WA - Theresa Bergman (Found Deceased) and Charles Bergman (husband) - didn't arrive home to Moses Lake - 18 Sept 2022 *Arrest*

[Charlot123]

A little more information but kind of a head scratcher:

Charles’ phone records reportedly show he arrived at the Spokane airport at about 12:40 a.m. Sept. 18. Both his and Theresa’s phone then appear to travel west on I-90 until both cellphones went offline just before 2 a.m. in the Sprague area, according to investigators.

At about 4:15 p.m. Sept. 18, Theresa’s phone is back online for one second and registers a location west of Harrington in Lincoln County.

Investigators also obtained Google search records for Charles’ phone that they say showed he searched for “lorazepam and alcohol” and “what is a lethal dose of lorazepam,” according to court records.

Police: Moses Lake woman found dead in Lincoln Co. had injury consistent with strike from shovel

MOSES LAKE — Investigators say Charles Bergman, still unaccounted for, purchased a shovel on the same day he left to pick up his wife Theresa Bergman from the Spokane airport.

www.ifiberone.com

Was he searching on the drugs for himself or as a backup plan to murder Theresa? If for himself then I'd speculate that he planned to confront and murder the boyfriend in NY then off himself.

For himself. It is hard to shove lethal dose of lorazepam and alcohol down someone’s throat.

 

[Charlot123]

I think Canada is a good bet; although, that would be more beneficial if he committed the crime in a DP state, and I don't believe Washington State has it??

No DP here. Abolished in 2018, later, the bill passed the House, and even before 2018, there has been a longstanding moratorium.

But I don’t think this dude cared about his life. He wanted to kill his wife, then, BF, and then, himself, I guess.

 

[Charlot123]

Why didn't he skip the murder part and just go straight to the pills and alcohol for himself part?
I mean if that was his endgame why not just do that instead of killing his wife?
I'm not encouraging suicidal ideation here, just not understanding murder I guess.

Yes. Me neither. But let us assume he was not in his right mind. I would not be surprised if he planned to kill Theresa and himself, but then decided to off the boyfriend first. To add, women don’t start searching for boyfriends of 30+ years ago unless their marriage is unhappy. I wonder if he first got depressed, then the relationship broke, then she started looking for someone else. Of course, could have been the opposite course of events, too. But it is hard to call him a monster, although he did a monstrous thing. I think it is really the situation when depression has own voice. (Hopeless, helpless, blaming it all on another guy).

It would have been so much better: get a divorce and try to get more in the settlement if the wife is in a hurry to remarry. Then, take care of himself, gym, diet. Then, as a single guy in a rural area in his mid 50es, he holds more cards! Date, enjoy life, go to Dominican Republic all inclusive. Kids live next to him, enjoy grandkids…

 

[JustMyself]

Yes. Me neither. But let us assume he was not in his right mind. I would not be surprised if he planned to kill Theresa and himself, but then decided to off the boyfriend first. To add, women don’t start searching for boyfriends of 30+ years ago unless their marriage is unhappy. I wonder if he first got depressed, then the relationship broke, then she started looking for someone else. Of course, could have been the opposite course of events, too. But it is hard to call him a monster, although he did a monstrous thing. I think it is really the situation when depression has own voice. (Hopeless, helpless, blaming it all on another guy).

It would have been so much better: get a divorce and try to get more in the settlement if the wife is in a hurry to remarry. Then, take care of himself, gym, diet. Then, as a single guy in a rural area in his mid 50es, he holds more cards! Date, enjoy life, go to Dominican Republic all inclusive. Kids live next to him, enjoy grandkids…

I totally agree he was/is not in his right mind.

 

[Snoopster]

Yes. Me neither. But let us assume he was not in his right mind. I would not be surprised if he planned to kill Theresa and himself, but then decided to off the boyfriend first. To add, women don’t start searching for boyfriends of 30+ years ago unless their marriage is unhappy. I wonder if he first got depressed, then the relationship broke, then she started looking for someone else. Of course, could have been the opposite course of events, too. But it is hard to call him a monster, although he did a monstrous thing. I think it is really the situation when depression has own voice. (Hopeless, helpless, blaming it all on another guy).

It would have been so much better: get a divorce and try to get more in the settlement if the wife is in a hurry to remarry. Then, take care of himself, gym, diet. Then, as a single guy in a rural area in his mid 50es, he holds more cards! Date, enjoy life, go to Dominican Republic all inclusive. Kids live next to him, enjoy grandkids…

I hear what you are saying. I know people who have completely changed personality when depressed and particularly if their ideal meds are still being worked on. I have great empathy for them.

But I can't blame the victim. No victim deserves this and we don't know what Theresa was going through. There is nothing she could have done that deserved being murdered over.

