Culprit

By April 1953, four of Caroline Grills’s relatives had turned up dead in similar circumstances and even more of her family members were still getting sick. It was under this aura of unnerving uncertainty that John Downey, the son-in-law of one of the recently deceased, stumbled upon a newspaper article about Yvonne Fletcher, the first Australian found guilty of murder by thallium poisoning. So, when John saw Aunty Carrie slipping something into his mother-in-law’s tea, he decided it was time to take action.Sources:

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/serial-killer-caroline-grills-served-rat-poison-to-her-relatives/news-story/d4bc91eecf8ff0d85050cd38ecc0737d

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/grills-caroline-10371 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/277828549

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/280482217

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48927134

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/recipe-for-murder-the-poisoners-tales-20110520-1evcj.html

https://mhnsw.au/whats-on/exhibitions/crimes-passion/

https://vernon.mhnsw.au/objects/54282/photograph 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/280471787

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/249257539

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69484978

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96400776

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2895015

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/99091033

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275036074 

https://www.neighbourhoodmedia.com.au/post/death-in-a-teacup

https://dictionaryofsydney.org/media/67208

https://darkstories.com.au/tag/caroline-grills/

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96533590 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18283164 

https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.304978805990535?__cf_chl_tk=.sV.wTn.Gy19VvLQOW_FObWDlukKR_HYhFgFgtnQQBk-1791301423-1.0.1.1-a4T7J2wmbgulPjV2SLjxc6DfmMl_VnVWNzZsB79p3T4

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peritonitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20376247 

Robert and Patricia Seddon did everything right. They worked hard and raised two children.  Sadly, their daughter, Lesley, would be diagnosed with epilepsy as a child and would die when she was just 40, leaving her parents to raise their grandchild. Their son, Stephen, began getting in trouble as a teen, serving prison time twice, but the Seddons didn’t abandon their son. They bought him a house and gave him money. He repaid their love and kindness with murder.Sources:

https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/manchester/may-the-furies-pursue-you-until-death-judge-tells-killer-who-shot-his-parents-t8ggjkgg0pw

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21523464

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-19760862

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21534028

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/seddon-sentence-remarks.pdf

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/7957936.businesses-count-cost-as-grants-fraudster-is-jailed/

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2013-03-18/man-accused-of-murdering-parents-was-on-drugs-run

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/stephen-seddon-murder-trial-man-1977961

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/canal-plunge-how-stephen-seddon-1980042

https://gizmodo.com/rich-kids-who-killed-their-parents-2-if-at-first-you-d-1743074610

https://www.news.com.au/world/stephen-seddon-accused-of-murdering-parents-for-insurance-money/news-story/064f29f64b709551493467461bc726d0

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10245037.shotgun-son-used-kill-parents-stolen-north-east-burglary-court-told/

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/family-tributes-loving-selfless-couple-2061752

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/shoot-disabled-nephew-thats-sick-1763380

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10299277.seaham-man-mounts-angry-defence-claim-considered-killing-disabled-nephew/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21549564

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/murder-trial-son-stephen-seddon-told-1671919

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/28/conman-stephen-seddon-jailed_n_2970393.html

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7111057.trickster-too-broke-repay-5m-fraud/

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/murder-trial-son-stephen-seddon-told-1671919

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/chilling-moment-cold-hearted-killer-stephen-1976030

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10245037.shotgun-son-used-kill-parents-stolen-north-east-burglary-court-told/

Salvadoran Jesus Ismenia Marinero came to the United States in 1999 in search of a better life. She must have felt that she was on her way to finding it when one of the five children she had been forced to leave behind, Roberto Martinez-Marinero, came to join her a decade later. Over the next six years, Ismenia gave birth to two more sons, Josue and Angel, but in May 2015, the son whose reappearance she had gladly welcomed would be the one to irreparably destroy the family she had been trying to rebuild.

