It was a hot summer night in 1996 when Terri Gilbert heard someone trying to enter her house. Frightened, she grabbed the gun from her nightstand and ran and hid in the basement. The intruder came down the stairs. Three gunshots rang out and a man fell to the floor. When police arrived, they learned that Terri's story of self-defence had as many holes in it as the dead man lying in her basement.

In 1975, Gene Gilbert visited Albuquerque, New Mexico and met Terri Hotchkiss, a woman recently removed from an abusive marriage. He fell in love with Albuquerque and with Terri. After a brief courtship, they married and made Albuquerque their home. There, Gene set up his legal practice and decided to try his hand at politics. He soon became a county commissioner. Terri was building her career as well and became a prominent consultant in the healthcare industry. But, despite their successes, all was not well with the Gilberts. In 1988, Gene began having an affair. When Terri learned of his mistress, things turned rocky in their relationship. They finally separated at the end of 1995. That spring, Terri decided to give Gene one last chance. They took a trip to Las Vegas to rekindle the old flame.

The couple's attempts at reconciliation did not work. Gene would not stop running around. Despite his daily phone calls and visits, Terri bitterly decided it was over. Things seemed to be resolved until the night of 18th August 1996. Terri placed a 911 call to police, informing authorities that she had shot an intruder in her home. When police arrived, Terri confessed that she had heard a noise in the basement. She had taken her loaded gun with her to the basement and in the darkness had fired the gun three times. Police found a body downstairs with three perfectly placed gunshot wounds in the chest. The intruder was Gene.

When news of Gene's murder came out, Albuquerque was shocked. Gene had been a popular guy with friends in high places. Immediately, there was speculation that Terri was not as innocent as she claimed. It was not long before Terri was arrested on charges of murder. The trial that followed sparked a media frenzy, especially when they found that Terri, claiming self defence, had killed her previous husband exactly the same way. Jurors were treated to weeks of testimony, including Terri's compelling plea of self-defence. The prosecutors pointed out some inconsistencies in her story, though. They drew attention to the fact that her gunshots hit Gene squarely in the chest even although Terri claimed she had been crouching in the pitch dark basement. They questioned why Gene was sneaking into his home when his car was parked directly in front of the house where he usually left it.

The jury came back with a surprise verdict not guilty. Terri was relieved but Gene's family was mortified. Terri later settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Gene's stepdaughter. Albuquerque is still reeling from the death of Gene Gilbert and the trial that most believe let his wife get away with murder.