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The 2016 murder of Frank Buddy McCutcheon shocked the town of Arden when the news broke. Fondly known as Buddy, Frank was a reputed plastic surgeon in the area who had been married to his wife, Brenda, for over 34 years.
However, the investigation into his death revealed the killer to be Brenda McCutcheon. The Dateline NBC episode titled The Day the Music Died showcases the grisly details of Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon's murder. It airs on NBC on August 16, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST. The official synopsis reads:
"After a plastic surgeon and local musician is murdered in his Asheville, North Carolina home, investigators uncover a trail of clues pointing to an unlikely killer; new details emerge from exclusive TV interviews with insiders close to the case."
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5 key details of Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon's murder explored
1) Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon was found dead with a gunshot wound to his dead
Dr. Frank McCutcheon was found dead in his Tree Top Drive home on July 16, 2016, by his wife of 34 years, Brenda McCutcheon. Brenda dialed 911 to report the incident to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office. When first responders and deputies arrived at the crime scene, they discovered Frank with a single gunshot wound to his head, per Citizen-Times.
Frank's body was found in the first-floor TV room, with the back door of the house unlocked.
2) Frank and Brenda were served a notice from the State Department of Revenue three days before the death
The death of Frank McCutcheon took place three days after he and his wife, Brenda, were served a court order by the criminal department of the North Carolina Department of Revenue. The couple was under investigation for charges of embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretense violations, according to Citizen-Times.
The report further stated that the North Carolina Department of Revenue had met with the couple at their 131 McDowell office, where they were requested to submit any paperwork related to payroll reports or income tax returns.
3) Brenda McCutcheon alleged that Frank had been the target of a home invasion
Brenda McCutcheon dialed 911 around 3:30 a.m. local time, alleging that her husband, Frank, had been the target of a home invasion gone wrong. According to Citizen-Times, Brenda mentioned that Frank Buddy McCutcheon often slept in the TV room with the back door open.
She alleged that she was awakened by a loud noise in the middle of the night and found Frank with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. She maintained her innocence during the interrogations.
4) The authorities gathered evidence to build a case against Brenda McCutcheon
Brenda was in charge of bookkeeping at the Cosmetic Surgery of Asheville and had most of the paperwork in her name. When the authorities looked into the matter for any evidence to link the murder, they found two separate storage units rented out in her name.
The storage units contained 55 boxes of files dating back to 2001, with some labeled as income tax returns and others as personal taxes. The warrants also mentioned that Brenda had approached a shredding company to get rid of some of the files as well.
5) Brenda McCutcheon was sentenced to life in prison with no parole
Episode 26 of Season 30 of Dateline examines the conviction of Brenda McCutcheon, who was charged with first-degree murder based on circumstantial evidence. Brenda underwent a trial and was found guilty of Frank's murder.
While the defense attempted to challenge the circumstantial evidence, the prosecution alleged that Brenda resorted to murder Frank Buddy McCutcheon because she felt threatened by the ongoing investigation by the Department of Revenue. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole on February 14, 2020, per WLOS.
Catch all the details of Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon's murder as the Dateline NBC episode airs on NBC on Friday.
