In January 2018, 73-year-old Philip Snyder murdered his 53-year-married wife Roberta after a heated argument, striking her in the head with a hammer while she slept. He then staged a false narrative claiming she died on a road trip to Graceland, Tennessee, to conceal the crime. Authorities found inconsistencies in his story, including no medical records or trace evidence of her death, and discovered blood on a sweatshirt at home. An undercover police officer, posing as a recently divorced woman named Missy, built trust with Philip and gradually uncovered his confession, detailing how he had smothered her, placed her body in a truck, and disposed of it in a dumpster. Despite the lack of a recovered body, investigators concluded the murder had occurred based on circumstantial and psychological evidence. Philip confessed that he felt emotionally numb and disconnected from Roberta over the years, which led to the act. He later offered to testify in exchange for life imprisonment with a parole possibility after 20 years. The case underscores how long-term relationships can mask profound emotional detachment and how evil—rooted in internalized pain and isolation—can go undetected for decades. The episode concludes with a reflection on the complexity of human nature, emphasizing that true evil may not be dramatic or sudden, but rather a slow, hidden decay beneath the surface of normalcy.
Hey guys, back again, a little intro, a little bit more intimate, a little different. We're just doing a little selfie intro right now. There's Daisy, there's Rowan, there's Payne, yeah, what do we got? We are doing another old episode today, dropping it on our feet, but we did just want to say hi, we probably should have done this on our actual camera, but you know what? We forgot. Oh, no sleep here. Yeah, we forgot. It's too late. So here we are doing this. Thank you guys for being here. Thank you for supporting. I think we're going to have a regular episode next week. Not sure. Might be the last week. Might not be. We'll see. Kind of see how Payne's feeling, how baby's doing. Daisy's sleeping. We love you guys, thank you for supporting us and hope you guys enjoy this episode. You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everybody, welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder With My Husband, I'm Payne Moreland. And I'm Garrett Moreland. And he's the husband. And I'm the husband. Welcome subscribers. Welcome top beautiful listeners. Top one percent. You are so special. Thanks guys for being here seriously and supporting us. Thank you for paying for bonus content and ad free content that helps us a lot. We appreciate it. Big part of the reason why we can continue to do this week after week. So thank you. We just really love you guys. The raining outside, the little cold, kind of nice though, been wanting a little bit change of of weather. I love the summers and I love the heat, but sometimes it's nice. You know, just to switch it up a little bit, sometimes I don't know. Sometimes when I feel like it's hot day after hot day after hot day, I just, it's a lot. So it's nice that winners coming, surprisingly, it hasn't snowed yet. Yeah, winners coming, Payne and I just over the next couple of months will be recording. I'll be making bagels working on the bagel shop. We'll see some family for the holidays about it. I'm really hoping we can like stay home as much as possible. Yeah, holidays are always just a crazy time of year. I'm sure it's for those that visit family as well or have family that you see during the holidays, it's just, it's supposed to be relaxing and it's never relaxing. Garrett currently has family in two different states and my parents are in a different state and each of my siblings are in a different state. So we're just scattered making it difficult. Um, yes, if you're watching on YouTube, I do look like Paulie D. My hair is really fluffy right now. I don't know. I just, we got out of bed this morning. We've been doing some work in errands and I'm not going to do my hair. So guys, like, naturally, that's his hair. That's like how he wakes up, yeah, I wake up and it just looks like this. It's kind of crazy. You know, back in the day, how many guys had to practice over and over to get their hair to look like that in high school, it used to do this. I would just wake up, go to school and go to school. It looks good. Thanks. Thanks, babe. All right. That's kind of what I got from my 10 seconds to, um, I've been just working, um, working, playing pickleball. I have some burns on my hands from making bagels, which means I'm officially a baker. Humans actually have been cooking more as well. You made two dinners this week. Yep. That's a big deal. And the most old. Like not, not like, hello, fresh, like, actual, yeah, like actual dinners, dinners. