Bernie, a dark comedy about the 1996 shooting for which he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Tiede's lawyers and Panola County District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson agreed that his sentence should be reduced after psychiatrists discovered new evidence that he was repeatedly sexually abused from ages 12 to 18. Had jurors known about the abuse during his 1999 trial, the lawyers agreed in court documents, they would have handed down a lighter sentence. On Tuesday, DeVasto heard testimony from psychiatrist Edward Gripon, who evaluated Tiede, and from Linklater, who has agreed to allow the former funeral director to live with him in Austin.

Under the conditions of his bond, Tiede is not allowed to speak to the media.

Judge Agrees to Release Murderer "Bernie" Backed by Austin Filmmaker | The Texas Tribune

I can't believe that they let him out.