‘The Real Murders of Atlanta’: Was a Young Mother’s Death Suicide, or Murder? [Exclusive Clip]
Suicide or murder? That’s the question police must ask themselves after a young mother is found dead in her home in suburban Atlanta. The latest episode of Oxygen True Crime’s The Real Murders of Atlanta dives into the troubling case.
In “Twice as Deadly,” (airing Sept. 21), detectives investigate when a woman is found shot to death in what they believe is a staged suicide. But as investigators dig deeper, they discover eerie parallels between their case and another death.
Victim’s autopsy results puzzle police
In this exclusive clip from the upcoming episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta, police are left scratching their heads when they receive the autopsy results for a woman named Jennifer Corbin, who appeared to have died by suicide.
The examination concluded that Jennifer had no alcohol in her system. But there was a half-empty bottle of wine on the nightstand, which seemed to suggest that she might have been drinking prior to taking her own life. Another inconsistency? Jennifer had been shot in the back of the head – an unusual approach to suicide.
“Looking at the trajectory of the gunshot wound to the back of her head, it was extremely difficult to fire that weapon the way that it did, to enter the way that it did,” explains Edward Restrepo, a former detective with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
More clues suggest that Jennifer did not die by suicide
There were other clues that Jennifer’s death had been staged to look like a suicide.
“Her fingerprints were not found on the gun,” says Danny Porter, former district attorney for Gwinnett County. “And there was no gunshot residue on her hand. And this was an old, beat-up revolver.
“If she had shot herself, her whole right arm should have been covered, there should have been gunshot residue everywhere, on her neck,” he adds. “And there was no gunshot residue found.”
“The gunshot wound was not self-inflicted,” Restrepo says. “Originally, we thought we were dealing with a suicide. And once we got that, we knew we were now knee-deep in a homicide investigation.”
If Jennifer’s death was not a suicide but murder, who was responsible? Detectives will have to look at clues from the crime scene that could point them to the killer.
“When we discovered that things were staged, you’re able to paint a picture,” Restrepo explains. “Of how the person who was responsible for her death would have tried to throw the police off.”
The Real Murders of Atlanta airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen True Crime.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
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