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this case, um, let's get right into it. Yeah. Here we go. Trigger warning. This episode contains discussions of attempted suicide, violence and murder. So please listen with care. Okay. You ever think about evil, like what really is evil? Is it a physical force? Is it more intimate, like a character flaw, maybe like a crack in your soul? We treat evil like it's uniquely human as if we're the only creatures on earth who are capable of being evil, but that kind of depends on how you define it. For instance, if you say murdering someone is evil, which personally I agree, then we're not alone because animals kill each other too and not always just to eat or survive. Sometimes they just kill each other because. And here's a fun fact. Humans aren't even the most murderous species, and I'm talking like murderers and killing their own kind for no reason. What is it? Mere cats, those cute little things, 20% of them are killed by their own kind for no reason. Oh, we crap. Okay. So are mere cats evil? Or does it just reveal a deeper truth? The evil is not so much an action, but an intention. And if that's the case, evil could lie dormant in someone for decades, maybe even an entire lifetime. They just don't act on it. But the twisted truth about who people are if they do have evil lying dormant in them is it can be revealed. And that's what happens in today's case. The first science came in January 2018 in the quaint town of Harville, Ohio. This is a village of about 3,000 residents between Akron and Canton. Now 73 year old, Billup Snyder is beginning to act a little strange, 73, 2018. Billup and his wife, Roberta, had lived in Harville for about a decade. They had lived there ever since declaring bankruptcy and losing their previous home in 2008. And during their time in Harville, they had gotten to know some of the other residents. Locals knew that this older couple, specifically Phillip, was a retired carpenter. And Roberta was a housewife and mother of two grown sons. The couple had been married for 53 years. And no one in Harville had ever seen any signs of trouble between them. Or had anyone noticed that either of them was ill. So it was strange when on January 3rd, 2018, Phillip suddenly began telling people around town that Roberta, his wife, had cancer. And she had one last wish in her old age. She wanted to go to Graceland before she died. And in case you're not familiar, Graceland is the name of a famous mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, once owned by the singer Elvis Presley. Now Roberta was a lifelong Elvis fan, so it made sense that this is where she would want to go, which Memphis is about 725 miles from Harville. But the part about her having cancer and wanting to see it before she died, well, this is odd because no one knew she was sick, but their old locals don't pry. They just express their condolences and life goes on. Then on January 4th, something else strange happened with this family. Phillip called local resident John Lap, to say that he and Roberta were leaving that they were finally going to Graceland. They would be back in a few days. Now, why is this strange? Why didn't Phillip knew each other, but it's not like they were close. He just randomly calls this acquaintance up to tell him this. Phillip and John were kind of regulars at the local burger king. So that is kind of how they knew each other. They would just like go to this fast food joint and chat, kind of like a local bar, a lot of older people went to this burger king to do this. But just because you know someone at the bar doesn't mean you're going to call them at home and be like, "Hey, by the way, me and my wife are leaving town," and in the years that they'd known each other, Phillip and John had only spoken on the phone once. So why is Phillip calling him now with this update? We might suspect the answer, but John, he just knew Phillip was an old guy who hung out at Burger King. So he kind of writes it off. He's like old people. He wishes them a good trip and said goodbye. And then three days passed. So it is now January 8th, which would have been Roberta's 70th birthday. And somehow she is missing. Yes. So on his wife's birthday, Phillip begins making more unsettling phone calls. This time to members of his and Roberta's family. He told Roberta's siblings, she was one of seven, by the way, as well as their sons that he and Roberta had gone to Graceland. But just as they approached the mansion, he looked over and saw Roberta was unresponsive. And in that moment, Phillip panicked. He tells his family unsure of what to do. He flagged down an ambulance in a restaurant parking lot. And the ambulance took her to the hospital, but it was too late and Roberta had died right outside of Graceland. Wait. Okay. Sorry. Keep going. away from home.
