Ep 9. Deborah Rudibaugh

Deborah Rudibaugh was a mother of five living in Virginia. She had a happy marriage to her husband, Kevin, who worked long hours as a railroad engineer. But when Kevin's job required him to be away from home for extended periods of time, Deborah began to feel like she was alone and neglected.

In 1994, Deborah met a man named David Cox while working at a local restaurant. David was recently divorced and looking for a fresh start. The two quickly developed a relationship and began spending time together while Kevin was away at work.

Deborah told friends and family that she was unhappy in her marriage and was planning to leave Kevin for David. But when Kevin returned home from work in September of that year, he found Deborah dead in their bedroom.

Police quickly found evidence that David had been at the house around the time of Deborah's death and brought him in for questioning. David initially denied any involvement but eventually confessed to killing Deborah during an argument.

David told police that Deborah had threatened to leave him for Kevin and he had snapped, strangling her with a phone cord. He then set the scene to look like a suicide, placing a Bible and empty pill bottles near Deborah's body.

David was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. But the case didn't end there. Deborah's family believed that she had been coerced into the affair with David and that he had manipulated her into leaving Kevin and ultimately killing her.

As they began to dig deeper, they found evidence that Deborah had been struggling with depression and may have even attempted suicide before, leading them to believe that her death may have actually been a suicide.

In this episode of Snapped, we hear from Deborah's family and friends as they share their memories of her and their theories on what really happened the night she died. We also hear from David, who speaks out on the case for the first time since his conviction.

With new evidence and questions still unanswered, this episode of Snapped will leave viewers wondering what really happened to Deborah Rudibaugh.