Molly was murdered days before her dream wedding. Her fiancé had been living a double life.

Molly Watson was excited to be finally marrying her partner of seven years, James Addie.

She was counting down the days until their Disney-themed ceremony.

It was on brand for Molly. She loved to sing, make costumes and posted vlogs on YouTube.

But Molly never made it to the altar.

One Friday night in April 2018, she was found lying in the road with a gunshot wound to the head in Monroe County, Missouri. She was already dead when the passerby made the tragic discovery.

It was two days before her wedding.

When police went knocking on Addie's door, his wife answered. The same wife he claimed had died in a car crash.

Then his lies unravelled.

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From co-workers to lovers.

Molly, 35, met Addie, 51, at the Moberly Area Correctional Centre, where they both worked.

Her brother Tim Watson told ABC News 20/20 she was "absolutely, 100% in love" but they weren't so sure about him.

After seven years of dating, Addie proposed and they started planning a wedding for April 2018.

Molly was elated. She was planning a grand day full of colour and light. James, on the other hand, seemed disinterested.

"He could never look you in the eye. He could never talk to you directly. Everything was very evasive with him," Tim told ABC. "He put off bad vibes to everybody."

According to ABC News, authorities said Addie claimed he and his wife of 23 years, Melanie Addie, had divorced and that she had been in a car accident and later died after being taken off life support.

Molly Watson. Image: YouTube/Dr Phil.

Meanwhile, Melanie was very much alive. Alive and at home with their two children.

In fact, she had no idea about his affair with Molly and their impending illegal marriage until police rocked up at her door the night of the murder.

"It was just mind-boggling. It made no sense at all," she told ABC News in 2022. "It didn't seem right. This was not my life."

A cold-blooded crime.

On April 27, 2018, Glen McSparren was taking a shortcut from his mother's house when he saw a car pulled over to the side of a rural road. As he got closer, he saw someone lying on the ground.

"My headlights came over on her body in front of the car," he told ABC News. "When I [saw] her, I swear my heart stopped… I could tell she wasn't moving."

It was Molly. She had a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police ruled out a robbery gone wrong. Molly was still wearing her engagement ring and in the backseat of the vehicle was her marriage licence. It pointed police to Addie.

Melanie said she never suspected Addie was having an affair and thought he was dedicated to their family of four.

On that fated evening, Melanie recalled Addie acting as normal. He said he was going to a friend's house at about 7pm.

Melanie woke at 2am to the sound of her husband snoring next to her. She moved to the couch, as she usually did. Then 30 minutes later, she saw police lights outside, per ABC News.

Appearing on Dr Phil, Melanie said she filed for divorce days after Addie's arrest.

Addie was eventually arrested and charged in connection with Molly's death.

Addie has long maintained his innocence and read a love letter to Molly during his trial. However, his ex-wife said she believes he is capable of murder.

"He was a pretty selfish person ... He could be controlling and intimidating ... it could be challenging," Melanie told ABC News. "It just seemed like something he would do to fix a problem."

In 2021, Addie was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action and sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 10 years, according to KOMU TV.

Feature image: ABC News 20/20.