Convicted Murderer Out On Bail After Nearly Killing Wife 

On Christmas day in 1986, carefree and fun-loving restaurant worker Donald Ott is found shot to death. His family and friends reported the 20-year-old didn’t have any enemies, so the police didn’t have any immediate suspects.  

After questioning family members, they learned Donald went to meet a man to settle a drug debt his brother had. Apparently, the drug dealer brought a friend with him, who had a gun on him. They kidnapped Donald at gunpoint, and later killed him.  

Brian Patrick Moore, the man with the gun, faced murder charges. After being convicted of murder, he received a sentence of 30 years, spending 24 in prison. The parole board finally released him on intense supervised parole (ISP), forcing him to follow strict guidelines to stay out of prison.  

Homicide Hunters picked up the story. The episode is on Season 3, episode 9, titled My, My, Merry Christmas. You can see it on Hulu. I wished this were a story where Moore learned his lesson and changed his life for the better, but that is not what happened.  

Alcoholism Made HIs Rage Worse 

As with many addicts, Moore had a substance abuse problem. He could not shake his addiction, even though his wife asked him too many times. Their relationship was not good. He was often physically and emotionally abusive. I am sure many of her friends and family begged her to leave him, but she didn’t.  

She thought he would eventually quit. Perhaps he’d see how bad his words hurt her and decide to put their relationship first. But he never did. Instead, in 2021, he attacked her and almost killed her.  

In November, Moore attacked his wife. He overpowered her and put his hands around her neck. She struggled to breathe, but finally got away. She had an app on her iPhone that called her emergency contacts when he dragged her to the floor. That triggered her son to call the police to help her. When his wife finally got away from his tight neck hold and she escaped to the bathroom.

Moore Tried To Kill His Wife 

By the time the police arrived, Moore was nowhere to be seen. He escaped the police for several days before they [finally] arrested him. The police charged him with strangulation and domestic assault, which carries a charge of up to eight years in prison. 

His wife went to the hospital and had several tests done to make sure he didn’t seriously injury her. Medical test showed, while it shook her up, she would recover from her injuries. They sent her home with several medications to keep her comfortable, and order to rest to give her body time to recover.  

While in custody, he violated the court-ordered restraining order by calling her (from jail). The court slapped him with violating the restraining order, which could add two more years to his sentence.  

Now, Moore is now free on bond. The judge told him he could communicate with his victim (wife) via text messaging. His next court appearance in next month, and could face up to eight years in prison, possibly two more years for violating the restraining order.  

As Homicide Detective said, Brian Patrick Moore is a bad guy, and even worse, when he has a chip on his should or with a gun. His wife is lucky to be alive. However, her safety is at risk with him free on bail, and free to contact her via text.   

Do you think the judge should have denied his bail? Do you think they should charge him with attempted murder? Don’t forget to click the subscribe button below to read more of my true crime stories.  

References: Interview with his wife