On September 4, 2008, 33-year-old Daniel Ray Underwood, his girlfriend Rebecca Nelson, and a friend, Maria Harvick, were at a bar in East Fork, Texas. The three then went back to the home Daniel and Rebecca shared inSulphur Springs, Texas. According to Maria, once there, Daniel and Rebecca got into an argument and Maria left the room. A short time later she went back into the room and saw Daniel holding a shotgun in his right hand and accusing Rebecca of taking all his money and burying him in debt. Rebecca grabbed the gun and a struggle ensued. Maria again left the room, and a few seconds later she heard the gun go off. When she stepped back into the hallway she saw Daniel fall to the floor, mortally wounded.

Was Daniel’s death an accident, a suicide, or a homicide? The answer might depend on who you talk to and when.
In Rebecca Nelson’s first interview with the police she stated that Daniel bent his head over the gun’s barrel and pulled the trigger, making it an apparent case of suicide.

However, Donna Underwood, Daniel’s mother, isn’t buying that explanation. In her analysis of the police investigation, the statements made by Rebecca Nelson and Maria Harvick, and statements made directly to her by Maria, she believes her son’s death was a homicide.

In her opinion, the police made little effort to learn all the facts surrounding Daniel’s death. And in Rebecca’s second taped interview with the police, mention was made of “work” she did for law enforcement. Donna believes Rebecca may have been a confidential informant and had a relationship with the police that was detrimental to conducting a thorough investigation.

Joining us for the hour is Donna Underwood and Maria Harvick to bring listeners the latest updates about Daniel’s case and where it stands today.