1946 - Brockton, Massachusetts. In the early morning hours of December 28, 1946, Brockton Police were called to a grisly scene at the Cote family apartment:Beside an overturned Christmas tree, amid shattered ornaments and tinsel, lay the bloodied body of 35-year-old Rene Cote. His wife, Bertha Surprise Cote, claimed that two men had broken in and brutally beaten her husband to death.The police couldn’t overlook the couple’s turbulent history—marked by infidelity, crime, and violent disputes—but Rene’s reputation had earned him no shortage of enemies. The list of potential suspects seemed endless.Just when investigators believed they’d identified the perpetrator, a cold-blooded killer surfaced—hidden in plain sight.Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bertha-cote-1Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support Instagram: @murdershetoldpodcast TikTok: @murdershetold Facebook: /mstpodcast Website: murdershetold.com ----- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices