Upamanyu Biswas
Lifetime’s ‘Gaslit By My Husband’ tells the harrowing story of Morgan Metzer, a woman whose life was upended when she was assaulted by a masked man in her home in Canton, Georgia. Moments later, her ex-husband, Rodney Metzer, came to her aid, calling 911 to the house. However, things became complicated when the police and Morgan started suspecting Rodney, making him the prime suspect in the break-in and assault. The movie delves into the complex details of Morgan and Rodney’s marriage and how the loving husband turned into a suspected attacker of his own wife. It chronicles the challenges they faced together and Rodney’s slow descent towards abusive, gaslighting behavior that left his wife questioning her own sanity.
Rodney and Morgan Metzer Were Childhood Sweethearts Whose Relationship Soured
Although things did not pan out exactly as they wished, Rodney and Morgan Metzer had a dream-like start to their relationship, which began in high school. Rodney was 17 at the time, and Morgan was 14. The duo had a love-at-first-sight situation, which led to them becoming a couple. There was no hitch in their stride because everything was progressing swiftly as they got married in 2009, while she was 21. Within the first year of marriage, Rodney suffered a huge loss when his brother passed away due to leukemia. When he and Morgan were blessed with their first child, they named him Kevin in order to honor his brother. The strength of their union was particularly challenged when their son passed away just a few weeks after birth, compounding the emotional strain on the couple.
Around a year after Kevin’s passing, Morgan and Rodney were blessed with twins – a son and a daughter. Not long after that, Rodney lost his job. As he grappled with unemployment, Morgan’s interior design business, Shiplap and Sugar, started taking off. The two events coincided and allegedly led to increasingly abusive behavior from Rodney. Morgan claimed that he physically beat her and sexually assaulted her. However, he reportedly coaxed her into believing she was the one at fault and the one who was abusive in the bond. The matter reached a breaking point in 2020 when the couple filed for a divorce. It was the last straw in their relationship, which had lasted nearly 20 years.
Following their breakup, Rodney moved into a separate apartment while Morgan stayed at her home. She moved on with her life, trying her best to take care of her two kids. A week before the start of 2021, Morgan received news from Rodney that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He showed her doctors’ notes that backed his claim. Worried for his health, she allowed him to move back in for a few days. During this period, Morgan claimed that she was inundated with requests from him to get back together as a couple. Despite showing no interest, he persisted. Eventually, on the morning of New Year’s Eve, she urged him to go back home and break the news about his diagnosis to his parents. When he showed no intention of doing so, she told him to leave. Thus, the divorced couple went their separate ways, or so it seemed.
After the Attack, the Police Found Discrepancies in Rodney’s Version of Events
Minutes after midnight of New Year’s Day 2021, Morgan was shocked when she saw a masked man standing at her bedroom doorway. He zip-tied her hands before assaulting her sexually and physically. During the encounter, she heard him bring up her ex-husband in a muffled voice akin to the low, gravelly tone of Batman. She told him to keep him out of this. During the assault, she almost lost consciousness twice. He also demanded her valuables and the passcode to her phone. He rifled through both before carrying Morgan to the back porch, where he left her with the orders, “Do not get up until you hear two car honks or I’ll kill you.” While waiting in silence, she saw Rodney arriving to “save” her.
When he found her, she had a pillowcase over her head. He called 911 and reported the crime while consoling Morgan. The police officers arrived at the scene and started assessing the situation inside the household and the injuries on Morgan’s body. The extent of her torment indicated that the attack was emotional. The investigators on the scene were intrigued as to why Rodney had stopped by Morgan’s place. Earlier that night, Morgan had told Rodney that she was staying over at her parents’ place. Even though it was a lie, he should have had no idea she was at the house in the first place. He claimed that he heard someone call out her name near his apartment window. Worried that something may have happened to her, he drove to her home in the middle of the night. The police were suspicious of Rodney’s story. While questioning both Rodney and Morgan separately, the latter also told the officers that she believed her ex may be the one who assaulted her.
The investigators had also discovered invasive photos of Morgan in his phone, which were non-consensually taken. They took Rodney into custody while looking for more clues. After issuing search warrants for Rodney’s apartment, car, and electronic devices, the authorities started piecing together the evidence needed to charge Rodney. They found zip-ties in his apartment, which matched the ones on Morgan’s wrists. Additionally, they found alarming internet searches such as “How to get sympathy from your ex” and “How to change the sound of your voice.” They also found evidence that Rodney allegedly doctored the diagnosis letters about his pancreatic cancer. A few hours after the interview, Rodney Metzer was charged with a total of ten counts, including aggravated assault, sexual battery, home invasion, and kidnapping, connected with the attack on Morgan Metzer.
Rodney Metzer is Serving Time Behind Bars Today
Prosecutors even landed on CCTV footage of Rodney buying zip-ties from Lowe’s 36 hours before the assault. Although this was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the security video showed an unmasked Rodney purchasing the zip ties. The evidence was overwhelmingly in favor of the prosecution. Yet, the attorneys offered Morgan the opportunity for a quicker trial through a plea deal for Rodney. In August 2021, he accepted the offer and pleaded guilty to a total of 14 counts in relation to the attack on Morgan. He was sentenced to 70 years, comprising 25 in prison, with an extra 45 served on probation.
In a powerful victim impact statement, Morgan said: “Rod, not only will this statement be to my attacker, but it’ll also be my last words to whom I thought was the love of my life. … The last four years being married to you was like living with a monster that constantly tried to break me down and fence me in. … It was a blessing in disguise. … I can now walk with the confidence knowing the pain you have given me is turned into power.” At the moment, he is housed in Baldwin State Prison in Milledgeville, Georgia. According to his mother, Kathy Metzer, Rodney’s health is rapidly deteriorating in prison. He has Type 1 diabetes and declines to meet with his mother. Kathy believes that he does not wish to see her reaction to the whole affair. However, she is worried about her son’s health and fears that he might die in prison.
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