March 7, 2001 MURDER OR TRAGIC CAR ACCIDENT?
48 HOURS: "THE MYSTERY OF SLIDE MOUNTAIN"

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Correspondent Susan Spencer examines evidence and many unanswered questions surrounding a mysterious auto accident on Slide Mountain, near Reno, Nev., that led to the death of Rinette Riella Bergna and the trial of her husband, Peter Bergna, for her murder, on 48 HOURS: "The Mystery of Slide Mountain," Friday, March 8 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Peter and Rinette Riella Bergna were a seemingly normal and happily married couple of 11 years who lived in upscale Incline Village, Nev., very near Lake Tahoe, Calif. He was an antique dealer and she a highly paid pharmaceutical consultant who had just changed her career, dramatically, to become an international tour guide, which paid much less and required weeks of travel at a time.

Upon Rinette's return from a work-related trip to Italy, Peter, who was growing tired of her traveling, picked her up at the Reno airport and told her he wanted to have a deep discussion about their marriage and her lengthy travel schedule. He drove her high into the Sierra Mountains to Slide Mountain to tell her how he felt and says the conversation ended on an upbeat note. But, as Peter and Rinette started down the hill in his pick-up truck, he started yelling, "Rinette, we're not stopping. We're not stopping." He says he's not sure if he hit the brakes and that the next thing he remembers is being on the ground on the side of the mountain while the truck ran through the guardrail and down an 800 foot cliff with Rinette in it. Peter and Rinette's family were devastated by the accident that took Rinette's life - but was it an accident?

With many questions left unanswered about the crash and Bergna, the only witness, not remembering what occurred that fateful night, the police tried to recreate the scene. There were no skid marks, no swerving away from the cliff and Bergna, who was somehow ejected from the truck, suffered only a broken foot bone and scrapes while Rinette suffered massive, multiple injuries, but the medical examiner couldn't say when exactly she died, however, or even if she was alive when the truck went over the mountain. Also, Bergna had told police, at one point, that the discussion that night between him and Rinette had become heated and they had discussed divorce.

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The police had many suspicions about the case but little evidence against Bergna. However, two-and-a-half years after Rinette died, the District Attorney's office felt they had a case and charged Bergna with his wife's murder. The prosecution and defense engage in a battle of the experts with many theories about how the truck went over the cliff. The jury seems lost in the technical minutia, so the prosecutor then turns to Bergna's character. Witnesses include women who claim that Bergna tried to date them while he was married. Naturally, the defense paints a more positive picture and brings in several witnesses who proclaim Bergna was genuinely devastated by Rinette's death, that he was a loving husband and a friendly person who loved to engage others in conversation.

Following seven days of exhaustive deliberation, the jury could not agree and the judge had to issue a mistrial. After a year in prison, Bergna is released from jail on bail. The District Attorney's office decides to retry the case and the retrial is set to begin in Nevada on April 27.

48 HOURS: "The Mystery of Slide Mountain" was produced by Peter Henderson and Paul Ryan. Sara Ely Hulse is the associate producer; Reid Collins Jr., is the senior producer; Susan Zirinsky, the executive producer.

Press Contact: Marcy Erhard 212/975-2888 erhardm@cbsnews.com