ETA: and we don't know if he was depressed. That is just speculation on your part.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Yes. Me neither. But let us assume he was not in his right mind. I would not be surprised if he planned to kill Theresa and himself, but then decided to off the boyfriend first. To add, women don’t start searching for boyfriends of 30+ years ago unless their marriage is unhappy. I wonder if he first got depressed, then the relationship broke, then she started looking for someone else. Of course, could have been the opposite course of events, too. But it is hard to call him a monster, although he did a monstrous thing. I think it is really the situation when depression has own voice. (Hopeless, helpless, blaming it all on another guy).

It would have been so much better: get a divorce and try to get more in the settlement if the wife is in a hurry to remarry. Then, take care of himself, gym, diet. Then, as a single guy in a rural area in his mid 50es, he holds more cards! Date, enjoy life, go to Dominican Republic all inclusive. Kids live next to him, enjoy grandkids…

And let us remember, most people with depression don't see murder as an option. This man may indeed have a diagnosis of depression. But his actions are those of an aggressive, controlling & angry person with very serious issues to address. Lock him up!

 

[Springrain]

I'm trying to phrase this in the most respectful way possible. Sometimes, we may be more willing to consider the killer's perspective more in certain cases than others, for whatever reason. Sometimes, we may be more willing to make assumptions maybe assigning less responsibility, for whatever reason. I am not saying this to be accusatory at all. It is how humans are. At the end of the day, I think it is most important to keep in mind the victim (Theresa) and what happened to her.

Laying out the simple, bare facts of the case...
Theresa Bergman was picked up from the Spokane International Airport by her husband, Charles Bergman, after returning home from a trip to NY, where she visited an ex-boyfriend. The two then disappeared, with Theresa's body being found by a farmer in rural Lewis County. She had been murdered via having her skull cracked by a long, thin object. Charles was still on the run. Soon, a warrant was issued for his arrest, for the murder of his wife, Theresa, and he was apprehended in Pennsylvania and immediately arrested.

Charles Bergman ALLEGEDLY killed his wife violently and MAY have been on the way to New York to kill the ex as well. (speculation only) Those are the (alleged) facts here.

I have no issue calling this man a monster and I have no shame about it. He killed his wife by cracking her skull open (allegedly)!

Speculating about a depressive state is just that, speculation, and having depression does not in any way lead someone to be a murderer. Especially a murderer of one's spouse. This stuff usually does not come out of the blue. I would expect at this point that it is highly likely that Theresa had been a victim of domestic abuse at his hands before. This is how these things usually go. It is also the most dangerous time for a woman, when she is leaving a violent relationship. (Not saying she was leaving. Just stating the facts here).

If he is willing to kill his wife without a second thought, I DOUBT he gives one single care about his kids or grandkids. He doesn't care about them. He cares about getting what HE wants. IMO.

 

[Springrain]

To add onto this - yes, he COULD have had a divorce, date, whatever. Even just straight up running away was an option. He CHOSE, with obvious premeditation, to KILL his wife (allegedly), because HE wanted to. Because it's about HIM and what he wants. IMO.

 

[sasha17]

Regarding speculation about Charles's possible depression, he did suffer with depression recently, according to his daughter:

"According to documents, she told detectives that her parents were married for approximately 36 years and that her mother had recently asked Charles Bergman for a separation. Their daughter told detectives her father "became very depressed and contemplated suicide since Theresa's request to separate.""

(BBM)

Source: Documents: Moses Lake man killed wife after she flew to New York to visit old boyfriend

 

[Springrain]

"According to documents, she told detectives that her parents were married for approximately 36 years and that her mother had recently asked Charles Bergman for a separation. Their daughter told detectives her father "became very depressed and contemplated suicide since Theresa's request to separate.""

...and there it is.

Like I said, and others have said, upthread, the most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive, violent relationship, is when they try to leave.

 

[shefner]

Murder is a horrible crime and there is no excuse for it. My heart breaks for this family.

But one of the biggest problems we have in society right now is the lack of mental health providers and mental health education. Things are increasingly violent in our world. We have all been through unprecedented times and society at large is out of control. People are angry, frustrated, scared, hopeless, and looking for anything that will bring them a bit of relief for the moment.
We need an easy-to-remember national mental health hotline number, such a 911 is used for emergencies.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Murder is a horrible crime and there is no excuse for it. My heart breaks for this family.

But one of the biggest problems we have in society right now is the lack of mental health providers and mental health education. Things are increasingly violent in our world. We have all been through unprecedented times and society at large is out of control. People are angry, frustrated, scared, hopeless, and looking for anything that will bring them a bit of relief for the moment.
We need an easy-to-remember national mental health hotline number, such a 911 is used for emergencies.

True, but people have been committing murders for as long as humans have been on the planet. Personally, I don't think the human condition ever changes and mental health problems even with all our modern remedies often remain intractable.

