This is a Rogue Media Network podcast.

Do you ever have a story that you just can't get out of your head?

One that you play the details of over and over with your friends.

Well, you've come to the right place.

I'm Claire.

And I'm Susan.

And this is justice pending. A weekly true crime podcast where we

discuss tantalizing crimes with more questions and answers. Welcome to Justice Pending, the podcast

where we unravel the twists and turns of cases that leave us with more questions

than answers. I'm Claire. And I'm Susan. And today we're covering a case out of Albany, Georgia,

a case that started as a murder investigation, was ruled a suicide, then reopened years later

because the victim's family never stopped fighting

for justice. The story of Natalie Epler is filled with conflicting reports, forensic questions,

and a husband accused of murder, only to have the charges dropped months later. So was Natalie's death a tragic suicide or was there something more

sinister at play? Let's set the scene. Okay, February 20th, 2011, Albany, Georgia. Police respond to a

domestic dispute at the home of Marine Corps Sergeant James Epler and his wife Natalie.

When they enter the bedroom, they find a horrific scene. 23-year-old Natalie Epler is on the ground

with a gunshot wound to the head. James is there too, holding Natalie's head in his lap, crying for help.

He tells police they had been arguing,

and then she went into the bedroom and shot herself. But there's already doubt. So there's a witness at the scene, a friend who had broken up an earlier fight between James and Natalie.

She says James came running out of the house asking for help.

But when the witness ran inside, they saw a gun on the bed and blood pulling around Natalie's head.

...