Page 70 of Terms + Conditions
3:30 PM
Written by: Hannah Clemmons
Son Found Guilty in Deaths of Parents, Attempted Murder of Sister
Three hundred and sixty-four days after the murder of Thomas and Ethel Cain, a jury found their son, Nathanial Cain, guilty on all counts. Two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of voluntary manslaughter, one count of attempted manslaughter, one count of arson, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of obstruction of justice. Jurors deliberated for about two hours before convicting him.
“Justice was done today,” said prosecutor Anna McCreery after the verdict. “We don’t care who your family is or how much money you have or think you have. It doesn’t matter what your name is, if you do wrong—if you murder someone—justice will be done.”
Cain was accused of murdering his parents before turning the knife on his younger sister on the evening of September 14, 2012. Once a straight-A student, starbasketball player, rugby player, and loving son, Nate fell into a dark spiral after moving to New York for college. A family friend, who has requested to remain anonymous said, “He turned away from his studies in business and finance, discovering the allure of the dark side of the city.”
Nate began skipping classes, skipping practices and eventually was kicked off the basketball team, and put on academic probation. He was kicked out of the dorms his freshman year because of a fire-related incident. However, he vehemently denied being part of the incident.
When asked whether Cain’s involvement in the incident was ever confirmed, our anonymous source recalled Ethel Cain commenting on the rumor before her death. “She just said, ‘boys will be boys’ and tried to convince us it wasn’t like that,” they said. “A month later, Nathanial Cain dropped off the face of the Earth for at least a month or so after that. No one heard from him until he returned home, looking back to the same Nate the whole town had known before he went off to college.”
Two months after his return to Winchester, Nate was arrested in Thailand for alleged possession and trafficking of drugs. Specifically, Cannabis which is still considered illegal, both medically and recreationally, in the country. He spent two days in a Thai prison before making contact with his family. Although, the charges were eventually dropped and Cain returned to the United States immediately, our source says when Nate landed in New York, his father was waiting for him, and “all but tossed [Nate] on the plane home.”
Thomas moved his son back into the family home and gave him a job at Cain Real Estate, the major real estate company based in the Carolinas. But this time, Nate wasn’t turning a new leaf, he was causing problems at home and work and wreaking havoc in the community.
Days before the murders, Nate was arrested by authorities in Charlotte for trafficking drugs. This time, Thomas refused to bail him out and told Nate he was being cut out of the will until he could learn how to grow up.
Two days later, Thomas and Ethel Cain were found dead in their home, with their daughter in critical condition at a nearbyhospital. Elizabeth Cain underwent multiple surgeries and a medically induced coma before she woke up a week later.
After a two-week search for Nathanial Cain, authorities located him hiding out at a friend’s house in upstate New York. Extradited to Hamilton County, Nathanial was indicted on the murder charges.
“He has never said anything to authorities since his arrest, maintaining a silent disposition even during the trial,” said Ryder Coates, WPD Chief of Police. “Some believed putting his sister on the stand would elicit some kind of response, but [Cain] remained stone-faced the entire time.”
The jury deliberated for about two hours Friday morning before they came back with a verdict just before lunchtime.
Court reconvened at 2:45 P.M., and the foreperson read out the verdict… Guilty on all counts. Cain didn’t flinch as his fate was sealed.
The judge, someone who had known the family by way of living in the same town, offered him words of wisdom, but they fell on deaf ears before Cain was led out of the courtroom.
Cain faces a life sentence for each murder conviction and up to 122 years for the other charges. According to another source close to the family, Cain’s remaining family requested prosecutors not seek the death penalty.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
THEN
September 2022
TODAY IS THE TENTH anniversary of the attack on the Cain family. The past two years, she’d been able to look ahead to celebrating our wedding anniversary the week following, but this year that doesn’t seem to be as easy. I had planned on taking the day off work, spending the day with her, doing whatever she wanted—even if it meant spending the whole day in bed until we had to leave for the party. I wouldn’t be opposed. Honestly, it sounded pretty good. I can’t remember the last time we stayed in bed, cuddled together, making love, watching movies, and eating a bunch of junk. But she told me to go to work because she already had plans. She and Nina would be prepping for the celebration of life party Elizabeth had planned, and the best way for me to help her was by going to work.
I didn’t want to leave her this morning, but she had practically pushed me out the door and promised she’d call if they needed anything.
The party was nice. It was lavish, and everything was the best of the best, as expected when you have the name Villa attached to something. Throughout the night, guests swapped their favorite stories about Thomas and Ethel Cain, eliciting alaugh or a smile or a tear from whoever was listening. I loved it. I felt like I was really getting to know her parents in a way I hadn’t been able to before. Elizabeth has shared stories over the years but still held a lot about her parents close to her chest. Not that I blame her; I would probably do the same.
As the night wore on, I noticed the weight in her smile. The more she tried to hide it, the more noticeable it became. No one else seemed to notice, or they pretended not to, as they dragged her from one end of the room to the next, salivating at the chance for conversation. Finally, I stepped in and announced we had to be going because of an early morning tomorrow. Did we have an early morning? Well, she didn’t, but they didn’t need to know that. Besides, Nick and Nina had left about twenty minutes ago, so it wasn’t like Elizabeth was waiting around for her sister. Those two have always tried to sync their arrivals and departures to make sure they never have to worry about being without some kind of escape from the droning conversations that happen at things like this. When Elizabeth didn’t fight me, I knew I had made the right call.
Upon getting home, she disappeared into the bedroom without a word…That was about an hour ago.
Pouring a glass of wine, I pad my way into our bedroom and find her soaking in the oversized tub. Only a few bubbles remain, stationary on top of the shoulder-deep water. Her face is red, whether it’s actually from crying or from the heat of the water, I’m not sure, but the tear tracks down her cheeks aren’t hard to miss.
Elizabeth looks up at me when I set the glass down in the corner next to the book she had anticipated reading, but cracked open. Sitting on the floor next to the tub, I rest my arms on the edge and meet her glazed brown orbs.
“You okay?” I ask.
She takes a shaky breath, reaching for the wine glass and downing a heavy sip. Biting on the inside of her cheek, she says, “I went to see my brother earlier.”
