April 12, 2026 • 17 mins
We are hearing directly from 58-year-old Brian Hooker’s attorney, who says his client was interrogated for more than 3 hours “in relation to causing harm which resulted in his wife’s death.” Police must charge Hooker in connection with the disappearance of Lynette Hooker by Monday evening, or he will be released. Despite a week of searching, Lynette’s body has not been found after her husband said she fell overboard in rough seas. His friends posted purported audio of Brian describing what happened to Lynette and how a “cascade of failures” led to his inability to rescue her.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey there, everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It is Sunday, April twelfth, and fifty eight year old
Brian Hooker, the man who has been arrested in connection
with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette in the Bahamas,
will be helped by Bahamian officials until seven twenty pm
tomorrow on Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
He must be charged.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
By then or he will be released and without everyone,
welcome to this edition of Amy and TJ. We have
learned from his attorney that Brian Hooker was interrogated for
more than three hours on Friday, and his attorney believes
at this point it is very likely that police will
ultimately charge him with murder or something close to that effect,
(00:47):
something in connection with his wife's disappearance before that deadline.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Is he using the word likely?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yes, this attorney's using the word likely likely facing murder charges.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Any what else we knew? This is what was happening.
We'll wait and I guess the clock is ticking. We'll
find out this woman's been missing for a week now,
So I guess we're going to find out tomorrow which
way they're going to go. I guess it doesn't preclude
them from bringing charges later. Even if he's let go so,
but still it's an important date.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It is a huge date, and certainly all eyes have
been on this investigation, and it's different. They obviously do
things differently in the Bahamas because you wouldn't typically see
or hear someone's defense attorney talk to press the way
this guy's doing it. Like he gave us a lot
of information about what the police were asking his client,
(01:36):
how his client answered those questions. It's a little bit
of a head scratcher. I can't imagine that would happen
here in the United States.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Well, it's a matter of me. He's defending this the
only way he know how because his client right now
is losing in the one place that it matters for
the rest of the world, which is in the press
because it all looks bad. So that is where he
is I guess right now, holding trial is in the
trial of public opinion.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
And that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
He is trying to work the press in that sense,
because yes, public opinion, as we know, has a huge
impact in a lot of ways, and sometimes it's even
influences what a DA decides to do, what a police
department decides to do. And so here's what we learned
from Hooker's attorney, he said that his client was asked
specifically about the couple's relationship and their personal life. And
(02:27):
we know there is a lot of history between Brian
Hooker and Lynette Hooker when you look at court documents
and when you listen to Lynette Hooker's own daughter, she
has said very often and repeatedly to many news outlets
that this couple had a history of well basically a
toxic relationship.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
It does not they murder or make Still, that's just
a part of what's the public opinion. That's a part
of the trial this guy's going through right now, before
he's ever charged with anything. The entire everybody has an
opinion about what they think and what looks bad right now,
no matter what their relationship was in the past, and
we should note he is denying any involvement in her disappearance,
(03:07):
But no matter what their relationship was in the past,
it's no evidence of him doing something wrong here. But yes,
it will be a part of any investigation.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And we heard yes from his attorney that policeius asked
about the personal life, asked about the history of the couple,
but specifically asked him questions. And this is a quote
from the attorney in relation to causing harm which resulted
in her death, and yes, he pointed out that his
client denied it. And this is so interesting. I'll give
(03:38):
you some of the quotes from the attorney about how.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
His client answered those questions.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
He kept reiterating that I need to know what's happening.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
What is happening with the search of his wife.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him
about causing harm or possible murder when they had not
given him any information where she is and if they
had recovered her.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
But they have not recovered her body.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And so is this the possible police ploy to kind
of break him down, Because if he doesn't admit to
causing her harm, what could the possible proof be. What
could possibly be evidence for them to actually formally charge
him with murder or something close to murder?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Circumstantial as Helle, I've seen it a lot lately, But
there can be enough circumstantial evidence. What are there witnesses
who saw him and his behavior in some way when
he got back. The whole issue with the key, where
was the key, Why they don't have a phone, why
they didn't take phones with him? It doesn't make sense,
and its story that she is swimming off in another
direction away from him. They're trying to piece this together,
(04:46):
and who knows. Does the boat contain some evidence of
a struggle of any kind, Is there any blood in
that so? But other than that, who knows.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And police have not given any indication that they have
any specific evidence that points to direct to some sort
of active murder or something something that led to her death,
led to her falling out of that boat. But his
attorney said, when it comes to Behaming in law, and
this is much like the United States, that authorities have
(05:14):
to establish intent and the active murder to justify any charge.
