A NURSE IS SHOT DEAD IN HER APARTMENT - INVESTIGATORS SAY THE SCENE LOOKED ODD - CAN THEY PIECE TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED?

"48 Hours" Reports in "The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig"

Saturday, Oct. 26 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT

Police were called to the Minnesota apartment of 32-year-old nurse Alex Pennig in December 2022. Her friend, Matthew Ecker, told first responders that Pennig had shot herself in the head. Officers arrived to find Pennig lying on her back in the bathroom. However, officers noted unusual findings, including the position Alex was found in. The gun was found with her left hand on it, but Alex was right-handed. So, was it a tragic, self-inflicted act, or something more sinister?

CBS News correspondent and 48 HOURS contributor Natalie Morales dives deep into this complex case and how investigators pieced it together in an all-new episode, "The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig," airing Saturday, Oct. 26 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

As Ecker was the last person to see Pennig alive, detectives focused on him.

"He's the only one that can tell us what happened," says St. Paul Police Department detective Jennifer O'Donnell. "He was the only one that was there."

Ecker told investigators that he and Pennig "were laughing on the way home," emphasizing that they were fine when they arrived at her apartment. He told police they did not argue before Alex grabbed the gun and locked herself in the bathroom. Then, he claims, he heard a shot and broke open the bathroom door.

But when investigators took a closer at the scene, they found a tiny piece of metal that contradicted Ecker's story.

"Once Alex was moved, they found underneath where Alex had been laying was a round metal piece," says O'Donnell. Detectives say it was a piece of the bathroom door lock and the fact that it was discovered under Pennig was key.

Could this ring, just the size of a quarter, help solve a murder? Morales takes viewers through the complicated story and a search for justice.

Judy Tygard is the executive producer of 48 HOURS. Watch 48 HOURS on CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com, Paramount+ and YouTube. The 48 HOURS free, advertiser-supported streaming (FAST) channel is available on Pluto TV, Paramount + and Paramount partner channels. Download the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV. Follow 48 HOURS on X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Listen to the 48 HOURS collection of original podcasts at CBS Audio.