Vanessa Bowles
Appearances
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
So I just got divorced and it was nice to have someone, you know, to talk to, you know, who was in a pastoral position.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
We were starting to talk and become friends. Then I said, don't call myself because my mom pays for my meds and I don't want to run over during the day. I've done that many times before. And he's like, well, I just... I still have Carrie's phone, so I can get that to you.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
Every once in a while, he started calling just to chat, just kind of asking about my divorce and, you know, kind of saying how, like, God would work everything out.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
I want to say a couple of weeks. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to have someone who, um, you know, had two daughters and would possibly, you know, be the dad to my child.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He started asking me things about my divorce and started telling me, whoever finds you is going to be a lucky man. Did he say anything else unusual to you? He came by and was kind of smiling. He said, oh, don't date other guys. Just date your pastor and kind of smiled. Did he say anything else after that? He said, will you really date your pastor? I've had a vasectomy, so I can't get you pregnant.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
Also, I don't have any STDs. And he also started telling me that because of Carrie's depression, as he stated, their sex life had been lacking. And at the time, were you buying into what he was telling you about Carrie? I was buying into everything. He was a complete, and still is, a manipulative liar who took me in my vulnerable state and made me believe everything he said.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He asked if he could hold my hands to pray, and he did. Then afterwards, he started to kiss me. Then he just took my hand and led me to the bedroom.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
I was extremely remorseful. I couldn't believe what just happened. He started saying, it's okay. Don't feel bad. Just ask God to forgive you. And he said, in reality, he said, I don't think God believes that anyone can just be with one person the rest of their lives.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He said that if we ever fell so much in love that he would find a way out of it.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
It was sometime mid-March. He said that, you know, she took sleeping pills every night so maybe he could make it look like she overdosed on sleeping pills.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He talked about making it look like she'd hung herself. He talked about tampering with the brakes of her car, maybe doing a drive-by shooting.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He did. He sent an email and said she took a sip of it and said that it tasted like lead. And so then he said he took a drink and said, oh, well, the ice cream must have been bad. He mentioned that he would leave a note, and he said that he would type it, and I said, that's never gonna work, you're gonna be caught. And he said, oh no, she types everything.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
Did he say something else about what he believed other people thought about her mental state? Oh, he said that no one would question it because of how depressed she was.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He had gotten big horse pills. He said he emptied out all the contents and put crushed Ambien in them. He said he handcuffed her to the bed and started kissing her and touching her all over until she fell asleep. Then he said he got the pillow and put it over her face.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He said that he thought she was dead and he just said she just took one big ask for air and he said oh and then put the pillow back on her face except he did this with his hand to be sure that he suffocated her.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He said he typed out the suicide note, printed it, got her hand, and he said that he ran her hand all around the sides of it and put her fingerprints all over it. He said that he set everything up, locked the door and left.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
Not only had I known about this and not done the right thing, in truth, who would believe me? He was a preacher. And so I felt like I was stuck.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
I decided that I didn't care what he told me anymore, that we didn't worship the same God. So I called him. I told him, I never want to see you again. And he became my right. He started saying, I killed my wife for you, and now you're leaving.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
He was talking about the murder plan, and he later referenced it, stating, I need to keep my mouth shut. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
Because what do I have to gain from this right now? I'm setting things right. I made a mistake here. because a manipulative liar wearing the mask of God came into my life. And this testimony is gonna put him where he needs to be.
20/20
Dirty Little Secret
I remember having to use all my strength to try to keep him off of me and from taking my clothes off.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
You really need to turn yourself in or I'm going to tell what you did. And he said, you better not do that.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
Would you please state your name for the record? Yes, it's Vanessa Bowles.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He came in and he just sat down, started talking to me and said, whoever finds you is going to be a lucky man. Vanessa was a single mom going through a divorce. He said that, you know, he'd counseled people with divorce before. He said he's lost a child and God could get you through anything. She says Matt often complained about Carrie. His wife was so depressed.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He said she was a horrible mother, a horrible wife. They didn't have sex anymore. And at the time, were you buying into what he was telling you about Carrie? I was buying into everything.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He asked if he could hold my hands to pray, and he did. Then afterwards, he started to kiss me. Then he just took my hand and led me to the bedroom. It was the first time, she says, they had sex.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He referred to her as a fat bitch, said that he wanted her out of his life.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He said, I'm going to tell you what happened that night, one time. Then he said, I never want to talk about it again.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He said he handcuffed her to the bed started kissing her and touching her all over until she fell asleep.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He said he kissed her on the forehead and either said, give Cassidy a hug for me or give Cassidy a kiss for me. Then he said he got the pillow and put it over her face.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He said, oh, . And then he said he put the pillow on her face. But then he said he did this with his hand where her nose was. So he would be sure to suffocate her.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
Did he ever send you song lyrics? Yes, he sent me song lyrics to the song, Dirty Little Secrets. It went, I'll keep you in my dirty little secret. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
He talked about maybe putting something in a milkshake, making it look like she'd hung herself, maybe doing a drive-by shooting, make it look like she overdosed on sleeping pills, tampering with the brakes of her car.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
I thought he would, but he promised me that he would be so happy that he would never do that. She continued dating him and kept her mouth shut. Not only had I known about this and not done the right thing, in truth, who would believe me? He was a preacher.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
and so i felt like i was stuck and even after she broke up with matt months later when police began looking into carrie's death he started saying i killed my wife for you and now you're leaving vanessa says she was afraid to talk at that point i was worried that he would come after me and put a bullet in my head to be blunt if what she said was the truth it was uh pretty dramatic and pretty damning
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
It was absolutely false. I was untruthful. I was still keeping that part in. I'm pretty sure I denied that completely. Isn't it possible that Vanessa Bowles is finally telling the truth?
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
I don't mind talking to y'all, but this is, you know, taking time out of my schedule.
48 Hours
A Preacher's Secret, Part 2
I didn't really. want to think that because he seemed happily married.