That's where it seems like obviously if they had that
available to them, they would have charged him immediately. They
arrested him on Wednesday, I believe according to Behaming in Law,
they had forty eight hours to charge him, but if
they wanted more time, they could add another ninety six
(05:35):
hours to that clock that was ticking. And it seems
like they have maximized they have been pushing this timeline
as far as they possibly can to try and get
that evidence they need to charge him. Forget about even
going to court. They just needed to actually charge him.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Oh, I might not get there both. This is a
no matter what this is, still this is an innocent
guy who ooh. No matter how many true crime shows
we have seen, none of those mean that this story
didn't happen exactly the way the guy said it happened.
The reason there's a question is because hmmm, that sounds suspicious.
(06:15):
But then the woman's own daughter is talking about she
is the one who is suspicious. The guy's friend is
talking about he is the one who's suspicious, So they
will make you listen. It doesn't mean they're right. It
doesn't mean he's guilty of anything. But this is one
of those media fascinations robes.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
It's a media fascination and there's a legal fascination as well,
I think on the other side of this, because yes,
you point this out if it seems like obviously he
would be a likely suspect. His story doesn't make a
lot of sense to folks who know the weather and
the water and boating and how his version of events
(06:57):
doesn't really make a lot of sense. So there's like
the in sense aspect of it. But then his friend,
his stepdaughter. I haven't heard one person come out and say,
Brian Hooker would never do this to his wife.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
He loved his wife.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yes they might have fought, Yes they might have had
some issues in the past, but this.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Was a couple who deeply loved each other. He would
never do that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Have you heard anyone come to Brian Hooker's defense, or
at least just in defense of his character at this point.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
His attorney hasn't even done that, to be honest with you,
so and again he could be. It doesn't soften at
least as we're learning about this couple. Nothing that has
been said has softened your impression that you have gotten
based on the facts that we have so far, And
none of those facts condemned this man or prove any crime.
(07:49):
But ropes, they just add up to things that don't
make sense. I think his friend was the one who
was best at listing all of these things. And I
even thought, wait, I didn't think about that. That doesn't
make sense since, oh wait, I didn't think about the
key that he said his wife had in her pocket
when she went overboard. The key always stays in the
ignition of every boat I've ever been on.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And so to hear his friend say what he felt
was the most likely situation in which she would have
ended up with the key in the water is a
desperate attempt to try and either stay on the boat
or to stop him from leaving her by grabbing the key.
This is a woman who knew boats, who knew how
to swim, who knew how to.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Survive in aquatic location.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
So she might have had the sense in that moment
where she is fighting for her life if that is
what ended up happening, if there was a scuffle on
the boat to grab that key, she might have thought
that was a way for her to prevent him from
leaving and perhaps from her to actually be able to
survive this thing in the water.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I didn't think about that. Oh yeah, by the way,
you hear somebody off and off on the water, you're like, wow,
I know it gets dark out there. Actually it wasn't
dark yet. They still it was not pitch black in
the middle of the night when this took place. This
woman also they had a boat, another one they were
trying to get to. If she falls immediately out of
(09:13):
an eight foot dinghy that's right there next to her,
why is she swimming off in another direction? Which is
what he told his friend, she did she went swim wait,
she went swimming or way boat away from the dinghy.
