Gregory Brent Dennis, husband of Susan Winters, discovered her unconscious in their home in January 2015, just days after celebrating the New Year. Authorities initially thought it was a suicide, but new evidence uncovered in the months that followed indicated it was a cold-blooded murder. The “Dateline: A Cool Desert Morning” TV show on NBC News focuses on the events that took place inside the home in Henderson, Nevada, as well as why authorities came to the conclusion that Gregory was to blame. If this piques your interest and you want to learn more, we’ve got you covered.
Susan Winters
Who is Gregory Brent Dennis?
Gregory Dennis, a psychologist, called 911 around 6:48 a.m. on January 3, 2015 to report that his wife was unresponsive while they were in bed together. She had a weak heartbeat when first responders arrived, so they rushed her to hospital. However, she died in the afternoon after Gregory urged the hospital to turn off her life support. The main factor in determining the initial verdict regarding Susan’s death was the information he provided to authorities.
Gregory claimed that he and Susan had had a fight the night before and that she had been drinking during the argument. Gregory went on to say that Susan had suicidal tendencies and was on medication for depression. In the first interview, he said he left her to sleep around six o’clock in the evening while he was out with his daughters. However, when Gregory got home, he told everyone that he had discovered antifreeze poisoning searches on the computer in the family room. Additionally, Gregory claimed that two bottles of antifreeze were placed in an inappropriate location in the garage.
Gregory reported that Susan mentioned feeling unloved when he confronted her about it. Gregory said he approached Susan about it. When he suggested calling 911, Susan allegedly threatened to harm and resent him by pointing a hammer at his face and making statements to that effect. Dennis reported to authorities that he went to bed around 10:30 p.m., woke up at 2 or 3 a.m. to use the bathroom, then went back to sleep until about 7 a.m. when he discovered his wife was unconscious.
Authorities initially concluded Susan committed suicide, with the coroner saying she died of a combination of ethylene glycol poisoning and oxycodone intoxication when she was found dead. However, Danny and Avis Winters, Susan’s parents, were unhappy with the outcome. They believed that Gregory was somehow involved in Susan’s death and therefore decided to seek answers by hiring a private investigator as well as an attorney. This quest for justice ultimately results in the police reopening the investigation and Gregory’s arrest; nevertheless, how Susan died was ultimately deemed undetermined by the coroner.
A significant amount of new evidence pointing to Gregory has been uncovered by the family’s investigation team. They accused him of researching antifreeze poisoning because the search took place around 5:15 a.m. on January 3 and they claimed he was guilty. On top of that, the information was accessible remotely, most likely from a medical facility. Investigators found that Gregory paid someone to cover up any evidence of the search that might later be uncovered.
The report also claimed that Susan was too weak from the oxycodone to have gone to the garage to drink the antifreeze; however, there was no indication of antifreeze in the room she was discovered in. Also, Susan didn’t have a prescription for oxycodone, but Gregory was able to get it for her. He was battling a drug addiction and his wife was aware of his frequent visits to a drug dealer who worked in a motel. She was also aware of his difficulties.
A friend of Susan’s received a letter from her just before her death that read, “Lots of coke. I’m not entirely sure that this whole cocaine thing isn’t just a front to hide the fact that I’m gay. Guess I’ll have to look for an NA meeting as well as one specifically for wives of gay men. Data from Gregory’s smartphone indicated that his claim that he had been home all night was not accurate. On the morning of January 3, he went to visit his drug dealer around three in the morning, then returned home about half an hour later.
Then there was the issue of monetary gain to consider. After Susan went to bed, Gregory made several attempts to access her bank account. A few days after her death, he cashed a check from the joint account she had with her parents for $180,000. On top of that, he was the beneficiary of a million dollar insurance policy and an inheritance worth over half a million dollars from Susan. Gregory revealed that he and Susan used drugs during their marriage, but he insisted that Susan killed herself.
Also Read: Savannah Paschal Murder: Is Trent Paschal Dead or Alive?
Where is Gregory Brent Dennis today?
Gregory was accused of killing Susan for money and because she threatened to disclose her drug use. The prosecution held this conviction. They claimed he waited until Susan had stopped breathing before dialing the emergency number. In January 2022, Gregory finally returned to court after the delay caused by the pandemic. At the age of 59, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter by the Alford method. Gregory was sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison by a judge in May 2022. The couple’s two daughters, who sided with their father, felt Susan had taken her own life . According to official records from the correctional facility, Gregory is still being held at the Southern Desert Correctional Center, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2025, he will be eligible for parole.
Who was Susan Winters and what happened to her? Death by antifreeze explored ahead of NBC Dateline episode
