5 details about Barbara Purcell's murder

Barbara Purcell was a 46-year-old professional therapist from Illinois, who was killed by her estranged husband Will Purcell in 2001. Her heartwrenching story will be chronicled in A Body in the Basement season 1 episode 3, which has been titled Murder On Repeat. The episode airs on Investigation Discovery on August 2, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

The official synopsis for A Body in the Basement: Murder On Repeat, released by Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"In June 2001, just outside Rockford, Ill., a welfare check leads police to a woman brutally murdered in the basement of her once quiet suburban home; the hunt for her killer will lead detectives to a mystery that has been buried for over 14 years."

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Barbara Purcell's injuries, her killer's sentence, and more details about the murder case

1) Barbara Purcell was found dead at her Winnebago County residence

A poster for A Body in the Basement (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Barbara Purcell was reportedly 46 years of age when her life came to an end. On June 6, 2001, she was found lying on the staircase of the basement of her house in Winnebago County, Illinois. She had several serious injuries all over her body when her remains were discovered.

The police found her after they received a call from one of her concerned colleagues as she did not show up at work. When the police reached the location, they found that the door of the basement of her house was open. This made them suspect that something was amiss. After they recovered her body and took her to the hospital, she was pronounced dead.

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2) Authorities found several blunt-force injuries on the victim's head

The autopsy report of the victim revealed that Barbara Purcell suffered several head injuries. She had multiple blunt-force injuries on her head and also had a basal skull fracture.

Additionally, the 46-year-old victim had blood clots on her arms, legs, and hip, and a fresh abrasion on the right knee. After carefully observing her injuries and the condition of the staircase, authorities went on to determine that her death was not an accident.

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3) Barbara was killed by her husband Will Purcell

A still of Will Purcell and Barbara Purcell (Image via IMDb)

Soon after finding her body, the police arrested the main suspect in the case, her husband Will Purcell. She was Will's second wife and their marriage took a turn when Will suspected that she was having an affair and got violent. Cinemaholic reported that Barbara then got a protection order from authorities, which barred Will from meeting her under any circumstances.

However, on, June 6, he pushed her down the staircase of the basement in a fit of rage, which led to her death.

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4) During the trial, Will Purcell was found guilty of first-degree murder

After Will Purcell was arrested by authorities, he tried to defend himself. He alleged that his wife's death was an accident and mentioned that he acted in self-defense. However, during the trial, many witnesses came forward and testified against Will.

Thus, after enough evidence was collected against him, he was found guilty by the jury on three counts of first-degree murder.

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5) Barbara's killer was sentenced to life in prison

A still of Willard Henry "Will" Purcell (Image via Find a Grave)

Will Purcell was sentenced to life in prison by the court and was held at the Menard Correctional Center, Illinois. He died while serving his sentence at the age of 69 on September 12, 2015. He breathed his last after suffering from metastatic lung cancer, pneumonia, and respiratory failure.

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Watch A Body in the Basement season 1 episode 3, which airs on Investigation Discovery, on August 2, 2023, at 9 pm ET.