She just fell out where there's our husband who could
help her back into it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
And so the only way that makes sense is if
she was afraid of her husband. If she was afraid
of what would happen to her if she got back
into that dinghy.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So if it is.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
True what he told his friend in the hours after
that initial when she disappeared, if she really was swimming
towards the boat, that would mean she was swimming away
from him. That would not make sense unless you wanted
to get away from him.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
None of these things a guilty man makes. But they
just don't make sense. And when you have friends, when
you have family raising questions, when you have them telling
stories about an explosive or even sometimes in the past
has been a documented violent relationship at times between these two,
then you pay attention, You listen, and I guess tomorrow
(10:20):
seven o'clock in all the important time to see where
this case goes.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
But when we come back, we're going to tell you
we mentioned that we haven't heard someone come out and
vehemently stand by Brian Hooker or say this is a
guy who would never do this. But what we do
have if you've been following this case closely, some of
his friends posted recordings of a phone call they said
(10:44):
they had with him the day after his wife went missing.
We'll tell you what they claim Brian Hooker said about
what happened that night. Welcome back, everyone to this episode
of Amy and TJ, where we continue to follow the
(11:05):
latest developments on the investigation into fifty eight year old
Brian Hooker. He is being held in connection with his
wife's disappearance, fifty five year old Lynnette. She, according to him,
fell off a dinghy near sunset as they were making
their way back to a sailboat.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
They are both.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Skilled on the waters, skilled in boating, and she was
apparently an excellent swimmer. She has not been found and
police are now and have just interrogated Brian Hooker for
more than three hours, according to his attorney, but they
must charge him by seven twenty pm tomorrow Monday evening,
(11:44):
or he will be let go.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Now.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Friends of Brian posted to YouTube a phone call they
say they had with him, And in that phone call
you hear the man who they say is Brian Hooker
talk about his wife and say, this is a quote.
She basically just bounce off the dinghy amid winds around
twenty miles per hour.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
He said, we weren't wearing life jackets. It was sundown.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
The sun set basically ten minutes after she fell over,
and that's questionable because if it was still light, it's
there are so many questions. If he could paddle to shore,
why couldn't he paddle towards her.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Hey that the argument is that they got separated, right
the current carried her off some direction. That is his story,
and he is so far sticking to it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So he said, the winds blew us apart so fast.
I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat.
So he did also say that same story to his
friends back to our sailboat, which was probably a thousand
yards away. I had no idea they were that close
to their boat, because the description was that they were
leaving a port that they had obviously gone to for
(12:55):
the day, and we're taking the dinghy back to their sailboat.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't realize they were so close to their sailboat.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
But again, why would she swim towards the sailboat versus
towards the dingy.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Wait, he's saying.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
What In the voicemail, he says, I think she tried
to swim back to the sailboat.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I think, which.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Was probably I don't know, one thousand yards away or something.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But the waves were three foot.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I think he said, yep, I think. So that's what
he thought. Where did he go? Didn't he go back
to shore? In the dingy?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
He did? Why would he not have gone back to it?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
If you're thinking she isn't that the closer place to
the shore than the shore, maybe I would? This makes zero,
say this is why it's No, This doesn't make it.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
He said that there was a cascade of failures and
it's something I'm never going to forgive myself for.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
He said.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
One of the failures was that one of his oars broke.
He had anchoring issues and had no flares, So he's
saying he didn't have any of the tools that would
have helped him get to his wife. He said that
he yelled for her, that he threw out a flotation cushion,
but he couldn't tell if he if she was able
(14:07):
to grab it or not. Again, if the sun had
not set yet, the sun hadn't set for ten minutes.
In those ten minutes, you couldn't see whether or not
your wife got the flotation device.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Nothing, he says, makes sense.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Three foot Waight, now a three foot wave. I'm trying
to understand. You can't see something right next to you.
