NBC’s Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning was aired on October 7, 2022. In 2015, Susan Winters was found dead inside her home in Henderson, Neveda. The medical examiner, the district attorney and police, all agreed at first that it was a heartbreaking case of suicide. However, Susan’s family never accepted that answer.
They believed the 48-year-old attorney was full of life and would not have ended it herself. Determined to uncover the truth, her brother, parents and sister-in-law began their own search for answers. They hired private investigators and brought in one of the most respected defense attorneys in Las Vegas to dig deeper into what really happened.
Dozens of friends and family filled the Las Vegas courtroom on Tuesday as a Henderson psychologist was given upto ten years in prison for the death of his wife in 2015. Many people spoke about the pain they felt and the loss they continue to carry. The sentencing marked the end of a long and emotional case that began more than a decade.
Continue reading to learn more about the story.
Susan Winters’ journey and justice in Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning
Susan grew up in Oklahoma where she showed her talent in sports. She was strong and competitive and played on her school track, basketball and softball teams. In Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning, we saw Avis Winters, Susan’s mon said:
“We wanted justice for Susan. That was the only thing that kept us going.”
The family never stopped pushing for answers. Their search uncovered new evidence that changed everything and led to an arrest. Her father, Danny Winters, remembered,
“If she couldn’t do her best, she wasn’t ever satisfied.”
As a teenager, Susan liked Gregory Brent Dennis, the older quarterback at her high school. He was popular and good-looking, but he was four years older than her. Due to this, nothing ever happened between them. After graduation, they went in different and never became a couple.
Susan earned her law degree and made her home in Henderson, Neveda, just outside Las Vegas. Dennis built his career as a psychologist in San Diego. Year later, both had gone through marriages and divorces. That was when Susan’s sister-in-law Julie Winters stepped in as a matchmaker.
She got Dennis’ phone number from his father and helped the two reconnect. Before long, Susan was deeply in love with her old classmate, as one friend remembered, she was head over heels. In 1995, the couple got married and settled in Henderson and welcomed two daughters.
Susan’s death and family doubts on Dennis in Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning
In Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning, viewers saw Susan died on January 3, 2015, after her husband Gregory Dennis called 911 saying that she was not breathing. Emergency workers restored her pulse, but she had severe brain swelling and did not survive.
Dennis told her family that she tried to take her own life, but they never believed it. Her parents and brother said Susan was happy and making plans for the new year. They also questioned why Dennis quickly gave away her belongings. The family felt the circumstances did not match suicide and began their own investigation to uncover the truth.
Where is Brent Dennis now?
Brent Dennis, the husband of Susan, is currently serving a prison sentence in Neveda state prison. He was sentenced in 2022 to three to ten years. With a minimum of 3 years, Dennis could be eligible for parole, but the maximum term extends to 2032.
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Edited by Sezal Srivastava