She dies and then he tells his family also. I just knew that She always wanted to be close to nature. So I actually had her cremated there and spread her ashes in the Tennessee River Okay, so no family involved no funeral. This is insane. Now he's back home I think it's funny that people think they can get away with this stuff and he's in his 70s Yeah, so the family's like um Hello Like how did this when where how what did she die of what hospital did she go to how could you just get her cremated without telling anyone? And the more they ask the more confused Philip seems to be he can't remember any names or details. He doesn't know the hospital He doesn't know where he was when he flagged down the ambulance and seeing his confusion the family thought He's just old. He's probably showing signs of dementia and just like Roberta's cancer This also would be unexpected. So everything about this just worries the family Not only was Philip acting like he was losing his memory But it means that they couldn't verify anything about Roberta's death All this could have just taken place in Philip's head and if that was the case Roberta could be anywhere On January 9th Roberta's brother decided to contact the Harville police and he told them hey Roberta and her husband went for a trip. He came back without her He doesn't really remember anything. I think she might be missing Maybe passed away Maybe in Memphis, Tennessee Can you please help us track down and figure what happened? So police start looking into it and they soon find evidence that Philip's story was true At least part of it. They found records of credit card purchases between Harville and Memphis Including a motel where Philip had rented a room on January 4th But when investigators go to this motel and ask for the surveillance footage They see Philip on camera checking into the room, but no Roberta They also checked with all the ambulance services as well as hospitals and medical examiners offices in the Memphis area There was no record of Roberta. No incident could be found. So if she did die And she was cremated. He didn't go through official services Wait a long time out. You're telling me that there's places out there where you can cremate someone It's not an official service. I don't think so. I think that he that I meant that by he did it on his own Okay, I thought there was like a black market for cremating people. No I'm I'm pretty sure everything has to be official with a death certificate. Yeah. Okay. Okay Actually, that's a good question. I wonder if it very state to state or if it's like No, I'm sure it goes through the medical examiner and then they ask you what you want to do in the in the medical examiner Has like a way of doing it. I don't know. I just popped up in my head of like I've never really had I don't think anyone I'm trying to think people in my family was gotten on the top way I Well, I don't think any of my family that's passed away has been cremated and not everyone gets an autopsy Yeah, as well as even your family it was your Was your no no one's been well, I'm sure my grandpa maybe was autopsy no, but cremated. Oh, no. Yeah Hmm. Okay, I'm interesting. I'm just like where's the Is there like an official like choose cremation this way choose this way and then it's like just follow the steps Definitely. It's definitely got to be done a certain way like not anyone can just Yeah, correct, but there has to be like private service crematories. Yes, yes, but they have to be licensed. Yeah, okay. Yeah And so a few days later on January 14th 2018 Investigators go to fill up and they're like hey, we understand that you're saying she died the ambulance took her blah blah blah, but we have gone and looked into it just to make sure everything's okay and There's no record of this. So what actually happened because the evidence isn't really matching up And in response Philip changed his story. He said actually Roberta had died long Before they got to Memphis it was on The road trip there between Columbus and Cincinnati This is about 150 and 250 miles away from Harville, but still 500 miles from Graceland So Philip this round faced man with a little bald head and a halo of baby fine blonde hair Said he couldn't give up on Roberta's dream. So he had went Anyways all the way to Memphis even though she was dead. He said he wrapped her body up in trash bags Put her in the back of the truck drove to the motel where they had seen him on camera left her dead body in the truck Next morning finished the drive to Memphis so that She could live out her dream and then on the way back Knowing Roberta would want to be close to nature. He said he just stopped on a bridge over the Tennessee River and dropped her body into the water Okay Now it's not exactly the official way of going about things, but old people do die suddenly So for us because we talk about this kind of thing all the time more kind of like this is not normal normal alarm bells are ringing For officials they are too, but at the same time they're looking at this quiet old man who could be suffering with dementia He looks stressed. He's exhausted They're not completely sure what they're dealing with are they just dealing with a man who had lost his wife on a road trip Is old not really in his right state of mind and just went about at the way he thought or is this something more sinister did this 70-year-old man who had never shown signs of evil murder his wife I mean Yeah, I mean it's not really should I feel like about showing signs of evil as well because The amount of people that kill their significant others just For insurance money for jealousy happens all the time So they spend the next several days police to just trying to figure out this mystery With help from several other law enforcement agencies They scoured the area around the Tennessee River where Philip said he'd left Roberta's body Even with the help of search dogs they couldn't find her But a separate team in Harville did locate additional surveillance footage They came up with a video of Philip at a gas station near his house. It was taking the day. He left