Suicidal males seem more prone to turn their pain into violence against others. That could be better addressed, perhaps. But the patient would have to recognize they are in need, seek and accept help. Easier said than done.

JMO

 

[Springrain]

I am not encouraging suicide, but it is an option over spousal homicide.

I absolutely agree that there should be better mental health services, but there is no way to force an adult to receive services for the most part. If he didn't want help, he couldn't be forced into it.

He is an adult who made the conscious decision to premeditate the murder and flee the scene. Seeking help was on him. There are resources even if not enough. He appeared to think it through clearly and not act out of a period of psychosis or true insanity. I struggle with depression, I have since childhood, of varying intensity. Murder is not something that you feel compelled to do if depressed. He killed her because he wanted to, of his own free will. IMO.

I wish this story had a happy ending.

I do strongly suspect there was a lot of domestic abuse on the relationship which culminated in the murder when Theresa told him she wanted a separation.

 

[avlmtns]

Murder is a horrible crime and there is no excuse for it. My heart breaks for this family.

But one of the biggest problems we have in society right now is the lack of mental health providers and mental health education. Things are increasingly violent in our world. We have all been through unprecedented times and society at large is out of control. People are angry, frustrated, scared, hopeless, and looking for anything that will bring them a bit of relief for the moment.
We need an easy-to-remember national mental health hotline number, such a 911 is used for emergencies.

We do have such a number now. It is 988. Spread the word! The Lifeline and 988

 

[Charlot123]

I hear what you are saying. I know people who have completely changed personality when depressed and particularly if their ideal meds are still being worked on. I have great empathy for them.

But I can't blame the victim. No victim deserves this and we don't know what Theresa was going through. There is nothing she could have done that deserved being murdered over.

ETA: and we don't know if he was depressed. That is just speculation on your part.

Not really; I read it in one of the articles linked here. His wife asked for the separation, and it drove him into depression. I have to look through them.

And, no one is victim-blaming, of course. I have read of the strangest situation caused by depression. Known cases in WA, but I don’t want to post them here as they are too sad.

ETA: “GCSO deputy spoke with the Bergman's daughter on Sept. 19. According to documents, she told detectives that her parents were married for approximately 36 years and that her mother had recently asked Charles Bergman for a separation. Their daughter told detectives her father "became very depressed and contemplated suicide since Theresa's request to separate."”

MSN

 

[Snoopster]

Not really; I read it in one of the articles linked here. His wife asked for the separation, and it drove him into depression. I have to look through them.

And, no one is victim-blaming, of course. I have read of the strangest situation caused by depression. Known cases in WA, but I don’t want to post them here as they are too sad.

ETA: “GCSO deputy spoke with the Bergman's daughter on Sept. 19. According to documents, she told detectives that her parents were married for approximately 36 years and that her mother had recently asked Charles Bergman for a separation. Their daughter told detectives her father "became very depressed and contemplated suicide since Theresa's request to separate."”

MSN

I know you aren't victim blaming, yet there are some ways where you are getting close.

So no one is allowed to ask their partner for separation for fear it might cause depression? Again, I don't want to blame the victim. So many women have been killed because they wanted to leave their partner. But so many men can't handle it and their response is to kill their partner. Many women get depressed when their partner leaves, but how many kill their partner afterwards because they are depressed?

It's not a valid excuse for men or women. People shouldn't fear for their lives because they want to break up.

 

[Springrain]

I know you aren't victim blaming, yet there are some ways where you are getting close.

So no one is allowed to ask their partner for separation for fear it might cause depression? Again, I don't want to blame the victim. So many women have been killed because they wanted to leave their partner. But so many men can't handle it and their response is to kill their partner. Many women get depressed when their partner leaves, but how many kill their partner afterwards because they are depressed?

It's not a valid excuse for men or women. People shouldn't fear for their lives because they want to break up.

Beautifully put IMO.

 

[TwoLea]

Yikes, some of these comments.

If you're mad at someone and you're supposed to pick them up from the airport -- just leave them stranded, for Pete's sake.

 

[Pipsissiway_Potts]

I wonder if Theresa fell asleep in the car? If not, then under what pretext did Charles give her for going into Sprague? There's no "shortcut" home taking the Sprague exit, let alone taking a 90 degree right up WA-23. That takes you north, not west. Makes me wonder if she was asleep and didn't know where she was being taken. If she was awake, what the hell did he tell her? After a long flight and at that hour, who's in the mood to go exploring the back roads? Were they arguing and he told her he was going to pull over to talk? Or what exactly?

 

[Pipsissiway_Potts]

Spokane International Airport to Kintschi Road

To be clear, I am speculating he took the Sprague exit, due to the fact that her phone pinged off a tower near Harrington. And it's the easiest, fastest way to get to Kintschi.