Sources:

https://people.com/crime/nebraska-woman-allegedly-murdered-by-own-son-thought-she-would-protect-him/

https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/immigration-and-agriculture/immigration-and-meatpacking-in-the-midwest- 

https://farmstand.org/how-big-ag-thrives-on-trumps-immigration-threats/ 

https://www.ketv.com/article/timeline-in-missing-boy-case-homicide-investigation/7652598

https://people.com/crime/baby-found-in-dumpster-5-year-old-brother-still-missing/

https://people.com/crime/roberto-martinez-marinero-allegedly-killed-his-mom-and-4-year-old-brother/

https://people.com/crime/suspect-in-nebraska-case-may-face-death-penalty-for-killing-his-mother-brother/

https://people.com/crime/family-speaks-out-second-arrest-made-in-jesus-marinero-death/

https://www.ketv.com/article/update-missing-5-year-old-found/7652597

https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Accessory-in-stunning-metro-murder-case-sentenced-to-prison-404288516.html 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/guilty-plea-in-murder-of-boy-4-thrown-from-bridge/

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us/nebraska-man-pleads-guilty-gets-two-life-sentences-in-murders-idUSKCN0VJ2HV/

https://www.ketv.com/article/roberto-martinez-marinero-pleads-guilty-in-deaths-of-mother-half-brother-1/7658050

https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/police-chief-recalls-finding-marinero-toddler-in-dumpster-one-year-later

https://www.corrections1.com/arrests-and-sentencing/articles/man-walks-into-jail-admits-involvement-in-mothers-death-sPy1uyI587YHJSRJ/

https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Bond-denied-for-woman-who-helped-boyfriend-dump-body-482841491.html

https://www.kcci.com/article/second-arrest-made-in-death-of-nebraska-mother/6906825

https://www.ketv.com/article/body-of-missing-5-year-old-boy-found-officials-say-1/7652602

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-mother-was-likely-alive-when-son-dumped-her-in-ditch/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-believe-missing-nebraska-boy-was-thrown-into-river/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boy-5-missing-after-tot-brother-abandoned-in-dumpster/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-likely-of-missing-nebraska-boy-found-in-river/ 

https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/martinez-marinero-gets-two-life-sentences-for-killing-mother-half-brother 

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/official-salvadoran-report-says-its-factories-are-2922670.php 

https://forumtogether.org/article/explainer-migrant-deaths-at-the-border/ 

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/explainer/immigrants-and-crime-united-states

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77l28myezko 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/state-of-union-fact-check-trump-speech-2026-rcna259900

We should all hope to have the kind of family Christina Harris had. When their beloved daughter and sister, a 36-year-old mom of a 4-year-old and a 4-month-old, died unexpectedly, they wanted answers, but the answers they hoped to gain from an autopsy came in the form of more questions. The autopsy revealed an accidental overdose. This made no sense. Christina didn’t struggle with substance use disorder. It would take years before investigators would finally listen to the family and reveal what really happened.

Sources:

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/defenders/2021/12/09/weve-been-fighting-so-long-how-2-michigan-women-helped-solve-their-sisters-murder/

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/defenders/2021/11/17/michigan-man-convicted-of-murdering-wife-by-lacing-cereal-with-lethal-dose-of-heroin/

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/11/02/can-michigan-mothers-breast-milk-reveal-who-killed-her-husbands-trial-begins-this-week/

https://thecinemaholic.com/christina-ann-thompson-harris-murder-where-is-jason-harris-now/

https://thecinemaholic.com/christina-harris-family-now/

https://au.news.yahoo.com/judges-spray-after-man-is-jailed-for-killing-wife-with-cereal-060617247.html?guccounter=2

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/michigan-man-accused-killing-wife-spiking-her-cereal-heroin-n1047276

https://people.com/conviction-upheld-for-mich-man-who-killed-wife-by-putting-heroin-in-cereal-weeks-after-she-gave-birth-8601803

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/defenders/2021/12/09/weve-been-fighting-so-long-how-2-michigan-women-helped-solve-their-sisters-murder/

https://www.courts.michigan.gov/49d86f/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/opinions/final/coa/20240222_c359675_79_359675.opn.pdf

https://www.wnem.com/2024/02/27/appeals-court-upholds-conviction-davison-man-who-killed-wife-with-poisoned-cereal/ 

For nearly two decades, Chisako Kakehi watched on as her partners passed away one by one. Although she claimed that she had been “doomed by fate” to endure these tragedies, after the death of her fourth and final husband, Isao Kakehi, in 2013, the Japanese authorities finally became suspicious enough to perform a postmortem. After the autopsy confirmed that he hadn’t died from natural causes, investigators began digging into her past, ultimately discovering a series of poisonings that had made Chisako a very wealthy widow indeed. Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/25/asia/japan-black-widow-killer-intl-hnk-dst 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/30/asia/japan-black-widow-serial-killer-intl-hnk/index.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/21/world/asia/japan-black-widow-murder/index.html 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30125055 

https://www.euronews.com/2014/11/19/seven-time-widow-arrested-on-suspicion-of-poisoning-fourth-husband-with-cyanide

