Part one of the investigation into the murder of Charla Mack and attempted murder of Judge Chuck Weller. On June 12, 2006, Charla was found stabbed to death in her estranged husband's condo. Two hours later, a bullet was fired through the window of Judge Weller’s chambers, spraying him with shrapnel. The prime suspect in both attacks – Darren Mack – had vanished into thin air. “48 Hours" Correspondent Troy Roberts reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 8/8/2009. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the background of Charla and Darren Mack?
The Charla and Darren Mack story is a story of explosive love. Smile, honey. It's really good-looking people, a lot of money, a lot of sex, and high, high, high emotion. And eventually, murder. I'm Amanda Roth, and I'm a writer, and I grew up in Reno, Nevada. Darren Mack is handsome, larger than life, very charismatic, was an extraordinarily wealthy man.
He worked in and around gaming in that he owned a pawn shop.
That's why we've been here for 40 years, and if you don't believe us, just ask anybody who's done business with us. Everyone loved Darren. He had that personality that you wanted to be around.
Darren Mack was married to a 39-year-old woman named Charla. She was a stop-and-stare beautiful brunette. Absolutely gorgeous woman.
She was the most positive, upbeat, friendly, happy human being you would ever meet.
I would say that Darren and Charla Mack were a pretty explosive cocktail.
Passion and volatile and passion and volatile and not a whole lot in between.
She admitted that she did some things that she wasn't proud of in an effort to save her marriage.
They got increasingly into adventurous sex during their marriage. It was a roller coaster. When it went wrong, it went really wrong. So when his wife left him, it was a terrible blow. In a state known for divorce, this was about as nasty as a divorce can get anywhere. It was ugly. It was vicious. It was mean. Judge Weller was hearing their divorce case.
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Chapter 2: What led to the escalation of the Mack's divorce?
The shooter's vehicle pulled into the parking garage, drove up to the fifth floor. Moments later, the vehicle made a three-point turn and backed in so that the rear of the vehicle was facing the Mills Lane Justice Center. I think he knew what he set out to do on June 12, and he followed his plan piece by piece.
So this wasn't just an explosion of violence.
Well, I believe it was a calculated explosion of violence. We know that the judge was shot at about 11.05. The video surveillance camera shows the Ford Explorer's rear hatch being closed at 11.05, and the vehicle flees the parking garage immediately.
How far is the courthouse from this parking structure? This is approximately 170 yards. It would take some skill as a marksman to shoot that distance and to hit your target. What do you think?
It would take some skill, but Darren Mack has an extensive history in hunting, and I believe for somebody with his firearms background, this would be a very reasonable shot.
The fallout from this horrifying day. One shooting.
Judge Weller is recovering from gunshot wounds under guard in an undisclosed location.
One murder. Did she fear for her life?
Yes. It's a homicide investigation right now. The prime suspect, Darren Mack.
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Chapter 3: How did the attack on Judge Weller unfold?
There's no question about the fact that we have our work cut out for us.
David Chesnoff and Scott Freeman took over the surrender negotiation.
Let's be clear on what we're dealing with here. Your client, Darren Mack, did kill his ex-wife, Charla.
You won't get me to tell you that. That's not in dispute, is it? I think everything in the case is in dispute.
But what's not in dispute is they see Darren as a man pushed to the limit.
I mean, if I had a dollar for every time somebody said to me, this guy must have just snapped.
Do you think he went temporarily insane that morning? No.
Mm-mm. He's a completely capable human being who makes bad choices and excuses.
But a series of emails Darren sent while on the run reveal a disturbing picture of this man. For example, in one message, he holds himself up as a martyr for the father's rights movement, saying, remember, they want me as a sacrificial lamb. They want the pleasure of executing me.
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