If a wave he said three feet, he didn't say thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
He's three three foot waves.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Okay, Look, this is making less and less sense, and
a cascade of failures ropes. All those things just happened
to go wrong, and when this other thing that likely
didn't happen happened, there's a cascade of like there's too
many coincidences.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
It's like everything had to go wrong, and we're talking multiple,
multiple things had to be wrong for his story to add.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Up one hundred one thousand feet distance. Then we'll meet
back at the boat. A thousand feet is hard to swim,
no matter what. I'm not taking that away, but Rodes,
what we're talking about doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
He claims he had an anchor failure. Why is he
focused on anchoring his boat? He said, by the time
he got the anchor set, he ended up about a
quarter to a half mile away from her with a dingy,
and then and then the tide carried him out.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
What okay, look, I don't pretend and to understand all this,
but rose is just yes, okay, fine, we are not
all master boaters, seamen. Fine, but common sense. We've been
on a boat before. We won't excuse me. Let's call
it what it is. This was a small raft type situation.
(15:34):
She didn't fall overboard from some big yacht. You're right
next to me in this little dingy. I watch you
go right overboard in this little dingy. I have a
moment to get I have a moment to react before
You're so far away I can't even see you, is
(15:55):
what he is arguing. He's not saying he took his back,
was turned and he didn't realize she'd going overboard. That
makes less in let you're telling me in a split second,
you couldn't see her.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
And this is why he was interrogated for more than
three hours.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
It is the reason why he is under arrest.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
And we shall see if police can put enough things
together to make enough sense to get a murder charge,
which again his lawyer is saying is likely to happen tomorrow.
This is a fascinating story. Apparently, according to his attorney,
he was crying, he was emotional, he was distressed during
the entire interrogation. But we'll see what his demeanor is
(16:36):
if and when police do end up charging him with murder.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I want to leave room robes, Yes, I want to
leave for this being a completely innocent guy and this
is an awful, awful thing that happened to him. But
it's okay. At the same time, Look, he's he's in custody.
It's not us questioning his story, it's authorities doing so.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
That is correct, and we will continue to follow any
new developments, but there were several over the past couple
of days we wanted to catch you up on before
this deadline approaches tomorrow Monday, seven twenty pm Eastern time.
And with that, everyone, thank you so much for listening
to us. We always appreciate you. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
We will talk to you soon.
Hey there, everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It is Sunday, April twelfth, and fifty eight year old
Brian Hooker, the man who has been arrested in connection
with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette in the Bahamas,
will be helped by Bahamian officials until seven twenty pm
tomorrow on Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
He must be charged.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
By then or he will be released and without everyone,
welcome to this edition of Amy and TJ. We have
learned from his attorney that Brian Hooker was interrogated for
more than three hours on Friday, and his attorney believes
at this point it is very likely that police will
ultimately charge him with murder or something close to that effect,
(00:47):
something in connection with his wife's disappearance before that deadline.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Is he using the word likely?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yes, this attorney's using the word likely likely facing murder charges.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Any what else we knew? This is what was happening.
