Early morning 2021 in Canton, Georgia Morgan Metzer woke up to a terrifying sight. A man in a mask and black clothes stood in the doorway of her bedroom. The man ran up and jumped on top of her. “That's when he started pistol-whipping me,” Morgan said. The attacker used zip ties to bind her wrists and then strangled her twice until she almost lost consciousness.
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
“You're going to regret this, what you've done is very wrong,” Morgan remembers the man telling her in a deep, raspy voice that he seemed to be trying to disguise. She said it looked like Batman. Morgan Metzer's heartbreaking attack is the focus of an all-new 48 Hours program this week, reported by writer Nikki Battiste. Encore “Batman Intruder” streaming now on Paramount+.
The attacker then threw a pillowcase over her head, picked Morgan up and left her on the back porch, which was connected to the bedroom. He told her not to move until she heard two car horns or he would kill her. Then all was silent except for the sound of the stream near her secluded home.
Forty minutes passed, but then horror struck again. Morgan heard someone approach her and walk up the porch steps. Initially frightened by the return of her attacker, she was surprised to hear a familiar voice.
“Oh honey, what happened?” — Morgan remembered her ex-husband. Rod Metzer– he said when he found her.
Rod called 911 and law enforcement arrived on scene. Rod saving his ex-wife seemed like an act of heroism.
Rod said he looked after Morgan despite their divorce after almost 20 years together. They started dating when Morgan was 14 and Rod was 17, and married when they were in their early 20s. The couple had twins who were spending a few days with Morgan's sister in Florida when the attack occurred.
Morgan said her decision to file for divorce came after years of what she described as mental and physical abuse at the hands of Rod. Rod had moved out of Morgan's house and into his own apartment, and Morgan was ready to move on. Their divorce was finalized just weeks before the attack.
However, this new start for Morgan was cut short. Earlier this week, Morgan revealed Rod called her with the shocking news that he had pancreatic cancer.
“So I rushed to visit him,” Morgan told Baptiste. “He showed me the doctors’ notes and everything.” She allowed Rod to stay at her home to help him cope with his diagnosis. “I still needed support because this is the father of my children.”
Morgan Metzer 
According to Morgan, during this time, Rod constantly tried to reunite with her. But she wasn't interested, and on New Year's Eve morning she told Rod that he needed to share the news about his health with his parents.
“He said, ‘No, absolutely not. I don't tell anyone.” And then I said, 'OK, go away,'” Morgan recalls. Morgan said Rod left but still spent the day sending her reconciliation messages. Tired of grief, Morgan lied and told Rod that she was going to spend the night at her parents' house that New Year's Eve.
How Rod knew Morgan was at her home, as well as the random timing of his arrival after her attack, raised questions among investigators who spoke with Rod at the scene. Rod said he planned to spend the night in his apartment. However, he told them that he heard someone knock on the window of his ground floor apartment and say Morgan's name. After Rod tried to call Morgan with no answer, he decided to go to her house to check on her. He told investigators that he came to her house, not to his parents, simply out of habit.
After questioning Morgan and Rod at the scene, investigators became suspicious of Rod's story. They ordered a search warrant for Rod's apartment, car and electronic devices, uncovering his internet search history. Searches included “How to get your ex to like you” and “How to change the sound of your voice.” One request also caught the investigators' attention: “cancer letter from hospital.”
Investigators also discovered a fake email account created by Rod, posing as a doctor, to send a cancer diagnosis letter, which he showed to Morgan. But there was something else.
“He wrote up a bill for the doctor's office to prove he was being treated for pancreatic cancer,” said Rachel Ash, Cherokee County's chief assistant district attorney. She said Rod “did all this to convince Morgan he had pancreatic cancer.” He never did.
Rod Metzer eventually pleaded guilty to 14 counts of assault against Morgan Metzer. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison – 25 years followed by 45 years of probation.
