Dr Farris can also be seen throughout the movie to write a computerized journal about his personal life, which shows how distraught he is under his caring and loving persona.
With the help of his ex-wife, the police look into the conditions surrounding Lorraine's death, and after further examination of Ellen Farris, they find out that she is suffering from kidney failure.
[3] An autopsy found nothing unusual and could not determine the cause of death (after which she was cremated), but six months later, Overton's first wife, Dorothy Boyer, called investigators and revealed that Richard had tried to poison her 15 years prior with selenium.
[4][3] She stated that this happened after their divorce, when he still had access to her house and would put poisons in her shampoo and coffee, which he confessed to but she declined to press charges when he promised not to do it again and seek counseling.
[3] In a 1995 Orange County trial which received significant media attention, Overton, who had a PhD in psychology and worked as a computer consultant and college lecturer, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, because of the special circumstance of poisoning.
[4][3][6] In a sentencing report, the prosecuting attorney stated that Overton was “the single most blatant, arrogant, yet curiously effective liar and manipulator of the truth I have ever seen.”[3] A book on the investigation was written by Frank McAdams, named Final Affair.