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-black-widow-death-row-inmate-chisako-kakehi-dead/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-charges-serial-widow-in-1-of-6-ex-partner-deaths/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-arrests-serial-widow-in-suspected-poisoning/

https://www.dw.com/en/japans-black-widow-murderer-dies-while-on-death-row/a-71167848

https://www.dw.com/en/japans-black-widow-sentenced-to-death-for-killing-partners/a-41281696 

https://people.com/black-widow-serial-killer-japan-11752221

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2118708/japans-black-widow-serial-killer-sentenced-death-murdering-three 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40586289 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41898623

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/06/29/Japan-black-widow-serial-killer-death-penalty/3311624983733/

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/11/07/Japans-black-widow-sentenced-to-death/5591510073147/

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/12/10/Japan-prosecutors-charge-black-widow-with-husbands-murder/4441418236988/ 

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170710/p2a/00m/0na/011000c 

https://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/campus-life/regional-guide/kobe/ 

https://discover.osaka-info.jp/en/articles/jinaicho-kaizuka 

https://www.kupi.com/en-ae/explore/japan/itami 

https://www.izeria.com/en/places/p-hbtglune/Muko 

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170626/p2a/00m/0na/011000c 

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/black-widow-i-wanted-to-kill-him-out-of-deep-hatred/news-story/79a8cdd0623df6d5e634afd3c2dca8d6  

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/07/japans-black-widow-sentenced-to-death-for-murdering-a-string-of-lovers 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/20/millionaire-widow-seven-dead-partners-arrested-japan-poison 

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/killer-wives-8-most-infamous-black-widow-murderers-249561/chisako-kakehi-249599/ 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/japans-black-widow-arrested-again-after-poisoning-her-eighth-male-victim/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39599188 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17702029 

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/black-widow-sentenced-to-death-for-murder-of-3-men 

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/japan-performed-no-executions-in-2023-making-u-s-the-only-g7-country-to-use-capital-punishment-last-year 

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16351757 

https://borgenproject.org/elderly-poverty-in-japan-2/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/01/life-at-the-heart-of-japans-solitary-deaths-epidemic-i-would-be-lying-if-i-said-i-wasnt-worried 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/salaryman 

https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/why-do-scammers-target-older-adults

Murder and arson in the small Eastern Washington town of Newman Lake were rare. Neighbors looked out for each other and couldn’t have imagined that a member of their community, a single dad who was caring for two of his six children, would ever do what he was accused of, but how well do we really know our neighbors? What could drive a mild-mannered, middle-aged man to commit such a heinous act? Financial stress can cause people to do unimaginable things.Sources:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hbojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mtAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3097%2C1925661

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=42NWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HfIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5907%2C8450

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19990601/2963955/arson-slaying-suspect-dies-in-apparent-suicide----spokane-county-man-accused-of-strangling-son

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19990309/2948477/did-boy-pay-deadly-price-for-fathers-debts----money-mattered-most-to-man-accused-of-killing-son-for-insurance-accusers-say 

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1999/feb/13/boy-strangled-father-focus-of-probe-robert-wood/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1999/feb/24/wood-arrested-as-suspect-in-sons-death-prosecutor/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1999/may/14/accused-killer-charged-with-job-related-thefts/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1999/feb/27/prosecutors-formally-charge-dad-wood-accused-of/

https://forensictales.com/a-cereal-killer/

Garry Davis had been fired, terminated, or deregistered from five of the six aged care facilities at which he had previously worked, including from one for posting, “I hate old people,” on Facebook. Despite all this, the 26-year-old had not only gotten a job at SummitCare Wallsend, but after just three years, he had already secured a senior position on the wing from which three elderly residents were taken to the hospital for hypoglycemia over two days in October 2013, a coincidence that caught the attention of a vigilant endocrinologist, and soon after, the police.Sources:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-22/aged-care-killer-garry-davis-wrongful-conviction-serial-killer/105043288 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/motive-a-mystery-in-nursing-home-insulin-murders-davis-sentenced-to-40-years/32h8vx5vc

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/nsw-aged-home-worker-found-guilty-of-murdering-two-residents/pyxyfccee 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/28/nsw-aged-care-worker-guilty-of-and-attempted-of-dementia-patients

https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-nursing-home-carer-garry-davis-sentenced-to-at-least-30-years-jail-murder-attempted-murder/da977f05-4a31-41bd-ac21-57c1378e2909

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/former-nursing-home-worker-garry-davis-jailed-for-40-years-over-murder-of-two-residents-20161213-gt9xa5.html

