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The murder of cosmetic surgeon Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon from Asheville, which resulted in his wife Brenda's life sentence in 2016, is the subject of the latest Dateline episode.
The true-crime episode, titled The Day the Music Died, will premiere on NBC this Friday, May 13, 2022 at 9/8c. Interestingly, the series claims to feature previously unseen footage of the investigation.
The episode will chronicle the narrative of McCutcheon's murder, as reported by Keith Morrison, incorporating footage and interviews with family members, officers, and prosecutors. According to an official release statement by NBC:
"After prominent plastic surgeon and local musician Dr. Frank 'Buddy' McCutcheon (Jr.) is murdered in his Asheville, North Carolina home, investigators uncover a trail of clues pointing to an unlikely killer. New details come to light from never-before-seen police footage and exclusive TV interviews with insiders close to the case."
Who was Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon and how was he killed?
Dr. Frank McCutcheon was a well-known plastic and cosmetic surgeon from Asheville. Being a native of Arkansas, he was lovingly addressed as Buddy by those who were close to him.
He graduated from the University of Arkansas Medical School in 1978 and went on to complete residencies in Arkansas before establishing his own practice in North Carolina. According to his obituary, he was a Civil War and US history lover who also appreciated music outside of work.
According to the North Carolina Medical Board, Dr. McCutcheon's principal area of practice was plastic and reconstructive surgery. On his own website, he claimed to have been plying his trade for more than 30 years with the couple's marriage lasting for 36.
Frank was found shot to death in their Arden home on Tree Top Drive on July 16, 2016, just after 3.30 AM. Brenda Kay Parker McCutcheon, Frank's wife, was charged with his murder in November 2018.
Brenda called 911 after hearing what she thought was thunder at 3.30 AM. She discovered her husband in their first-floor TV room, where he frequently slept on the couch after watching television overnight.
Brenda McCutcheon was found guilty and imprisoned for shooting her husband in February 2020. Her appeal against a life sentence for the murder of her spouse was refused in 2016.
The family business, Cosmetic Surgery of Asheville, was under inspection by the North Carolina Department of Revenue at the time of the homicide due to suspicions of fraud. Brenda McCutcheon was in charge of the company's finances. She allegedly began burning critical business documents, sold their home, and relocated to Tennessee shortly after killing Frank, according to police.
Brenda McCutcheon, who was 69 at the time of her conviction, recently appealed her sentence but was denied by a three-judge panel in December 2021. The details of the murder and the events leading up to it were rehashed in the appeal judgment.
Don't forget to watch The Day the Music Died on NBC this Friday, May 13, 2022 at 9/8c.
