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'The Day the Music Died' | 'Dateline' revisits 2016 murder of prominent Asheville plastic surgeon and musician

NBC's "Dateline" revisited the case as investigators uncovered clues pointing to an unlikely killer.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In 2016, prominent Asheville plastic surgeon and musician Dr. Frank “Buddy” McCutcheon was killed in his home. His wife, Brenda McCutcheon, called the sheriff's office after 3 a.m., saying her husband had been shot. 

In a recorded 911 call, an operator can be heard asking Brenda McCutcheon who shot her husband. She responded: "I don't know."

NBC affiliate WYFF covered the shooting in 2016, reporting that Brenda McCutcheon told the dispatcher she was asleep upstairs at the time, and Buddy McCutcheon had been in the TV room downstairs -- and that the back door may have been unlocked.

NBC's "Dateline" revisited the case Friday night as investigators uncovered clues pointing to an unlikely killer. There was early speculation about the nature of Buddy McCutcheon's death: had he had taken his own life, had home invaders had shot him, or something else altogether?

As revealed on "Dateline," Brenda McCutcheon was ultimately charged in connection to his death.

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During Friday's episode, Keith Morrison shared interviews with detectives John Ledford and Walt Thrower; prosecutor Meghan Lock; defense attorneys Sean Devereux and Steve Cash; Buddy’s family members and more, in addition to never-before-seen police footage. 

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