town So based on either version of his story Roberta should have been with him getting gas to leave on the road trip alive Okay But when they check the surveillance footage Maybe you notice that you've been doing it the bone the last like few minutes. That's so funny But when they check the surveillance footage She's missing from it again So this blows Philip's second story out of the water They go back to question him again. They're like hey Okay, we we tracked you down to the day you left Your second story says she should still be alive and with you and she's not However When they go to ask him about this confront him with the news They show up to his house trying to get a hold of him and this is when they find Philip In the basement of his and Roberta's condo with a plastic bag over his head He tried to suffocate himself, but the police had showed up and found him Before he could take his own life So an ambulance rushed him to the hospital and investigators are like what is going on? Did losing his wife push him to suicide? Is he feeling guilty? They don't know But they get a warrant to search the condo They took a cadaver dog through the property and down in the basement where Philip had tried to take his life The dog sniffed out a red rubber-made container Investigators found a bloody sweatshirt inside of it They send it in for DNA testing and it comes back a match for Roberta This was the closest they had come to an answer because now they have evidence showing Her blood on a sweatshirt at home Completely contradicting ever leaving the house. Something about killing older people too. It's really sad I mean, he's killing everyone's side, but you know what I'm saying? Yeah There's no chance to fight back. I mean kids. No one really ever has a chance to fight back. It's so sad So investigators are now convinced The Philip hadn't gone on this grand road trip with his wife as her one last wish and she had died somewhere along the way They think this old man had murdered his wife and made up a story to cover it Saying that's so insane now unfortunately for officials and for Roberta's friends and family This suspicion doesn't really equal proof They might believe that Philip had killed his wife of 53 years They were still a long way from proving it So as soon as Philip recovered from his suicide attempt investigators go into question him This time he gives yet another story. He said his wife had died at home. Not clear how He still had his heart set on taking her to Graceland so he wrapped her body up put it in the bed of the truck Grove all the way to Memphis dispose of her body in the river along the way
Officials are like, yeah, fill up. Okay. They're convinced by now Philip is not suffering from dementia. They're like, he's flat-out lying because this just isn't making any sense. They give him a polygraph, he fails, but without a body or a murder weapon, there's little they can do. So weeks go by. It might have seemed to some like Philip was getting away with it, but then in March of 2018, investigators had a stroke of luck. Harville police chief, Larry Dordia interviewed someone for a job. Her name was Joan Bauer. She had decades of experience in law enforcement, and as it turned out, many of those years, Joan had actually worked under cover. She was now 50 years old. She had recently decided she wanted to end her career the same way she started it, which was in uniform. So she applied for this job in Harville as a uniformed police officer and chief Dordia had a different idea. During the interview, he's like, hey, Joan, actually, we have this really strange case going on with this older couple. And although Joan had decided she was done with undercover work, she actually agrees to go undercover. So she gets hired on the premise of you're going to go undercover for us on this job. She spends several days surveilling Philip. He was out of the hospital by now. He had moved out of his old condo and into an apartment, but he'd gone back to his same routine. He was going to Burger King every day in the morning. And Joan noticed that although Philip was familiar with the regulars, they all were kind of ignoring him in the morning at Burger King. People were kind of just not really talking to him anymore, and she believes it was because of the rumors about his wife's death. She thought he looked lonely and the best way to connect would be to pose as a fresh friend who is interested in a friendship with him. So she creates a cover identity. Joan becomes Melissa or Missy, for short, she's middle-aged, recently divorced mother of two grown kids. She's in this new town. She had moved there to take care of her sick mother. None of this is real, by the way, it's just her story, but a key part of Missy's story that she was going to tell Philip was that she could not stand her mom that she was having to take care of, that her mom was an old lady who was mean and hateful. Okay, Missy resented taking care of her mother, and they're going to try to get him to want to kill her. I mean, Miss, this is this is this is Jones. This is crazy. Yeah. No, this is good. So not good, but good. Missy also is friendly outgoing. She's not judgmental. She's the type of woman who had seen it all done it all. She didn't judge others for doing what they had done, and she hated her mom. This is exactly the type of friend who might appeal to a murderer. So on March 23, 2018, Missy for clarity sake, I'm going to keep referring to her as her cover name during her cover. So you know that she's like in character. Missy makes her first appearance at Burger King. She wasn't much to look at. She came in a sweatshirt, no makeup, Missy hair, but she's charming. She chats up several of the regulars, tells them her story, fill up, sees her, but he doesn't talk to her. So Missy just lets him be the next day she goes back same thing day after that, the same. Eventually though, fill up, started to thaw, he acknowledged Missy's presence just with a nod or a hello. But that was all Missy needed to strike up a conversation. She begins talking him about her life, her story. Philip would