Meet, Marry, Murder is the popular true crime show that investigates the most common form of murder; when one partner kills another. Approximately half of all murdered women have their lives taken by their partner, while men are increasingly likely to fall victim to domestic homicides. The show uncovers the motives behind these shocking crimes, such as cashing in on insurance money, or jealousy after affairs are revealed.
The ordinariness of married life is at the heart of the tragic events and real-life dramas that are covered in the show. Here are the most shocking stories from the first season of Meet, Marry, Murder.
Lois Reiss murders her husband and steals $100,000 from her disabled sister
From the outside, David and Lois Reiss’ marriage story appeared wholesome and idyllic. However, their quiet life in the countryside was not so perfect after all, as Lois was hiding a very serious gambling addiction. She easily stole over $100,000 from her cognitively disabled sister, taking advantage of her position as a primary caregiver. Once David found out about his wife’s financial situation their relationship started to break down and intense arguments were frequent.
Lois murdered her husband and fled the state, but not before forging his signature to transfer another $11,000 to herself. She befriended a woman named Pamela Hutchinson and the pair appeared to be the best of friends until Lois fatally shot her as well. She stole her credit cards and tried to evade the police by committing identity theft and starting a new life as Pamela Hutchinson.
Melanie Clark has an affair with the daughter of her controlling husband’s friend
David and Melanie Clark had ironically seen too much crime in their home country of South Africa, so they decided to move to a small town in Worcestershire in search of a quieter life. Melanie already had four children from a previous marriage, and her new husband would often try to exert control over his new family.
The pair had a rocky relationship to say the least, and one night Melanie had a sexual encounter with the daughter of one of David's best friends. He found out and tried to humiliate Melanie by messaging various members of their family, but no-one responded and he decided to get revenge in another way. David killed Melanie by stabbing her in the chest. He then phoned the police, telling them: ‘I’ve killed my wife. I love her, I hate her. I’m going to kill myself.’
For more than 20 years Denise Williams let the police believe alligators ate her husband
Mike Williams was an experienced duck hunter until one day he went out on a hunt and never returned. His wife, Denise, alerted the police, but despite extensive searches, his body was never found. It was assumed that Mike had drowned, and many people thought alligators must have eaten his remains. However, the truth finally started to come out 20 years later.
Denise had moved on and married Brian Winchester, Mike’s best friend. After seven years as husband and wife, their relationship began to collapse, but Brian made one last desperate plea to save his marriage by kidnapping Denise at gunpoint while she was driving her car. He was arrested and put on trial. In a final twist, Brian struck a deal with prosecutors and explained that Denise had masterminded Mike’s murder in order to pocket his insurance money and start a new relationship.
George Worgan left an ominous note for his children after killing their mother
Social media is very rarely an accurate depiction of someone’s life. In this instance, George and Kelly Worgan wanted to paint a perfect picture to their friends, families, and followers, but behind the scenes, they were facing all manner of problems. One seemingly normal day, police found Kelly strangled to death in her living room and with no sign of a forced entry, there was only one suspect.
Furthermore, there was a hastily written note that read: “No more suffering, I got pushed too far this time.” George was seemingly blaming Kelly for her own death. He also included a message telling his children that he loves them. After a high-speed car chase, approximately 300 miles away, George was arrested and it was later revealed that he had taken a large number of anti-depressants and paracetamol.
Malcolm Webster poisons two of his wives before drawing any suspicion
Claire’s family thought Malcolm was the perfect, doting husband, so they didn’t think too much of it when he moved her away from London to rural Scotland. However, he was actually incredibly controlling, had taken out multiple life insurance policies for his wife, and had a history of pyromania and hypochondria. He started plying Claire with drugs and her health was quickly deteriorating.
In an incredibly calculated move, Malcolm sedated her and drove into the countryside to stage a car accident. He poured petrol into the car and set it alight, burning Claire alive. Just six months later, Malcolm married another woman called Felicity and began planning to murder her in the same fashion. While driving the unconscious Felicity to the location of her ‘crash’, her mobile phone went off, waking her up and saving her life.