We'll wait and I guess the clock is ticking. We'll
find out this woman's been missing for a week now,
So I guess we're going to find out tomorrow which
way they're going to go. I guess it doesn't preclude
them from bringing charges later. Even if he's let go so,
but still it's an important date.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It is a huge date, and certainly all eyes have
been on this investigation, and it's different. They obviously do
things differently in the Bahamas because you wouldn't typically see
or hear someone's defense attorney talk to press the way
this guy's doing it. Like he gave us a lot
of information about what the police were asking his client,
(01:36):
how his client answered those questions. It's a little bit
of a head scratcher. I can't imagine that would happen
here in the United States.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Well, it's a matter of me. He's defending this the
only way he know how because his client right now
is losing in the one place that it matters for
the rest of the world, which is in the press
because it all looks bad. So that is where he
is I guess right now, holding trial is in the
trial of public opinion.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
And that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
He is trying to work the press in that sense,
because yes, public opinion, as we know, has a huge
impact in a lot of ways, and sometimes it's even
influences what a DA decides to do, what a police
department decides to do. And so here's what we learned
from Hooker's attorney, he said that his client was asked
specifically about the couple's relationship and their personal life. And
(02:27):
we know there is a lot of history between Brian
Hooker and Lynette Hooker when you look at court documents
and when you listen to Lynette Hooker's own daughter, she
has said very often and repeatedly to many news outlets
that this couple had a history of well basically a
toxic relationship.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
It does not they murder or make Still, that's just
a part of what's the public opinion. That's a part
of the trial this guy's going through right now, before
he's ever charged with anything. The entire everybody has an
opinion about what they think and what looks bad right now,
no matter what their relationship was in the past, and
we should note he is denying any involvement in her disappearance,
(03:07):
But no matter what their relationship was in the past,
it's no evidence of him doing something wrong here. But yes,
it will be a part of any investigation.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And we heard yes from his attorney that policeius asked
about the personal life, asked about the history of the couple,
but specifically asked him questions. And this is a quote
from the attorney in relation to causing harm which resulted
in her death, and yes, he pointed out that his
client denied it. And this is so interesting. I'll give
(03:38):
you some of the quotes from the attorney about how.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
His client answered those questions.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
He kept reiterating that I need to know what's happening.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
What is happening with the search of his wife.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him
about causing harm or possible murder when they had not
given him any information where she is and if they
had recovered her.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
But they have not recovered her body.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And so is this the possible police ploy to kind
of break him down, Because if he doesn't admit to
causing her harm, what could the possible proof be. What
could possibly be evidence for them to actually formally charge
him with murder or something close to murder?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Circumstantial as Helle, I've seen it a lot lately, But
there can be enough circumstantial evidence. What are there witnesses
who saw him and his behavior in some way when
he got back. The whole issue with the key, where
was the key, Why they don't have a phone, why
they didn't take phones with him? It doesn't make sense,
and its story that she is swimming off in another
direction away from him. They're trying to piece this together,
(04:46):
and who knows. Does the boat contain some evidence of
a struggle of any kind, Is there any blood in
that so? But other than that, who knows.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And police have not given any indication that they have
any specific evidence that points to direct to some sort
of active murder or something something that led to her death,
led to her falling out of that boat. But his
attorney said, when it comes to Behaming in law, and
this is much like the United States, that authorities have
(05:14):
to establish intent and the active murder to justify any charge.
That's where it seems like obviously if they had that
available to them, they would have charged him immediately. They
arrested him on Wednesday, I believe according to Behaming in Law,
they had forty eight hours to charge him, but if
they wanted more time, they could add another ninety six
(05:35):
hours to that clock that was ticking. And it seems
like they have maximized they have been pushing this timeline
as far as they possibly can to try and get
that evidence they need to charge him. Forget about even
going to court. They just needed to actually charge him.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Oh, I might not get there both. This is a
no matter what this is, still this is an innocent
guy who ooh. No matter how many true crime shows
we have seen, none of those mean that this story
didn't happen exactly the way the guy said it happened.
The reason there's a question is because hmmm, that sounds suspicious.
(06:15):
But then the woman's own daughter is talking about she
is the one who is suspicious. The guy's friend is
talking about he is the one who's suspicious, So they
will make you listen. It doesn't mean they're right. It
doesn't mean he's guilty of anything. But this is one
of those media fascinations robes.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
It's a media fascination and there's a legal fascination as well,
I think on the other side of this, because yes,
you point this out if it seems like obviously he
would be a likely suspect. His story doesn't make a
lot of sense to folks who know the weather and
the water and boating and how his version of events
(06:57):
doesn't really make a lot of sense. So there's like
the in sense aspect of it. But then his friend,
his stepdaughter. I haven't heard one person come out and say,
Brian Hooker would never do this to his wife.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
He loved his wife.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yes they might have fought, Yes they might have had
some issues in the past, but this.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Was a couple who deeply loved each other. He would
never do that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Have you heard anyone come to Brian Hooker's defense, or
at least just in defense of his character at this point.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
His attorney hasn't even done that, to be honest with you,
so and again he could be. It doesn't soften at
least as we're learning about this couple. Nothing that has
been said has softened your impression that you have gotten
based on the facts that we have so far, And
none of those facts condemned this man or prove any crime.
