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38-year-old Pegye Bechler was murdered by her husband at a beach in Southern California in July 1997. Her body was never found.
The murder was initially staged as an accident after her husband Eric Bechler told police that she fell off her speedboat when a wave hit them. However, investigators could sense foul play and never ceased to follow up on the case.
Eric was eventually convicted in 2001 after his girlfriend gave a statement blaming him for the murder.
This story will be explored in the February 1 episode of Oxygen's true-crime series, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered. Here's a short synopsis of the episode:
"A California couple's romantic getaway on a boat turns tragic when the young wife and mother is lost at sea; the case goes cold for years until a model with a checkered past goes undercover to find the truth."
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of murder. Discretion is advised.
Motive, cause of death, and 3 other horrific details about Pegye Bechler's death
1) She was beaten to death with two dumbells
On the day that Eric planned to kill Pegye, he reserved a boat and took her off the shore. After he made sure that she had fallen asleep, he took two dumbells and hit her with them until she died.
The man then stuffed her body inside a bag and threw it into the sea. The body was never found again, making it difficult for the investigators to narrow down on the killer.
2) Eric killed his wife for a $2 million life insurance policy
Following Pegye's death, Eric stood to gain over $2 million from a life insurance policy. The jury termed it as the main motive behind the murder.
A few months after killing his wife, Eric moved in with a woman named Tina, who was going through a financial crisis at the time.
3) Eric confessed to killing his wife
Although it was initially difficult to determine who might have killed Pegye, all eyes were on Eric, who was ultimately nabbed thanks to Tina.
Eric had confessed to Tina about the killing one nigh, describing how he had planned the murder. He confessed that they were celebrating their 5th anniversary and Pegye's birthday at the beach when he decided to kill her.
When the investigators questioned Tina, she confessed all that she knew.
Among the few pieces of evidence present, one was Eric's weight tree at his home, which had two weights missing.
4) Eric was sentenced to life-imprisonment
Eric was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life-imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for financial gain.
He is currently serving his sentence at the Avenal State Prison.
5) They had a significant age gap
After finishing her schooling in New Mexico, Pegye moved to California, where she met Eric at a volleyball match and immediately hit it off with him, despite their eight-year age gap.
The two married about a year later and had three children together.
