Oprah Talks to Christine McFadden

Oprah: When was the last time you saw him?

Christine: He came over for Michelle's birthday party on March 9.

Oprah: Did he seem bitter, angry, resentful?

Christine: I knew that he wanted to be back with me—so yes. I was in this nice house, with delightful kids. He looked unkempt. He was in his sweats. But the other parents didn't notice anything unusual. He helped with the piñata and played with the kids on the trampoline.

Oprah: Did you sense that he was missing this family life?

Christine: Yes.

Oprah: But nothing that would lead you to believe he could commit such a heinous act.

Christine: No. Why would I think that? He had talked about disappearing, so it had crossed my mind that he might try to commit suicide. But he never said anything that would lead me to believe he would hurt the children. He didn't have a close relationship with them, but he didn't dislike them. If he'd had a close relationship with all the children, I wouldn't have left him. I cared more about my kids than I did about me—which he knew.

Oprah: When you came home that morning and saw John's truck in the driveway, what was your first thought?

Christine: He had been showing Michelle the movie E.T., and she was having nightmares. So she'd been sleeping with me. I figured that she'd awakened and called him on the phone next to my bed. Even though there were older children in the house, if John thought she wasn't being taken care of, I could see him coming over to be with her. I thought, "Oh, damn. Now I have to get him out of the house. What a pain."

Oprah: And then you opened the door and went back through the kitchen and found Melanie lying dead in the hallway.

Christine: [After tears and a long pause] Yes.

Oprah: On the 911 call, you said, "I think my ex-husband has killed my children." When you saw Melanie, did you immediately think all four were gone?

Christine: It was just very quiet in the house. I figured I was the target. I thought he was still waiting for me. There was nothing I could do against a gun, so I ran to my friend's house to call 911.