BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – An Oklahoma man and his fiancée are behind bars, accused of murdering his ex-wife.
On Nov. 7, a family member found the body of Debra Morgan and called police.
Once investigators arrived at the home, they determined that Morgan had been murdered due to ‘unusual trauma‘ to her body.
More than two months later, officers finally made an arrest in the case.
On Monday, police arrested Morgan’s ex-husband, 43-year-old Richard Spaulding, and his fiancée, 34-year-old Sonia Weidenfelder.
Although investigators are still looking into the murder, they believe a custody battle may have played a role in her death.
Authorities say Spaulding and Morgan have a child together, but have been in a bitter custody battle for more than a year.
FOX 23 obtained court documents that show that a court ruled in Morgan’s favor, ordering Spaulding to pay thousands of dollars worth of court costs related to the case.
In addition to the court document, FOX 23 received a note that Morgan wrote just a month before her death, detailing emotional and physical abuse by Spaulding.
“I was in love or so I thought. I had a child with a man that abused me- physically, mentally, and emotionally. I did not see exactly how bad it was until I was in a domestic violence training (sic) and there was a picture of the domestic violence power wheel- I literally had to get up and excuse myself because I was so upset with myself for not seeing what he was. He was so good at the power and control. The emotional abuse and threats. He was smooth and had me fearing everything he said would come true,” she wrote.
The couple’s child will now be placed in DHS custody.
Spaulding and Weidenfelder are both facing first-degree murder charges.