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nurse-garry-davis-guilty-of-murdering-dementia-pair-with-insulin-in-agedcare-home-20160928-grqah5.html 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-16/could-aged-care-killer-garry-davis-have-killed-elizabeth-eifler/105042672

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-nursing-home-worker-prison-insulin-murder-elderly-patients/

https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-murder-accused-predicted-deaths/6fc068a7-1007-4e95-ae89-1c5fcf4d813d

https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-nurse-accused-of-murdering-elderly-patients-with-insulin-claimed-they-died-from-food-poisoning/dc9da3af-d253-440b-a281-b013c33530a9

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-28/nursing-home-employee-garry-davis-found-guilty-of-murder/7883704

https://catherinehenrylawyers.com.au/client-stories-2/mother-murdered-by-a-nursing-assistant-our-clients-story/ 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-19/nurse-refused-bail-over-alleged-nursing-home-double-murder-in-n/5979942 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/summitcare-alleged-killer-sent-text-predicting-deaths-court-told/7793484

https://www.australia.com/en-us/places/sydney-and-surrounds/guide-to-newcastle.html 

https://www.high-school-australia.com/newcastle-lake-macquarie/ 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/midazolam-oral-route/description/drg-20072182

Though the 1960s were a time of change that saw women becoming more vocal about their rights and lack thereof, access to reproductive choice was still years away. When Judy Hyams found herself unexpectedly pregnant, she turned to a family friend whom she trusted. After all, he was a doctor. Things became murky after Judy was introduced to someone who promised they could help her. Years later, a true crime show would shed light on the case but provide no new answers.

Sources:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Judy_Hyams

https://charleyproject.org/case/judith-carole-himes

https://www.facebook.com/PIFortheMissing/posts/on-this-date-judith-carol-hyams-sometimes-spelled-himes-went-missing-on-septembe/386415725381250/

https://websleuths.com/threads/fl-judith-hyams-22-coral-gables-14-sept-1965.61731/page-2

https://mysterydelver.com/judging-judy/

https://reprorights.substack.com/p/before-roe-america-had-abortion-squads

https://bioethicstoday.org/blog/abortion-welcome-to-the-sixties/

https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=04f0b513-fc12-45fb-bbeb-86ed47d25dff

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/23/health/abortion-lessons-jane-wellness

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/powerful-complicated-legacy-betty-friedans-feminine-mystique-180976931/

When Australian music mogul Peter Ikin died in November 2008, his civil partner, Alexandre Despallières, was quick to claim his inheritance. Although investigators didn’t view Peter’s death as suspicious, his friends had questions about the man who had waited only days to cremate him. In the wake of a damning toxicology report, the investigation into Peter’s death was reopened, but when all was said and done, Alex wouldn’t just end up as the prime suspect, he would be unmasked as a master manipulator whose goal to secure wealth and fame placed him at the center of a series of suspicious deaths.Sources:

https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/il-s-inventait-des-vies-alexandre-despallieres-potentiel-empoisonneur-en-serie-mort-avant-son-proces_AN-202206130194.html

https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/olivier-metzner-peter-ikin-qui-etait-alexandre-despallieres-leur-sulfureux-amant-7900184715 

https://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/exclusif-le-maitre-et-lassassin-une-enquete-fouillee-sur-olivier-metzner-et-son-sulfureux-amant-4110046

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/celebrity/long-wait-for-justice-for-peter-ikin-s-friends-as-husband-charged-over-death-20200527-p54wux.html 

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/a-dead-man-a-forged-will-a-ps10m-inheritance-and-a-ruined-reputation-8026886.html 

https://francerent.com/destinations/Bois-Colombes?srsltid=AfmBOooR2qa05Nwl02feiVoV9ERg8TCtaio6ZSGctodcvz0i3GafV9_B 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sex-manipulation-poison-possible-serial-120000440.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHgLXBSwiKvLah6dMYcrK__tGyFiRy6COvtdWtRK0P8OuLkPE8Bpuo9PNVvl9HKhGpnY9TI9UhOXzrEfZZr9cFG8z6tH4B9dMrVlF2yFKb5YZthlZVxftIIyKyynLqTyOhT1ygdbgpzU8k3tH3ia99YKf6BVts7clikCF8btNbrJ

https://www.clivedenhouse.co.uk/ 

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/xanadu-on-ice-for-livvy-20100910-1557d.html 

https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/alexandre-despallieres-qui-etait-peter-ikin-le-producteur-de-musique-qu-il-est-soupconne-d-avoir-tue-7900318135

