Ep 9. Laura Stelmasek

Laura Stelmasek was an ordinary Ohio mother of two who appeared to have it all - a doting husband, a beautiful home, and a successful business. But on the morning of July 22, 2007, everything changed. Laura found her husband, Ryan, dead in their garage from a gunshot wound to the head.

Initially, police suspected that Ryan had taken his own life. However, as the investigation progressed, they began to question Laura's possible involvement. As it turned out, Ryan was the sole breadwinner of the family, and Laura had been using their business bank account to pay for extravagant personal expenses. Furthermore, she had taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband in the months leading up to his death.

Despite this mounting evidence, Laura maintained her innocence, insisting that Ryan had killed himself due to financial stress. However, prosecutors ultimately charged her with murder, and she went to trial in 2009.

The prosecution argued that Laura had carefully plotted to kill her husband in order to collect on his life insurance policies and fund her lavish lifestyle. They presented testimony from several witnesses who claimed that Laura had asked them to find a hitman to kill Ryan, as well as evidence of her financial misdeeds.

Meanwhile, Laura's defense team maintained that she was an innocent victim of circumstance who had been wrongly accused. They argued that Ryan had indeed taken his own life, and that Laura's financial struggles were simply a result of his unexpected death.

After a two-week trial, the jury found Laura guilty of aggravated murder and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, even today, some still maintain her innocence, pointing to alleged inconsistencies in the prosecution's case.

In this episode of Snapped, we dive into the twisted tale of Laura Stelmasek and the murder of her husband, Ryan. Through interviews with friends, family, and law enforcement officials, we explore the various theories surrounding the case and the evidence that ultimately led to Laura's conviction. We also hear from Laura herself, who speaks out for the first time from prison. Was she a calculating killer who took advantage of her husband's death? Or was she an innocent victim of a tragic event? Tune in to find out.