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Dateline: Secrets Uncovered featured the story of 48-year-old attorney and part-time judge Susan Winters, who resided in Henderson, Nevada. Susan had two daughters with her husband, Brent Dennis, who was a psychologist. Susan was discovered unresponsive on January 3, 2015, in her home and was subsequently declared dead at St. Rose Dominican Hospital. Her cause of death was initially determined as suicide due to an overdose from combining oxycodone and antifreeze.
Authorities had to reopen the case decades later due to the inconsistencies of her parents, Danny and Avis Winters. Brent Dennis, Susan's husband, was taken into custody and accused of murder in 2017. Five years later, in 2022, Dennis pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter under the Alford plea agreement and was sentenced to three to ten years.
The case went through a succession of events between 2015 and 2022, during which the conditions of Susan's death were brought up again and legally reassessed.
The January 3, 2015, incidents, as shown in Dateline: Secrets Uncovered
On January 3, 2015, in the morning hours, Brent Dennis called emergency numbers to inform them that his wife, Susan Winters, was not responding. After the first responders arrived at their house, Susan was taken to the hospital, where she was then declared dead.
Toxicology testing showed there to be levels of oxycodone as well as ethylene glycol present, an element found within antifreeze. This, together with prior evidence of documented mental illness and having once attempted to kill herself, convinced the Clark County Coroner's Office to issue the death a classification as a suicide.
The push for further investigation
As depicted in Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, Susan Winters' parents, Avis and Danny Winters, were objecting to the suicide verdict. They also got a private investigator and had misgivings regarding Susan's mental and emotional state of mind and actions before she passed away. Susan, in their words, was getting ready for the future and was mentally and emotionally fine. It was for this reason that the police decided to reopen the case.
During a close analysis, the investigators also discovered exchanges and messages that had to be carefully analyzed. A $2 million life insurance policy was one such detail that placed itself at the center stage. Four days following Susan's death, the policy was submitted by Brent Dennis. Investigators also observed some withdrawal patterns of funds as well as spending patterns on finances both before death as well as even after her death.
Financial behavior and habits
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered showed further research on Brent Dennis, uncovering a history of large cash withdrawals and reported use of drugs. Dennis had made $200,000 in withdrawals during the previous year and had conducted a string of ATM withdrawals shortly before the offense.
Police also looked at cell phone activity and travel. It had been alleged that Dennis had gotten prostitutes and had inhaled cocaine, which allegedly conflicted with his work as a licensed psychologist.
This led to the Clark County Coroner's Office revising the cause of death in 2016 from "suicide" to "undetermined." This revision allowed prosecutors to build a case for criminal prosecution.
Legal proceedings and the Alford Plea as shown in Dateline: Secrets Uncovered
Brent Dennis was arrested in February 2017 after being charged with murder. He was later released on bail and kept attracting legal attention while the case dragged on. Many plea deals and legal motions were made during the pre-trial stage.
Alford, Brent Dennis, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in May 2022. In addition to acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence to probably secure a conviction, an Alford plea enables a defendant to enter a not guilty plea. This plea was entered in exchange for the reduction of the original murder charge. Dennis received a sentence of three to ten years in prison from Judge Michelle Leavitt.
The plea bargain brought the case short of a full trial, and the sentencing was the judicial conclusion of the case, nearly seven years after Susan Winters' death.
The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered- covered the suicide of Susan Winters was originally ruled, but when additional information emerged, it was revised. This resulted in a multi-year legal struggle and the conviction of her husband, Brent Dennis, on a charge of voluntary manslaughter.
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The case is representative of the subtleties of death investigations, particularly where initial evidence indicates self-infliction but unfolding circumstances have alternative explanations. An Alford plea does not result in a trial or an outright admission of guilt, according to the court's ruling.
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