https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/76002776

https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/mort-d-olivier-metzner-qui-etait-ce-celebre-avocat-qui-a-mis-fin-a-ses-jours-sur-son-ile-7900173867

https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/olivier-metzner-the-forged-will-and-a-pop-star-lover-accused-of-murder-x5hgj863nz9 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/17/french-lawyer-olivier-metzner-found-dead 

https://www.dailyjournal.com/article/382561-franz-kafka-enemy-of-the-kafkaesque 

https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/deces-de-peter-ikin-pourquoi-cette-affaire-est-un-veritable-naufrage-judicaire-7900129259 

https://www.ouest-france.fr/societe/justice/alexandre-despallieres-qui-devait-etre-juge-en-juin-pour-assassinat-est-mort-2f24e4b8-8e83-11ec-8142-04af4be3c211

https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/affaire-olivier-metzner-pourquoi-le-suicide-du-celebre-avocat-reste-mysterieux-7900182927

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10521109/He-partnered-music-boss-probably-killed-cheated-justice-dying.html

https://incompliancemag.com/invention-powers-devices-by-recycling-wasted-electromagnetic-energy/ 

https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/what-to-visit-in-paris/history-heritage/articles/343409-yvelines-where-does-the-name-of-this-department-number-78-come-from-formerly-known-as-seine-et-oise 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/acetaminophen-vs-paracetamol-uses-efficacy-side-effects-7508943

Marriage and children had never gotten in the way of Tom DiBartolo doing what he wanted, and what he wanted was to flout his position as a Spokane County deputy and have sex with his various mistresses. It had always been easy; his wife, Patty, took care of the house and the kids and he slept with whomever he wanted, knowing enough to tell the women what they wanted to hear. Recently though, things had changed. Patty was threatening divorce and there was no way he could pay child support for his five kids and have enough money left for himself.

Sources:

https://www.khq.com/news/former-spokane-co-deputy-dibartolo-released-from-prison-after-serving-sentence-for-wifes-1996-murder/article_dd7611e8-4d14-11ea-bfd8-0f4dc36b8699.html

https://apnews.com/general-news-c7d752944a0e5bddab0192b136ca79c7

https://www.montanarightnow.com/former-spokane-deputy-tom-dibartolo-jailed-after-work-release-suspension-while-serving-sentence-for-wifes/article_97f79c1d-ccf6-5363-96c8-638fb5797b13.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70565058/patricia_ann-dibartolo

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19971215/2578236/exceptional-sentence-sought-for-ex-deputy-in-wifes-murder

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970214/2523998/family-wants-father-accused-of-slaying-mother-kept-in-jail

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/oct/21/judge-opens-dibartolo-trial-phase-jury-selection/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/05/witness-for-dibartolo-cant-refer-to-hearsay-judge/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/06/dibartolo-portrayed-as-lustful-killer-trial/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/07/dibartolo-showed-no-emotions-to-news-of-wifes/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/07/dibartolo-showed-no-emotions-to-news-of-wifes/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/dec/11/dibartolo-case-goes-to-jury-prosecution-paints/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/27/affair-lands-dibartolo-back-in-jail-cops-say-he/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/sep/25/money-the-motive-say-dibartolo-prosecutors-they/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/20/dibartolo-story-questioned-prosecutors-re/

https://www.kxly.com/news/former-deputy-convicted-of-murder-is-back-in-yakima-records-show/article_b6694bc8-1ccb-5f6f-afdb-d3f71b10a18f.html

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/mar/08/deputy-accused-of-interfering-in-investigation/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/30/dibartolos-turn-nears-at-murder-trial-more-than/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/nov/09/community-mourns-murdered-mother-law-officers/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/apr/19/dibartolo-loses-job-as-deputy-sheriff-goldman/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/jan/16/man-once-accused-in-dibartolo-murder-shot-police/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/feb/14/son-wants-deputy-kept-behind-bars-oldest-children/

https://www.kxly.com/news/12-years-later-dibartolo-still-fighting-for-freedom/article_6cd1242a-95d5-5114-8f50-266375920c88.html

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/apr/29/ex-deputys-offenses-detailed-sheriff-alleges/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/25/girlfriends-offer-possible-motive-in-dibartolo/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/dec/16/dibartolo-verdict-delivers-message-officers-say/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/27/police-spied-on-dibartolo-videotape-shows/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/dec/03/dibartolo-weeps-for-slain-wife-i-felt-like-i-had/