Neglect, lies and justice for a little boy who could no longer speak for himself. What started as an evocative podcast that took the internet by storm has now become the poignant docuseries “Burden of Guilt: Haunted by Lies,” where Tracyraquel Berns’ emotional search for the truth is told.
Tracyraquel Berns life was forever changed when her baby brother, Matthew Golder, died at just four months old in the early 1970s. Berns herself was just shy of turning two, unaware that she would soon be blamed for her little brother’s death. Her parents, Kathy Almon and Jan Berry Sandlin, told the doctors in charge of Matthew’s care that the infant had been thrown out of his crib by his sister, Berns, and was soon found by the children’s mother, Almon.
Matthew later died in the hospital, with Berns having been listed as his cause of death and officially labeled as an accident. Berns’ family quickly chose to hide the reason behind Matthew’s death from her, claiming it had been an accident but refusing to discuss the issue further. Berns would go on to live her life, overcoming the odds of growing up with an abusive father and a neglectful mother. This series of events would soon kick off a decades-long search for the truth around Matthew’s death.
Years after her little brother’s passing, Berns was able to uncover medical records from the day Matthew died, revealing that she had been listed as her little brother’s cause of death. This revelation sent Berns reeling, unable to accept that she had killed her brother.
Due to experiences with her own children, Berns had seen firsthand the limited strength of a two-year-old. Berns soon had an epiphany, coming to the conclusion that she never could have had the strength to pick up her baby brother at just two years old and throw him out of the crib with enough force to cause the injuries that Matthew had sustained. This meant that Berns had not killed Matthew, but someone else had, and she was determined to find out who.
The first trial began in July of 1997. Sandlin, Berns’ father, was put on trial, as he was the only person in the home that day who had the motive and the means to hurt Matthew. New evidence was brought to light, including an exhumation of Matthew’s body which further vindicated Berns’ claim that she had not killed her brother. In a surprising turn of events, the judge ruled a mistrial in the case after Berns had accidentally witnessed a portion of her mother’s testimony on television.
Soon enough however, the second trial was underway, and Sandlin’s defense attorney had one clear defense in mind. She argued that Sandlin had not killed Matthew, instead claiming that Almon, who was not innocent of any wrongdoing as she had put her daughter in many dangerous situations in the name of “love,” had committed the heinous act. After another strenuous trial the verdict was announced, and Jan Sandlin was found guilty on two counts of felony murder. He was given a sentence of life imprisonment for both counts. Matthew had finally received justice after decades of unrest and uncertainty, but this justice would not last, as Sandlin was granted yet another trial on account of his defense attorney claiming that she had been “ineffective” during his second trial.
Steve Sadow became the new defense attorney assigned to Sandlin, forcing Berns to withstand a third trial. Sadow’s tactic was to create doubt over whether it was scientifically possible for Berns to have hurt Matthew, thus creating doubt over if Sandlin was truly guilty. Sadow’s defense would end up being for naught as Sandlin was found guilty on all counts.
The death of Tracyraquel Berns’ little brother, Matthew Golder, drastically altered the course of her life. Now, nearly 50 years later, Berns is currently living a life that she enjoys and has become a beacon of light for those around her.
