Netflix’s newest true-crime documentary, The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part, began streaming today—and its astonishing story is likely to keep viewers hooked.
Directed by Chris Smith and produced by Library Films and NBC News Studios, The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part examines the case of Thomas Randolph, a man who married six times. Four of his wives are now dead. Dateline NBC producer Dan Slepian spent nearly two decades reporting on the case, and he now guides Netflix viewers through the disturbing saga of a man accused of killing his wives for insurance payouts while repeatedly avoiding conviction.
After years of investigations and courtroom proceedings, Thomas Randolph was finally convicted of murder in 2024. The documentary explores the full, complicated history of the case.
Once you finish The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part, you may be left with another question: Where is Thomas Randolph now? Here’s what is known about his current situation.
The Widower: Til Death Do Us Part on Netflix true story:
Netflix’s The Widower: Til Death Do Us Part tells the true story of Thomas Randolph, who was sometimes called “the black widower.” In 2024, he was convicted in connection with the 2008 killing of his wife, Sharon Causse, at their Las Vegas home.
Prosecutors said Randolph tried to make his neighbor and handyman, Mike Miller, appear responsible for Causse’s death. Randolph allegedly hired Miller to kill Causse so he could collect her life insurance, promising to share the money. But on May 8, 2008, Randolph reportedly shot Miller, then told police that Miller had killed his wife during a burglary and that Randolph had acted in self-defense. Miller’s family said he had told them Randolph wanted him to kill Causse.
The investigation and legal battle stretched on for years. Dateline NBC producer Dan Slepian covered the case alongside Las Vegas Metro Police Detective Dean O’Kelley. Their work revealed that Randolph had been married six times, with four of his wives now dead. Randolph had also previously faced the death penalty in the case involving one of those wives, Becky Gault.
Randolph’s second wife, Becky Gault, died in 1986. As he later did with Causse, Randolph had taken out a life insurance policy on Gault before her death. He was prosecuted for her murder and faced the possibility of a death sentence, but his attorneys persuaded jurors that Gault had died by suicide. Randolph was acquitted and collected approximately $500,000 from the policy, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Randolph again faced the death penalty when he first went to trial in 2017 for Causse’s murder. A jury found him guilty, but the conviction was overturned and the case ended in a mistrial in 2020. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that jurors should not have heard evidence from Randolph’s 1986 case because Nevada law generally bars evidence of prior “bad acts.”
At a later trial in 2024, Randolph was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder—for the deaths of Miller and Causse—and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. He received a sentence of at least 60 years in prison.
Where is Thomas Randolph now?
Now 71, Thomas Randolph is serving a 60-years-to-life sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. The medium-custody facility, which houses general-population offenders, is located in Pershing County, Nevada.
Earlier this month, a local Las Vegas news report stated that the Nevada Supreme Court had rejected Randolph’s appeal. The court found that the roughly 15-year period leading to his conviction did not justify a third trial over the killings of Causse and Miller. Randolph had argued that the delays violated his rights, but the court upheld both his convictions and sentence.
“After considering each of the relevant factors, we conclude that Randolph has not shown his right to a speedy trial was violated,” the court wrote. “Therefore, no relief is warranted on this ground.”
Randolph also claimed that police coerced him into participating in a filmed walkthrough of the crime scene, an interview that raised questions about inconsistencies in his account.
“The detectives testified that Randolph was not threatened with arrest or other consequences if he did not participate in the walkthrough,” the court wrote. “In fact, Randolph agreed on video that he was participating of his ‘own free will.’”
Why didn’t Thomas Randolph face the death penalty in his second trial?
During the first two trials over his wife’s murder, Randolph faced the possibility of execution. Yet after his eventual conviction, he received a sentence of 60 years to life rather than the death penalty. Why?
The reason is that Nevada prosecutors did not seek the death penalty at Randolph’s later retrial. The state’s rationale for that decision has not been made clear. Nevada still permits capital punishment as of 2026, although the state has not carried out an execution since 2006.
One possible explanation is that pursuing the death penalty could have created additional legal challenges for the state—avenues Randolph had successfully used over the course of his case. He raised one such issue on appeal, arguing that he should have been permitted to have both attorneys deliver closing arguments. However, because prosecutors did not seek capital punishment, the district court was not required to allow both defense lawyers to give closing statements.