The Murder of Fran Moringiello
For this case, I watched an episode of Truth is Stranger Than Florida. It’s season 1 episode 3, titled ‘The Body in Estero Bay.’
Background
Hattie ‘Fern’ Bergerler-Moringiello was 57 years old at the time of her death. She had met her second husband, Don while they worked together at Cape Kennedy. Don worked there as an aeronautical engineer, and Fern as a manager.
They seemed like a happy and loving couple. They moved from Connecticut to Ft. Myers Beach for their retirement. They purchased a beautiful home on Estero Bay. They were often seen by their neighbors sitting on their dock drinking a glass of wine.
Fern Moringiello
There’s Something in the Water
On July 18, 2002, a couple of tourists were out enjoying time on Estero Bay in their rental boat. They saw what they thought was a manatee swimming near the shore. However, when they got closer they realized it was a human body.
It was the body of a Caucasian female around 40-50 years old. The body had clearly been in the water for a few days and was partially covered in a bed sheet. The bed sheet had been tied with rope. There were two cinder blocks tied around her neck. The feet had been pushed through the openings of the cinder blocks and tied together.
When the autopsy results came back, the cause of death was 4 gunshots to the chest. The gun used was a .9mm. The medical examiner wasn’t able to get any fingerprints from the victim due to her having been in the water for so long.
The police released posters with colored photographs and descriptions of the clothing the victim was found wearing.
Identifying the Victim
Once news spread about a body being found in the bay, several neighbors realized that one local couple, the Moringiello’s hadn’t been seen for a while.
Around August 1, Don called his step-niece, Lorri, and asked if Fran was with her. They had apparently just returned from Italy so it was an odd question. He said they got into an argument and she left. He said had already been gone for a month and had left with about $7,000.
Lorri was shocked by what she was hearing. Lorri’s husband was a criminal defense attorney. He thought the whole thing was odd and told her to record Don. Lorri called Don back and recorded him using her husband’s tape recorder.
Lorri just didn’t think that Fern would have a “temper tantrum” and leave for a month without talking to someone.
After they returned from Italy, Don went to visit his daughter in Connecticut. His daughter, Liz said that Don only seemed to worry about Fern’s whereabouts during the end of his visit. He also had asked her if he should report Fern missing.
A Break in the Case
About 6 weeks after the body was discovered, Lorri called the police. Lorri answered some questions even though she really didn’t think that Fern would actually be dead. Lorri told the police that she had received a phone call from Don, which is how she found out.
The police asked Lorri if Fern ever had any dental work done. Lorri said she had some fillings. The police went to track down Fern’s dentist. It was a match to their victim. Lorri was notified of the findings.
Don and Fern really did seem like a good and happy couple. They were very involved in organizations and clubs around Ft. Myers Beach. However, behind closed doors their relationship was different.
Lorri explained that Fern could sometimes be abrasive. She wasn’t afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings. They would often fight about Don’s children from his 1st marriage. Don’s son, Doug had issues with drinking and drugs. Doug couldn’t hold down a job, and would often stay with them.
Don’s daughter, Liz said that Fern didn’t want anyone else in Don’s life even if it was his children.
The arguments between Fern and Doug could often be heard by their neighbors. Doug had gotten into Fern’s jewelry and pawned some of the items.
The Recordings
Lorri turned over her recordings of Don to the police. Don and Fern owned their home and a condo on a golf course. Don had told Lorri that he felt as if Fern was having an affair. He said she had been spending a lot of time at the condo. Don said he went over to the condo one weekend. He said there was a candle on the table that had been burnt. He said he didn’t think that Fern was having candlelit dinners by herself.
There was never enough evidence that Fern was having an affair.
Don also told Lorri that Fern had found a gun in a bag that they had. Don said he had purchased it for protection while they went out on their boat. He said that Fern told him they didn’t need it and threw it into the water.
The police were able to obtain a warrant for Don and Fern’s home. When they arrived, there was no one in the house. But they knew Don had been back in Fort Myers for a while and had made the phone calls to Lorri from there.
The police walked further into the home. They could hear fans blowing in a bedroom. They noticed that the carpet had been ripped up. The CSI team did a luminol test. The tile floor lit up. There were also drag marks across the floor. The police found ropes in the bedroom and cinder blocks. Both were consistent with the items that had been found on Fern’s body.
The police were suspicious of Doug. He had been seen driving Fern’s car around town. Fern’s friends said she would have never given him permission to do so.
While the police were searching the home, Don showed up. He volunteered to go to the police station for an interview. But, the interview ended when Don called his attorney, who told him not to say anything.
Doug was tracked down at an apartment on the seedy side of Ft. Myers. He never gave the police any information.
A dive team searched the water behind the house and around the dock. A gun was found in the water. The gun was similar to the one that had killed Fern, a .9mm. The gun was registered to Don. Fern had been found about 5 houses down from where they lived.
The Arrest and Conviction
Don was arrested for murder. After Don’s arrest, Doug was found dead in his apartment from an overdose.
Don and his defense team blamed Fern’s death on Doug. The defense team argued that they had a strained relationship and that Fern was afraid of Doug.
However, this failed because Don was caught in another lie. His jailhouse calls were recorded and played for the jury. Most of the calls had been to Doug when he was still alive. In one call, Don had to calm Doug down when he discovered that the gun found was registered to Don. Don admitted on the phone call that no one besides him and Fern knew about this gun.
The prosecutors believed that Fern and Don started to have more issues when Doug was thrown into the mix. It’s believed that they got into an argument over Don’s kids. Don killed Fern to basically shut her up. He panicked and attempted to get rid of the evidence. He then left Florida and went to visit his daughter.
Don was convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Don Moringiello
FINAL THOUGHTS
If it wasn’t for Lorri, who knows if this case would have been solved? It seemed like Don loved to talk and couldn’t keep his mouth shut. While many said that Fern was abrasive and could hurt people’s feelings, others said she was very nice and loving. Fern probably just wanted Don to try to help Doug more. Don seemed like he was okay with Doug mooching off of them and not getting him any help. It’s sickening that he would try to blame Fern’s death on Doug. Doug was troubled, but it’s clear he didn’t kill Fern.
Sources
https://www.truecrimelibrary.com/magazinearticle/killer-husband-couldnt-keep-his-good-wife-down/
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11781790
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/28/ctv.moringiello/
