CBS 48 Hours will revisit Adreen McDonald’s disappearance and murder case in an episode titled “Andreen McDonald: A Millionaire Vanishes.” The all-new episode airs on the network on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET. The official synopsis says, “How a yellow hammer nailed a suspect in the case of a missing businesswoman. 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.”
According to CBS News, Andreen McDonald disappeared on February 28, 2019. Authorities first suspected her husband, Andre McDonald, an Air Force Major, after they executed a search of their home and found “disturbing” items. They found Andreen’s remains in July of that year and soon arrested and charged Andre with murder.
Finally, a jury convicted Andre of manslaughter in February 2023, years after the killing, after he confessed to murdering Andreen. A judge gave the confessed murderer the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Andreen McDonald: What happened to her?
Law & Crime reported that Andre McDonald confessed to murdering his wife, Andreen McDonald. The confession came as part of his testimony three years after the incident in early 2023. After learning that Andreen had left his name out of a business deal, the former claimed he acted in self-defense. The father-of-one felt betrayed and robbed. Andre told the court while taking the stand in his defense, “It’s not every day you find out your wife’s ripping you off.”
Andre testified that they argued about money and fidelity on February 28, 2019, at their north Bexar County home. But the argument escalated into a physical fight shortly after midnight on March 1. He claimed that Andreen attacked him first in their main bedroom when he threatened to file for divorce. A scuffle ensued, and the accused tripped his wife down to the ground, after which he “landed, like, a couple of kicks.” He even “heard some type of wheezing coming out of her” following the second kick.
The fight lasted for a few minutes, and by the time it ended, Andre had discovered that their special-needs child was out of bed. He then took her upstairs to bed and only returned to the scene of the fight to find Andreen McDonald dead. The defendant loaded the victim in the trunk of his Chevy Malibu, drove to a rural property near a soccer field, and disposed of the body. He then returned home and burned the 29-year-old’s clothes.
The outlet stated that Andre returned to the rural property, just six miles away from their home, the following night. He claimed to have poured gas on the body before lighting it on fire.” He then also hit the with a hammer “multiple times” in the “neck area” out of anger.
According to CBS News, Andre McDonald alleged that he acted in self-defense. He said he feared his powerlifting wife, you know, and of “being harmed during that whole situation.”
In early February 2023, the jury found Andre not guilty of murder but convicted him on a manslaughter charge. After the verdict, Judge Frank Castro sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
CBS 48 Hours’ episode on Andreen McDonald’s murder airs on Saturday, December 9.
