He was the subject of a movie, Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater, starring Jack Black in the title role as an effeminate assistant funeral director who befriended the wealthy widow, taking expensive vacations with her, hanging around with her, shooting her in the back four times and keeping her body in a freezer, pretending she was still alive as he continued to spend her money until her family convinced the police to search her house.
Tiede was sentenced to life in prison and served 16 years when he was released while his sentence was being appealed. He wasn't appealing his conviction, but he claimed that the jury should have taken into account his claim that he was once sexually abused by an uncle during sentencing. The state apparently intended to let him go free by simply not bothering to re-sentence him until the victim's family objected.
After the re-sentencing trial, the jury gave Tiede 99 years to life. The prosecutors used financial records to prove that he had embezzled millions of dollars from Nugent while telling her he was investing it in the stock market. In his confession, he said he had been thinking about clubbing her to death for some time before he shot her.
"I had thoughts of hitting Marjorie in the head with a bat or anything for a couple of months prior to November 19th, 1996," he said.
He had been staying at Richard Linklater's home during the appeal.
I saw the movie Bernie. Tiede might have been somewhat sympathetic if he had been a fictional character who murdered another fictional character, but, even then, I wouldn't sleep in the same house as him.
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