Man Who Inspired Film “Bernie” Sent Back to Prison by Jury

HENDERSON (AP) — A former East Texas mortician whose murder case inspired the movie “Bernie” is going back to prison. A jury sentenced Bernie Tiede to 99 years to life in prison on Friday following a new sentencing trial for his 1999 conviction in the killing of Marjorie Nugent. Tiede had befriended the widow, who was more than 40 years his senior, in the town of Carthage. Tiede was originally sentenced to life, but was temporarily freed in 2014 after the original prosecutor said he believed Tiede deserved a lesser sentence. During the resentencing trial, prosecutors said Tiede killed Nugent to cover up his theft of millions of dollars from her. Tiede’s attorneys alleged he snapped after being emotionally abused by Nugent and sexually abused as a minor by an uncle.