Whether Todd Ewalt was wrongfully detained for the tragic and brutal murder of his wife, Darlene, or if there was more to the story than first appeared, is the subject of NBC’s “Dateline: A Stranger in the House.” The tragic story attracted the attention of the community and brought to light the terrible effects of a seemingly normal existence being torn apart by violence and betrayal. Here is what we know if you’re interested in learning more, including who killed Darlene and how she passed away.
How Did Darlene Ewalt Die?
On July 2, 1965, Darlene Madeline Anderson Ewalt was born. She spent her youth in Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, raising her two children, Nick and Nicole, after getting married to Todd Ewalt young. Carpenter Todd described how his wife enjoyed travels but had never been to a far-off location. There is never enough money when you’re young and starting a family, especially at that young age, he said. Due to a lack of cash for an exotic vacation, Darlene was forced to spend much of her time having fun in her own Pennsylvania backyard, a short distance from Interstate 81, while Todd worked long hours.
Nicole Ewalt continued by describing her mother as a kind person who tried to make everyone happy. She didn’t want someone sitting in a lonely corner having a bad time. You would giggle at something she would do. When Todd coached Patty and Chet Gerhart’s boys in junior football and Darlene watched the kids after practise, the Ewalts became fast friends with them. Patty recalled that Darlene “liked to be outdoors,” as her boys had informed her, and that she had made up her mind to spend the night with the boys in a tent in her backyard despite the constant rain.
In July 2007, the Gerharts were looking for a way to express their gratitude for their children’s compassion and stumbled upon the ideal present. When their boys got into trouble and were grounded, the Gerharts were in the middle of organising a family cruise to the Caribbean. We had to make a difficult choice, so we chose to leave them at home, Patty added. We then made the decision to give Todd and Darlene the two tickets we would have otherwise lost. When Chet requested her friends to join them on their October 2007 Caribbean vacation, the Gerharts and the Ewalts were out to dinner on July 11, 2007.
Although Todd said he couldn’t join them because October was the busiest month of the year for the devoted football coach, Darlene was instantly fascinated and “over the moon.” If Darlene was disappointed that he declined the kind offer, she didn’t express it. She decided against taking Todd with her on the cruise. On the evening of July 12, while she sat on her back patio and Todd dozed off, she was still considering it.
Todd headed upstairs to the couple’s bedroom while Darlene talked to Chet on the phone about their forthcoming trip. Chet overheard a shocked change in Darlene’s voice when they were still speaking four hours later. She had just said, “Oh, my God,” four times, when the phone suddenly went dead, he recounted. Chet roused his wife, and the two went to the Ewalts’ house. Chet remembered that they had seen 42-year-old Darlene kind of reclined in the chair on her back patio while keeping her eyes open. She suffered several stab wounds and a sliced throat.
Who Killed Darlene Ewalt?
Chet and Patty called 911 in a panic, and cops soon showed there. Todd was discovered asleep in their bedroom by the cops, who then handcuffed and pointed weapons at him. Nick, his son, was similarly restrained when he came out of his room. The detectives started looking into the homicide as they were escorted inside the kitchen. Todd was brought in for interrogation as a result of his unusual behaviour and the circumstances surrounding the death of his wife.
He stated that he had been dozing and had missed the murder of Darlene during the interview. His explanation did not satisfy the detectives, so they kept questioning him about the couple’s financial problems and marital problems. After taking a lie detector exam, Todd was informed that he had failed. The probe uncovered unsettling information, such as Todd’s financial difficulties, his alleged liaison with a coworker, and his allegedly waning coaching career in football.
The district attorney attempted to develop a case against him while the investigation went on, coming up with a story that said he killed Darlene because of their marital problems and her plan to leave him. The investigation, however, came to an end a week later when the courageous McDonough family of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, reported an intruder named Adam Leroy Lane to the authorities. Reports state that on July 30, 2007, Adam, a part-time trucker, broke into the McDonough home and attacked their 16-year-old daughter while she was sleeping.
Adam was carrying a knife, but the parents managed to tackle him, and Kevin held Adam in a headlock until the police came. Adam was detained by Chelmsford Police after a DNA analysis of his knife connected him to the killings of Darlene and another female victim. Adam reached a plea agreement and received a sentence of 48 years to life in prison for killing Darlene in addition to the punishment for his past crimes. Although her family wanted her to receive the death penalty, the prosecution chose not to do so because Pennsylvania rarely carried out executions.
