Hero Or Villain? A Woman’s Ex Told Police He Rescued Her From A Violent Encounter

It was love at first sight when Morgan Metzer met her future husband, Rodney, when she was in high school. They were always together, appearing at prom and homecoming dressed to the nines. After graduating, they moved in together. After 18 months, they were engaged. They married when Morgan was just 21.

Morgan’s father never had a good feeling about Rodney as he transitioned from crush to boyfriend to fiancé to husband, but Morgan thought her father was being too judgemental. Rod was perfect, she insisted. He was all she’d ever known, and she was madly in love with him.

“The Signs Were There”

Morgan’s father had been right about his son-in-law.

She didn’t realize Rod came from a wealthy family until he inherited a large number of stocks after their wedding. He spent hours in his office working as a day trader. The high-stress environment began to cause outbursts, and Morgan often heard Rod yell, curse, and slam the doors if the stock market wasn’t going his way. In time, the yelling became physical when Rod began punching walls and throwing things.

Morgan tried to step in once to help soothe her husband’s anger, but he turned his fury and began screaming at her to get out of his office.

Rod’s fuse grew even shorter when the couple’s twins were born. It was clear to Morgan that the babies were an inconvenience to her husband; he had no tolerance for messes or the chaos of childhood. She often found herself locked in the closet with her children while Rod beat on the door and raged outside. Sometimes, he only needed a few minutes to calm down. Other times, she and the twins would hide in there for hours.

Rod simply wasn’t the man she’d married, though she wasn’t concerned that he would ever get physically violent with her.

That all changed one weekend when the couple attended a birthday party for a friend. It was a kid-free weekend, and Morgan was looking forward to some time away with her husband.

The party took place on a rented boat where the adults were drinking, laughing, and talking. At dusk, Morgan headed to her and Rod’s room to get some rest. He burst into the dark room a short time later and accused her of embarrassing him in front of his friends. When Morgan told Rod that she was going to sleep, he began punching her in the face. When he finally stopped and turned on the lights, her blood was splattered across the wall from her bloodied nose.

Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come.

Find out what happened on Evil Lives Here “He Pretended to Save Me” on ID on July 31 at 9/8c. Episodes are also available to stream on discovery+.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence or abuse from a romantic partner, you can visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website, call 1.800.799.SAFE, or text START to 88788 for help. Advocates are available 24/7 to help callers talk through their situation and connect them with local resources. There is no charge to reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.