(07:49):
But ropes, they just add up to things that don't
make sense. I think his friend was the one who
was best at listing all of these things. And I
even thought, wait, I didn't think about that. That doesn't
make sense since, oh wait, I didn't think about the
key that he said his wife had in her pocket
when she went overboard. The key always stays in the
ignition of every boat I've ever been on.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And so to hear his friend say what he felt
was the most likely situation in which she would have
ended up with the key in the water is a
desperate attempt to try and either stay on the boat
or to stop him from leaving her by grabbing the key.
This is a woman who knew boats, who knew how
to swim, who knew how to.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Survive in aquatic location.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
So she might have had the sense in that moment
where she is fighting for her life if that is
what ended up happening, if there was a scuffle on
the boat to grab that key, she might have thought
that was a way for her to prevent him from
leaving and perhaps from her to actually be able to
survive this thing in the water.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I didn't think about that. Oh yeah, by the way,
you hear somebody off and off on the water, you're like, wow,
I know it gets dark out there. Actually it wasn't
dark yet. They still it was not pitch black in
the middle of the night when this took place. This
woman also they had a boat, another one they were
trying to get to. If she falls immediately out of
(09:13):
an eight foot dinghy that's right there next to her,
why is she swimming off in another direction? Which is
what he told his friend, she did she went swim wait,
she went swimming or way boat away from the dinghy.
She just fell out where there's our husband who could
help her back into it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
And so the only way that makes sense is if
she was afraid of her husband. If she was afraid
of what would happen to her if she got back
into that dinghy.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So if it is.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
True what he told his friend in the hours after
that initial when she disappeared, if she really was swimming
towards the boat, that would mean she was swimming away
from him. That would not make sense unless you wanted
to get away from him.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
None of these things a guilty man makes. But they
just don't make sense. And when you have friends, when
you have family raising questions, when you have them telling
stories about an explosive or even sometimes in the past
has been a documented violent relationship at times between these two,
then you pay attention, You listen, and I guess tomorrow
(10:20):
seven o'clock in all the important time to see where
this case goes.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
But when we come back, we're going to tell you
we mentioned that we haven't heard someone come out and
vehemently stand by Brian Hooker or say this is a
guy who would never do this. But what we do
have if you've been following this case closely, some of
his friends posted recordings of a phone call they said
(10:44):
they had with him the day after his wife went missing.
We'll tell you what they claim Brian Hooker said about
what happened that night. Welcome back, everyone to this episode
of Amy and TJ, where we continue to follow the
(11:05):
latest developments on the investigation into fifty eight year old
Brian Hooker. He is being held in connection with his
wife's disappearance, fifty five year old Lynnette. She, according to him,
fell off a dinghy near sunset as they were making
their way back to a sailboat.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
They are both.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Skilled on the waters, skilled in boating, and she was
apparently an excellent swimmer. She has not been found and
police are now and have just interrogated Brian Hooker for
more than three hours, according to his attorney, but they
must charge him by seven twenty pm tomorrow Monday evening,
(11:44):
or he will be let go.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Now.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Friends of Brian posted to YouTube a phone call they
say they had with him, And in that phone call
you hear the man who they say is Brian Hooker
talk about his wife and say, this is a quote.
She basically just bounce off the dinghy amid winds around
twenty miles per hour.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
He said, we weren't wearing life jackets. It was sundown.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
The sun set basically ten minutes after she fell over,
and that's questionable because if it was still light, it's
there are so many questions. If he could paddle to shore,
why couldn't he paddle towards her.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Hey that the argument is that they got separated, right
the current carried her off some direction. That is his story,
and he is so far sticking to it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So he said, the winds blew us apart so fast.
