Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
On June 28, 2015, Teresa Sievers cut short her family vacation in upstate New York and returned to her home in Florida. Reports indicate that Teresa was a doctor and wanted to see her patients the next morning. However, as soon as she entered her home, unknown assailants struck her head with hammers repeatedly and killed her.
As the investigations progressed, the authorities found substantial physical evidence at the crime scene and arrested two suspects for the slaying. But soon, police discovered that someone close to the doctor planned the incident. According to the News-Press, someone called 911 after discovering Teresa Sievers’s body inside her residence. The publication mentioned that the assailants struck her in the back of the head. Moreover, a hammer was lying next to the victim’s body. The autopsy showed that Teresa died from blunt force trauma.
Meanwhile, the outlet cited court documents and noted that someone deactivated the alarm at Sievers’ home. Later that day, Mark Sievers called one of his friends to check up on Teresa because she didn’t show up at work. As soon as the friend went inside the house, he found the lifeless body of Teresa Sievers.
During the initial interrogation, Sievers claimed that he and Teresa had a lot of arguments in their marriage. But, he denied having any extra-marital affairs. Two months later, authorities apprehended Jimmy Ray Rodgers and Curtis Wayne Wright for Teresa Sievers’ murder. Reports indicate that police received a tip that helped them arrest the suspects. As per News-Press, Rodgers’ girlfriend contacted the police and told them that her boyfriend admitted to her that he and Wright killed Teresa. The publication also mentioned that he killed her with a hammer, and the entire plan was orchestrated by Mark Sievers. As a result, police arrested Rodgers and Wright.
Wright took a plea deal and decided to testify against Sievers. During the trial, he testified against Mark Sievers and helped the prosecutors convict him. The jury found him guilty on all charges and gave him a death sentence, per the Associated Press.
What was the motive behind Teresa’s killing?
According to The Mirror, Teresa Sievers and Mark Sievers had problems in their marriage and were facing financial troubles. The media outlet noted the victim had several life insurance policies, amounting to over $4 million in total. In December 2015, the State Attorney released essential documents regarding the case. It claimed he hired Rodgers and Wright to slay his wife to collect millions of insurance money, per FOX 4 Now.
During the trial, Curtis Wayne Wright testified against Mark Sievers and told the court that Sievers was having problems with his wife. He also stated that Teresa would take his daughters away from him. At the time, Sievers reportedly told him that his only option was for his wife to die, per Naples Daily News. Moreover, he testified that Mark Sievers offered him $100,000 to have his wife murdered. Citing her testimony, Naples Daily News also stated that Sievers told Wright about the insurance money as well.
Additionally, he told the court that Sievers gave him the codes for the security system to access the premises. His testimony and other evidence presented in the court helped the jury deliver a guilty verdict. Subsequently, Sievers received a death sentence for the murder of Teresa Sievers. Later, Mark Sievers filed an appeal to dismiss his death sentence. However, the court denied his appeal and upheld his conviction, per WBBH.
