“A Murder in the Family” episode 1 explores the horrific murder of Cheryl Hooper, who was killed outside her house and in front of her daughter by her abusive husband, Jack. This victim-driven documentary delves into the reasons behind the crime by examining both the horrifying forensic evidence and private family video.
Spoilers Ahead
How Quickly Things Change
“A Murder in the Family” Episode 1 begins with an ominous 911 call informing the operator that a woman named Cheryl Hooper has been shot in the neck and killed in her car. Cheryl’s daughter, Georgia, was near the car at the time of the horrific murder. At first, Georgia believed the murderer was holding a sledgehammer or spade, but as she made her way around, she noticed that it was a gun, and before she could move a finger, the killer pulled the trigger. According to the initial reports, Cheryl and her murderer knew each other, and the cops had arrested a suspect named Jack. Georgia was merely a teenager when she saw her mom dying in front of her eyes, and the courage to sit down in front of the cops to give them an account of the murder is phenomenal.
Cheryl was a wonderful woman and loved to share her joy with others. She was caring both as a daughter and a mother; even as a single mom, Cheryl has made sure her daughter gets everything she needs. Cheryl began dating Jack and had even introduced him to his daughter, and she was excited to see where this relationship took them. They even took a trip to Paris and accepted Jack’s proposal to marry him, not knowing that this could turn out to be her biggest mistake. At first, Jack appeared to be a very decent guy who could give Cheryl a comfortable life so that she would not have to work tirelessly. Jack was fortunate, thanks to his successful business, but no one really knew the real Jack and the horrific things he was capable of. But after the marriage, Jack’s behaviour changed, and he started ignoring Cheryl’s family, her daughter Georgia, and so on. Cheryl was starting to become a lonely housewife because her husband was never around. Jack expected Cheryl to clean the house and cook, and the latter’s forty-hours-a-week job tired her out, but she kept on going as she was desperate to get some attention from her new husband. Jack even gulped all her money, leaving with pennies for herself. Jack wanted people to think that he was comfortable, but in reality, he was drowning in debt. He used to leave her alone at home, go out drinking with his friends, and spend all her money. Cheryl was doing everything to make Jack happy, but Jack ignored her like a snake in the grass.
The Day Of The Murder
After years of torture, Cheryl and Georgia finally moved out of the house to protect themselves and have been living at Georgia’s nana’s place. Jack tries to get her back, even threatening to kill himself, but it is all in vain. Jack began stalking Cheryl wherever she went, using the credentials of her car’s GPS location. Soon after, Jack’s license to keep firearms was suspended, which was too much for him to bear. He followed Cheryl to a restaurant where she was having drinks with her friends and confronted Cheryl, threatening to divorce her and burn all her stuff. After getting rejected again, Jack goes back to his farm to fetch his gun and track Cheryl’s location again. As Cheryl pulled her car around her house, Jack approached her car’s door and shot her in the neck in front of Georgia. Jack was driving a silver Land Rover and pulled up behind Cheryl’s car, making sure she wouldn’t go anywhere, and walked to the window and banged against the glass, shattering the glass. Afterward, he pulled out the gun properly and shot her. Cheryl had suffered two catastrophic injuries to her right arm and neck area and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Trial
The cops swarmed Jack’s farm and arrested him an hour after he killed his wife. Jack shot himself and was taken to the hospital to treat the self-inflicted gunshot wound. The gunshot wound to the face left Jack without a nose or mouth and with a lifelong injury. He was unable to speak and communicated what he did with Cheryl Hooper by moving his fingers across the paper. Jack put forward a bizarre account that he had just banged the gun on the glass to scare her, but the footage showed him pointing his gun directly at Cheryl. Also, after examining all the evidence, the police learned that Jack had greased the gun, proving he was planning to murder her all along. The trial began, and Jack was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum sentence of 31 years.
Jack was abusive in all forms—mentally, physically, and financially—and he murdered his wife just because she rejected him. Jack was a sociopath and believed he had the right to kill Cheryl without even thinking for a second about what his actions could do to Cheryl’s daughter and family. Even at the trial, Jack had no remorse for the lives he ruined and just sat there quietly, waiting for his sentence. Jack was a despicable man who failed at being both a good parent and a better spouse.