Berchtold did not experience any consequences until Brobergs adult life was disrupted by his attempts to interfere with Brobergs daily activities. Broberg's father, Bob, revealed that he engaged in a singular sexual encounter with Berchtold, one that Gail reportedly used to blackmail him into signing an affidavit asking the FBI to drop the charges after Jan was returned. Later, he denied Jans accusations and asserted that their connection was only mutual. His obituary makes no mention of his horrific crimes. The two 1970s abductions of Jan Broberg at the ages of 12 and 14 by none other than her trusted neighbor Robert "Bob" Berchtold is a case that can honestly only be described as atrocious. It appears that the loss of control had a significant impact on Berchtold, as evidenced by his decision to take his own life in 2005 after combining a large quantity of heart medication pills with alcohol. They lived together in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brigham City, Harper, and Ogden, Utah, among other places. In one instance, he told a young girl that she was a princess from another planet, and was also on a mission. It would appear that there is very little that can bring the country together at this time, but the true-crime documentary from 2017 (which is seeing a resurgence thanks to recently dropping on Netflix) Abducted Everyone despises one particular person after watching In Plain Sight, and that person is Robert Berchtold, also known as B. Actress Lio Tipton, who plays Gail on A Friend of the Family, has also made this very clear. Robert Berchtold and his wife Gail married in 1961 Gail Toyn married Robert Berchtold (portrayed by Jake Lacy) on June 7, 1961, in the Logan Temple. Jan's mother also had a long-term sexual affair with Berchtold between Jan's abductions. The Peacock drama miniseries A Friend of the Family shows how Jan Broberg was kidnapped twice when she was a child after her abductor ingratiated himself with her parents. Once he (Berchtold) had something to hang over their heads, he controlled them. Both parents ultimately signed the contract, but Jan told Entertainment Tonight that there was something that the documentary left out. Berchtold was born on February 7, 1936 in Tremonton, Utah. Other others, however, feel she was unaware of anything because she helped him deceive the Brobergs. Gail turned out to be easier to understand than I had thought. Robert Berchtold, aged 69, had no intention of going to jail. Find out more about his unassuming life and the events surrounding his horrendous crimes in this Robert Berchtold wiki. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Lacy married long-term girlfriend Lauren Deleo on . In the television series, "A Friend of the Family," Gail, played byLio Tipton, and her children fade out of the picture before the second kidnapping. Who is Gail Berchtold? Gail Toyn married Robert Berchtold, played by Jake Lacy, on June 7, 1961 at the Logan Temple. On June 7, 1961, Gail got married in a beautiful ceremony at the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Logan Temple in Utah to Robert (or B), who was working for the Army at the time. "The affidavits that they signed, they retracted four days later. Netflix first recounted the harrowing story in the. Berchtold had even managed to manipulate the Brobergs so thoroughly that he was able to temporarily abscond with Jan once again in August 1976. Robert Berchtold Wikipedia Bio. It shocks me how quick people are to point fingers or to assume or to blame.. Thereafter, Berchtold captured their lives by engaging both Brobergs in a sexual relationship. The first four episodes of A Friend of the Family will air on Peacock on Thursday October 6th. A close family friendship ensued, with 10-year-old Jan Broberg and her sisters Susan and Karen Broberg describing Robert as a second father, affectionately calling him dad and Brother B., They had all the fun toys we didnt have, like a boat, snowmobiles, a trampoline, Jan recalled. Some wondered if Gail was wholly innocent and unaware of her husbands actions or if she knew all along. During that time they were proud to welcome Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff and Jill into their lives. I dont think she ever wanted to hurt anyone else.. So, some people say she knew what her husband was doing because she allegedly helped him get the Brobergs to lower their charges, while others say she didnt know anything. All Rights Reserved. Jan and her family decided to tell their story again with the Peacock limited drama series A Friend of the Family. Amazingly, the affair lasted for nearly a yearduring the same period that he was charged with kidnapping Jan. Mary Ann claims she met up with Brother B a total of eight times, but, allegedly, only had sex with him three times. Many people wonder if Gail Berchtold knew what her husband did to Jan Broberg after seeing Abducted in Plain Sight and A Friend of the Family. Peacock's "A Friend of the Family" is a nail-biting saga centered on the real-life story of Jan Broberg, a young girl who was kidnapped, not once, but twice, by a charismatic churchgoer disguised as a family friend, hence the title. The person said that Gail was asked to do an interview, but she turned them down. Many fans of documentaries went to Reddit to talk about whether or not Gail could be involved. Its also imperative to note Gail did urge the youngsters parents not to call the authorities during the initial few days of their first disappearance in October, but her reasoning could never be identified. Jan had asked BACA, which included 12 bikers, to attend the conference for added safety. Heres what we know about Gail Berchtold, Robert Berchtolds wife. As a limited drama series that revisits the two 1970s kidnappings of Jan Broberg at the ages of 12 and 14, Peacocks A Friend of the Family can only be described as horrifically bone-chilling. Every time I entered a scene, I kept thinking about how hard Gail is working to protect her family and keep them together The only thing that mattered to her was finding out whether or not her family would be safe. NBC Insider is your all-access pass to some of your favorite NBC shows. He served one year. