After Christmas 1978, Robert Spangler murdered his wife, son and daughter, then staged the crime scene to make it appear Nancy Spangler had shot the teenagers before committing suicide. Although he was and remained a suspect, the slaughter was quickly ruled a double murder/suicide. His behaviour shortly afterwards seemed bizarre; he was remarkably calm and collected, moved back into the house, and married his mistress within months. It was no secret that he'd had an affair, but could anyone have expected this?
His new wife Sharon was the author of a guide book on the Grand Canyon, and the two spent much time hiking in the great outdoors. The marriage didn't last, but this one ended in divorce rather than homicide, perhaps only because Sharon got out in time. Now approaching fifty, Spangler sought and found another wife, moving with her to a small town in Colorado.
Taking his third wife to the Grand Canyon, he threw her off the top. Naturally there were no witnesses. The death was ruled accidental, but tongues will wag, especially when unbelievably Spangler's second wife moved back in, renting a room from him. She was soon dead, but this time there was no doubt that she administered the overdose that killed her, though it may have been that he drove her to it; she had certainly been struggling with mental health issues. Unfortunately for Spangler, this suicide led to the authorities reopening the investigation into the death of his family. However, there was an ironic twist in the tale. Spangler married for a 4th time, but he was also diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, so the authorities were in a rush to get a confession out of him before he died. Unreal. They did it by appealing to his vanity, and it worked. What did he have to lose?
Robert Spangler pleaded guilty to four murders but died nine months after his conviction.
The documentary makers talk to law enforcement officials and local reporters, none of whom appear to see the gallows humour behind this dreadful tale.