listen, offer advice, little by little, Missy started asking him in return. She like points out his wedding ring, which he's still wearing. She asks about his wife. Philip says he doesn't want to talk about her and Missy's like, yeah, that's good. Again, she's backing off so that he would feel safe and want to open up to her. So pretty soon he does know where this works. This is crazy. He tells Missy that Roberta had recently died and the police thought he had something to do with it. Missy's curious, but not judgmental. She kind of like hints that if he was involved, she would get it. I mean, sometimes she wishes her own mother was dead. So intrigued by this admission, Philip starts to treat her as a friend. It's like he'd found a kindred spirit. Someone he could talk to about anything and Missy would understand. Soon they start meeting one-on-one Phillips suggested they meet in other towns. Just in case the cops are watching him. Missy's like, yeah, that's fine. They moved from Burger King to other fast food joints. They would sit in a booth. They would get refills, play cards. Missy would ask about Roberta. Philip would ask about Missy's mom. Then they talk about the weather. I mean, it seems like an innocent friendship, but Missy is constantly low key pressing Philip for the truth. At the same time, he was angling for the truth about her. And this was a major problem because neither of these friends are who they seem. And then one day, one of their typical meetings, it becomes clear to Missy, who has worked undercover for a long time. Okay. In one of these meetings, it becomes clear to her that Philip might be on to her that she is lying. Okay. So how did he find this out? Well, it came with the fact that like she had been not working undercover for so long and then immediately jumped back in. She would make like rookie mistakes, if you will, just because she was out of practice. Like one day she sits down for coffee and she accidentally still had her wedding ring on. She'd forgotten to take it off. She'd told Philip she was divorced. So naturally he's like, where are you wearing your ring? She's like, oh, it's a ring from a former marriage. I'm going to pawn it. She'd worn it to ask Philip what he thought it might be worth. And this is kind of something that Missy had picked up on Philip was that he loved to give advice. He loved to act like he knew a lot about any subject. It made him feel good. And so Philip lets the ring like incident past. He doesn't really bring it up. But later he asked Missy if she was working with the police. She makes a joke about she's like, no, I'm actually working for the CIA. They both laugh, they move on, but not long after he says it again, hey, are you sure you're not working with the police? And this time Missy goes to self deprecation. She's like, me, do I look like I'm looking for the police? Do I look like a police officer? But Missy wasn't sure that his suspicions had really subsided. It's not good when you're working undercover. And the subject is like constantly questioning if you're with the police. I mean, this man obviously knew how to hide things. He lived with a woman for 53 years before apparently killing her. So this was not a man you wanted to turn your back on. And Missy was running out of time because Philip was kind of trying to get more involved in her life. He trying to figure out if it's easier to kill someone than you think it is. Or if you just really never know somebody. Right. How do you live with someone for 50 plus years and then kill them? That's just mind blowing to me. Does not make sense. You know how, um, when you see an old couple who's still together, oftentimes there's this stereotype that they're old and grumpy and like, yeah, huh? Are like playfully mean to each other. It's like, what if they're not playfully mean? What if just after 50 years? It's like, I can't stand this person anymore. And that's sad. It's sad because like, why is that such a common stereotype? Yeah, it is. I feel like for a lot of, I mean, there is somewhere they're very loving, but yeah, I feel like there is much a lot where they're mean to each other, they're grumpy, yeah. So, um, she's like, I'm running out of time because he's trying to go see her mother with her. This mother doesn't exist. So she meets up with him again and she's trying to like get him to say something before she runs out of time because she can't take him to his mother. They're playing cards and Missy just straight up admits to him, I kind of want to kill my mom. Oh my gosh. She's like, I kind of don't want to do it. I just don't know how to get away with it and just like, she hoped Philip jumps in with the advice. He very casually says, there are ways and Missy's like, like, what? Philip hesitated, but now it's too late. He'd given her an opening and that was all Missy needed. She starts pushing him relentlessly. Okay, what do you know? Like, how can I do this? He kind of sits on it for a few days and then on April 20th, three and a half months after Roberta's disappearance. Missy went to meet Philip at a McDonald's in Kent. This is about 15 miles away. I assume she's wired up. Turns on her recorder, heads inside determined that this is the day she's going to get him talking about it. She would get the truth and she was going to do whatever she could. So Philip greets Missy with a little cheerful, little greetings. He says, Hey, little girl, like they'd been friends forever. Missy gets her coffee, joins him. They played Kings in the corner. It's a card game. And as they play, they chat about this and that, the McDonald's apps not working. Cute kids with their happy meals, but the conversation circles back to murder. Philip has said, you know, there are ways to do it undetected. She's like, how? Philip's kind of talking vaguely about it, get smother her in her sleep. Missy's like, okay, is that what he did to his wife? Philip gets edgy. He's like, why are why is she pushing so hard? Because and then missy's like, I just, I need to get rid of my mom. Okay. Then Philip says, I have a bizarre idea. And she's like, I love.