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about the accuseds then-life partner in particular Robert Bob Berchtolds wife, Gail Toyn Berchtold weve got all the essential details for you. The almost unbelievable, surreal story of his kidnapping of Jan Broberg is dramatized in thePeacocklimited series A Friend of the Family, streaming now. However, they soon decided to start a new chapter in their lives by moving, so they lived in a few different places. Some people talk bad about Berchtolds ex-wife, which is reason enough for them to keep to themselves. Cause of Death, Fred Hickman Obituary, Cause of Death, Wife and Children. Ever. The Peacock series tells the story of the real-life man who managed to largely escape punishment for his alleged sex crimes. If anyone came looking for her, it was the bad guys.. Upon learning that Jan and her sister Karen shared a basement bedroom, the handy Robert built a wall, giving the two girls their own bedrooms. Berchtold was not sent to jail. These locations were Brigham City, Utah, Pocatello, Idaho, and Ogden, Utah. Robert Berchtold drove the young girl to Mexico, where they spent 5 weeks, where he was brainwashing her, and eventually convinced her to have a physical relationship with him to save her family. As told to Berchtold by the aliens, he was the male companion she was seeking. The information is frustrating, and its almost impossible to understand why Berchtold wasnt given a significant amount of time behind bars for his crimes (he spent less than a month in jail before he was transferred to a mental hospital for approximately six months; later, he spent one year in prison after pleading guilty to raping another child). Jan Broberg, who is now an adult, says of Berchtold that he was a master manipulator. At the time, no one in her family could see it, but Robert Berchtold had been setting up the family from the first time they met. During this time, they were proud to welcome Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff, and Jill into their lives. Whats more, during their stay south of the border, Berchtold convinced the girl that she was the scion of an ancient alien race, tasked with saving the species by procreating with him. Gail remarried James Leslie Wadman in the late 1980s, but unfortunately, her husband, James passed away on 5 April 2015, after an extensive battle with bladder cancer. Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. He was 70 years old, and they had been enjoying a happy marriage for more than 27 years at that point. ', Death toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash, Brunt of storm moving out of SoCal, light showers on tap Wednesday, Missing 19-year-old man found dead in wooded area of Milford, 'Kiss' is coming to Seattle for their last tour ever, Solar Panels Over California's Canals Could Save Water While Making Clean Energy. Berchtold could sense this and exploited their struggles. The first time Berchtold was in jail, hed allegedly paid two men $1,000 to burn down the Brobergs store. Which they, of course, did. Lio Tipton as Gail Berchtold in 'A Friend of the Family'. In an interview with Jan Broberg about the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, she said that Gail and Robert got a divorce soon after the kidnapping. Abducted in Plain Sight,directedbySkyeBorgman, is currently on Netflix. Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. Six women have since come forward to say they were also raped by Berchtold. I had a lot of meetings [on how to] approach a scene you know, should I have the undercurrent of I am doing this too as a way to brush things under the rug, or is Gail incredibly ignorant of the situation? He often gave her gifts and took her on trips. Caution is advised due to the following content: this work discusses sexual abuse in some detail. Advertisement. A seemingly impossible task when you consider they were a conservative LDS family. For the sake of privacy, some of the details regarding Robert and Gail Berchtold's children were altered for the show, including their names and the number of children there were in the Berchtold family, with the series showing only three rather than five children. years. So now that he was in jail again, the Brobergs feared for their lives. Berchtold when she was 12 and again when she was 14. According to ABC News, he attended a women's conference that Jan Broberg and her mother, Mary Ann, hosted in 2004. According to Entertainment Tonight, it was Gail, not Robert, who coerced the Brobergs into signing an affidavit following the first kidnapping. Some people talk badly about Berchtolds ex-wife, which is reason enough for her to keep to herself. 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