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On a warm fall evening in 2002, Gabriel Polk was waiting for his father to come home from work.

The two had plans to see the San Francisco Giants play later that night and Gabriel was really looking forward to it.

His father, Felix Polk, a well-known psychologist in the Bay Area, was not answering his calls.

It was rare for him not to follow through on plans with his son. It was also out of the ordinary for him not to call Gabe and let him know that he would be late.

At 8.30 that night, Gabriel anxiously called 911. When the operator asked why he needed the police, rather than answer, Gabriel hung up the phone.

This was not the first time that police received a phone call from the Polk's home.

Just four days before, Felix had filed a police report claiming that his wife had threatened to shoot him.

Gabriel began searching for the business card the officer had given to his father that day, believing he might be the best one to call now. But he could not find his card.

So Gabriel went to look in the guest house adjacent to their pool where his father had been staying temporarily.

What he found in there prompted him to flee back to the main house and call 911 again. When the operator picked up, the only word that Gabriel was able to voice in that moment was murder.

From Wondering in Treyfort, I'm Candace Delaun and this is Killer Sighty.

I've spent five decades studying people's minds through my work as an FBI profiler and psychiatric nurse.

I've spent five decades studying people's minds through my work as an FBI profiler and psychiatric nurse. I've interviewed lots of murderers, including serial killers. And the question of why they did it is what I get asked time and time again.

It is difficult to get a satisfying answer without diving deep into their mindsets. So that's what we're doing. And I will give you my best analysis in this series of what made them do what they did.

This episode is part one of two about Susan Polk.

A Rinda is a small city only 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco. The beauty and location of the town has made it a draw for the wealthy who might want to escape city living but not be too far from it.

Susan and Felix Polk lived in a rustic California estate in Rinda where they raised their three boys.

Late in the evening on Sunday October 13th, 2002, the house was quiet as 44-year-old Susan Polk walked down the narrow corridor leading to the pool house.

Armed with a can of pepper spray, a heavy mag flashlight and a four-inch kitchen pairing knife, Susan was prepared for battle.

She intended to confront her husband of 21 years about his domineering control of her life.

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