are ideas. At this point, Philip warmed by her enthusiasm, says, "You should marry me." And Missy's shocked. Despite years of undercover work, she did not see this coming. She'd gone way out of her way to make herself seem unattractive, uninterested. This wasn't just to protect herself. Missy knew that if this case went to court, if there was any hint that she had lured him sexually, it could get thrown out, because that would be entrapment. So she'd been clear from day one she wasn't looking for romance. So he quickly says, "No, no, no. It's just a marriage of convenience. Spouses don't have to testify against each other in Ohio. So he's basically like, "Look, I'll tell you the truth. I'll help you do this. But you have to marry me so that neither of us can testify against each other." Holy crap. Missy knows she's on thin ice. So she skates faster. She leans all the way in and she's like, "You're going to tell me what happened, aren't you?" And Philip resisted. He said, "I can't. Not until we're married." She's like, "Fine." But in the time they'd known each other, which was less than a month, she had revealed a lot of private things. If she and Philip were going to continue seeing each other, she needed him to do the same. She wanted the truth. So she tells him that. And then he said, "Can you imagine a hammer like this big, this big around, like a mallet?" She says. He says, "Yes." And then he says, "This is just a scenario." He goes, "Say I bonked my wife on the head and her tongue came out and I put a bag over her head and the blood went on the pillow, like a pillow you would lay on on the couch." Missy's like, like a throw pillow. He's like, "Yes, exactly. A throw pillow." He starts giving her a play-by-play of what he had done to his wife. "It's okay." He said, "Back on January 2nd, Gianne her had gotten into an argument." He didn't say what it was about, but that they went to bed angry. Philip slept in the bedroom, Roberta slept in the living room, and then the next morning January 3rd, he went to get coffee at Burger King. When he got back, Roberta was still asleep on the love seat. He walked in and was like, "I'm going to kill her." He laid a cloth gently over her head. He emphasized gently, like he like shows her with his hands, like he was teaching her how to knee-dow, like he was like gently. He then took a two-pound steak hammer and hit Roberta in the head with it twice. That was all it took. Cover up, however, was harder. Philip had to put the throw pillow in a plastic bag. He then put that in a rubber-made container. He put Roberta's body in a separate container, and he put all that in the bed of his truck. He used a particular type of cloth to clean it up, kind you would use to wash your car. He dumped all the evidence in different locations, and then he finishes it by saying, "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." And Misty goes, "Well, it must feel good to tell somebody." But there was one thing she wanted to know. After all these years of marriage, why do you walk in the door and decide to kill her? Why did you snap? He thinks for a second and says, "I didn't snap." She says, "I just didn't feel anything. I was just kind of numb." She's like, "Okay. I got to go." She and Philip say goodbye. He kisses her on the cheek and then Misty drives away. She did it. It's over. Yep. At around 3 p.m. that same day, Chief Doria finds Philip at the local burger king. Doria had questioned Philip several times. So Philip knows who this is. They exchange greetings. And Chief Doria is like, "Great, you're under arrest. He was charged with aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse." Dude, imagine how mad he is that he, I mean, he confessed. 73-year-old man held on $5 million bail. It's safe to say Philip and Roberta's family members weren't exactly surprised. When they found out Philip had been arrested because at this point, they just kind of suspected. They had a hard time believing it, but I mean, who else would have done this? He decides to make a deal. He offered to show investigators where he'd left Roberta's body, lead guilty in exchange for life with possibility of parole in 20 years. Dude, he's 73 like at that point. Nine months after the murder, Philip takes a second road trip toward Memphis. He's in an unmarked police cruiser. And in a later interview, Philip makes it pretty clear that he knows miss he was the one who turned him in. He's like, "I confess to her." And she was working with you guys, obviously. And she's actually in a separate vehicle following him. And he doesn't know this, but she's also going on this little road trip. They drive across state lines, Philip spots a bar and grill. He's like, "Pull over. He points out a dumpster." And he's like, "This is where I left her remains." So the next morning, Missy and others go to a landfill to try to see I mean, it's gigantic. Even if the crime had been committed yesterday, it would be impossible to find. It would take weeks and the search would cost $100,000. And sadly, no one is able to pay for this. So together, the family and officials decide it's just the end of the road. Yeah, that's so sad. And the best thing for all involved in the crime would be to believe that this is where he had left her. As for Missy, she was proud of what she had done. She was kind of haunted though by the loose ends. Philip really never said why he killed her. And everyone in the case, like literally everyone can't help but think even if you've known someone for 50 years, you never really know them. You can't see what's going on in their minds. And evil can be everywhere. I mean, this man just walked in while his wife was asleep and hit her in the head with a hammer. Like, is he insane? Was he crazy? And that is the case of Roberta Snyder. It just doesn't make any sense. It's not like, it doesn't sound like he really wanted to go sleep around as well. He would just kill his wife. I got in a fight. So confusing. That's so sad. Okay. All right, you guys. That was our bonus episode. We have an regular one coming out next. So stay tuned. And we'll see you then. I love it. I hate it. Goodbye.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Philip Snyder, a 73-year-old man, murdered his wife Roberta in January 2018 after a fatal argument, using a hammer to strike her head while she slept.