I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat.
So he did also say that same story to his
friends back to our sailboat, which was probably a thousand
yards away. I had no idea they were that close
to their boat, because the description was that they were
leaving a port that they had obviously gone to for
(12:55):
the day, and we're taking the dinghy back to their sailboat.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't realize they were so close to their sailboat.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
But again, why would she swim towards the sailboat versus
towards the dingy.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Wait, he's saying.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
What In the voicemail, he says, I think she tried
to swim back to the sailboat.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I think, which.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Was probably I don't know, one thousand yards away or something.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But the waves were three foot.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I think he said, yep, I think. So that's what
he thought. Where did he go? Didn't he go back
to shore? In the dingy?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
He did? Why would he not have gone back to it?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
If you're thinking she isn't that the closer place to
the shore than the shore, maybe I would? This makes zero,
say this is why it's No, This doesn't make it.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
He said that there was a cascade of failures and
it's something I'm never going to forgive myself for.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
He said.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
One of the failures was that one of his oars broke.
He had anchoring issues and had no flares, So he's
saying he didn't have any of the tools that would
have helped him get to his wife. He said that
he yelled for her, that he threw out a flotation cushion,
but he couldn't tell if he if she was able
(14:07):
to grab it or not. Again, if the sun had
not set yet, the sun hadn't set for ten minutes.
In those ten minutes, you couldn't see whether or not
your wife got the flotation device.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Nothing, he says, makes sense.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Three foot Waight, now a three foot wave. I'm trying
to understand. You can't see something right next to you.
If a wave he said three feet, he didn't say thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
He's three three foot waves.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Okay, Look, this is making less and less sense, and
a cascade of failures ropes. All those things just happened
to go wrong, and when this other thing that likely
didn't happen happened, there's a cascade of like there's too
many coincidences.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
It's like everything had to go wrong, and we're talking multiple,
multiple things had to be wrong for his story to add.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Up one hundred one thousand feet distance. Then we'll meet
back at the boat. A thousand feet is hard to swim,
no matter what. I'm not taking that away, but Rodes,
what we're talking about doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
He claims he had an anchor failure. Why is he
focused on anchoring his boat? He said, by the time
he got the anchor set, he ended up about a
quarter to a half mile away from her with a dingy,
and then and then the tide carried him out.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
What okay, look, I don't pretend and to understand all this,
but rose is just yes, okay, fine, we are not
all master boaters, seamen. Fine, but common sense. We've been
on a boat before. We won't excuse me. Let's call
it what it is. This was a small raft type situation.
(15:34):
She didn't fall overboard from some big yacht. You're right
next to me in this little dingy. I watch you
go right overboard in this little dingy. I have a
moment to get I have a moment to react before
You're so far away I can't even see you, is
(15:55):
what he is arguing. He's not saying he took his back,
was turned and he didn't realize she'd going overboard. That
makes less in let you're telling me in a split second,
you couldn't see her.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
And this is why he was interrogated for more than
three hours.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
It is the reason why he is under arrest.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
And we shall see if police can put enough things
together to make enough sense to get a murder charge,
which again his lawyer is saying is likely to happen tomorrow.
This is a fascinating story. Apparently, according to his attorney,
he was crying, he was emotional, he was distressed during
the entire interrogation. But we'll see what his demeanor is
(16:36):
if and when police do end up charging him with murder.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I want to leave room robes, Yes, I want to
leave for this being a completely innocent guy and this
is an awful, awful thing that happened to him. But
it's okay. At the same time, Look, he's he's in custody.
It's not us questioning his story, it's authorities doing so.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
That is correct, and we will continue to follow any
new developments, but there were several over the past couple
of days we wanted to catch you up on before
this deadline approaches tomorrow Monday, seven twenty pm Eastern time.
And with that, everyone, thank you so much for listening
to us. We always appreciate you. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
We will talk to you soon.
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