A Friend of the Family: True Evil - Did Robert Berchtold have a family?

An upcoming documentary on Peacock titled A Friend of the Family: True Evil will revisit the crime and misdeeds of the notorious s*x offender Robert Berchtold, who victimized actress Jan Broberg and her family during her teenage years in the 70s and continued to do so for years to come. Berchtold committed suicide before he could be brought to justice for his crimes in 2005.

Robert and his wife at the time, Gail Berchtold, reportedly moved into the same neighborhood as the Brobergs with their five children in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1972. The Brobergs, who had three girls of the same age as the Berchtold children, became friends soon after, leading to manipulation, affairs, and the grooming of a very young Jan Broberg.

The documentary airs this Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 3:00 am ET. Here's everything to know about Robert Berchtold's family ahead of the premiere.

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What happened to Robert Berchtold's family after his crimes first surfaced?

According to sources, Robert Berchtold first kidnapped 12-year-old Jan Broberg in 1974. At the time, he was married to his wife Gail Berchtold, who stayed with him after the first kidnapping but divorced not long after. During Jan's second kidnapping, which took place two years later when she was 14 years old, Gail filed for divorce after which she took their five children and moved.

Robert ended up getting married again on July 17, 1990, to Deanna Lou Wiley in Utah's Pineview Reservoir. Sources state that Gail Berchtold also remarried a former Marine, James Leslie Wadman, in 1988, but has kept her life a secret. The five children, namely Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff, and Jill, stayed with their mother after the kidnappings, although their father was probably allowed to visit.

One of their sons, Jerry, married Tina Louise Hyatt in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1984. The two lived in Roy, Utah, at the time of Robert's demise in 2005. James, who was residing in Las Vegas at the time of Robert's death, married Shawna and started a life in Henderson, Nevada.

It is alleged that James and Joseph were the only ones who stayed in touch with him after the incident. Jeff resided in Ogden, Utah while Jill Berchtold was married to Richard and living in Utah.

Producers have reportedly made multiple attempts to reach out to Gail to inquire about her relationship with Robert Berchtold and if she ever suspected that she was being deceived by her ex. Moreover, ever since Jan's narrative made headlines, people have wanted to know if the former wife was a participant in his crimes or just another victim. But all attempts have failed.

Furthermore, Broberg even revealed that despite having a strong relationship with Gail and her children when she was younger, she never personally contacted them. The actress reportedly said,

"No word and many, many years have gone by, and, you know, can you imagine how awful it would be to discover that this was your dad? I mean, it’s pretty tough. I feel bad for all of them."

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A Friend of the Family: True Evil premieres on Peacock on November 15, 2022.