He fabricated a story about her dying during a road trip to Graceland, Tennessee, to cover up the crime and deceive family and authorities.
Surveillance footage and DNA evidence revealed inconsistencies in his claims, including Roberta’s absence from travel records and blood found on a sweatshirt at home.
An undercover operation by police officer Joan Bauer, posing as a divorced woman named Missy, exposed Philip’s guilt by probing his motives and revealing detailed confession about the murder.
Philip admitted to the crime, describing the act as a result of emotional numbness and a lack of feeling after decades of marriage, not sudden rage or violence.
Despite his confession, no body was found, and investigators ultimately accepted that the murder had occurred due to lack of physical evidence and Philip’s complicit lies.
Philip offered a plea deal to testify and show where he disposed of her body in exchange for life with a chance of parole in 20 years.
The case highlights how deep-seated emotional issues and psychological detachment can manifest as concealed evil, even in long-term marriages.
Summary:
In January 2018, 73-year-old Philip Snyder murdered his 53-year-married wife Roberta after a heated argument, striking her in the head with a hammer while she slept. He then staged a false narrative claiming she died on a road trip to Graceland, Tennessee, to conceal the crime. Authorities found inconsistencies in his story, including no medical records or trace evidence of her death, and discovered blood on a sweatshirt at home.
An undercover police officer, posing as a recently divorced woman named Missy, built trust with Philip and gradually uncovered his confession, detailing how he had smothered her, placed her body in a truck, and disposed of it in a dumpster. Despite the lack of a recovered body, investigators concluded the murder had occurred based on circumstantial and psychological evidence. Philip confessed that he felt emotionally numb and disconnected from Roberta over the years, which led to the act.
He later offered to testify in exchange for life imprisonment with a parole possibility after 20 years. The case underscores how long-term relationships can mask profound emotional detachment and how evil—rooted in internalized pain and isolation—can go undetected for decades. The episode concludes with a reflection on the complexity of human nature, emphasizing that true evil may not be dramatic or sudden, but rather a slow, hidden decay beneath the surface of normalcy.
FAQs
The main mystery was that Billup claimed his wife Roberta had cancer and wanted to go to Graceland, Tennessee, before dying. However, no medical records or evidence confirmed her death, and there was no trace of her body, leading investigators to suspect a murder.
Police suspected him because there was no record of Roberta's death or medical treatment, and Billup's inconsistent stories—such as claiming she died on a road trip or was cremated without official documentation—didn't match the evidence.
Yes, after being under surveillance by an undercover officer, Billup confessed to smothering Roberta with a cloth and hitting her in the head with a hammer during an argument, then disposing of her body in his truck.
Joan Bauer went undercover as a divorced woman named Missy to build a friendship with Billup, slowly uncovering his motive and method of murder by pressuring him to reveal the truth.
He proposed marriage as a legal strategy to prevent either of them from testifying against each other in court, since spouses in Ohio don't have to testify against one another in criminal cases.
Billup claimed to have left Roberta's body in a dumpster at a bar and grill, but the location was later found to be in a landfill, where the body could not be recovered due to the scale and cost of the search.
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