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On December 19, 1992, 24-year-old Michelle Witherell fell from her third-floor balcony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died a few hours later in the hospital. Although the death was listed as an accident, Michelle's family suspects foul play.
Michelle's husband, Jeremy Witherell, was the one who dialed 911 and informed the police about the incident. She was alive at the time.
The case was closed as circumstantial evidence pointed toward an accident. The case was later reopened due to inconsistencies in Jeremy's statement and other evidence.
On December 20, 1999, Jeremy was eventually charged with third-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty. He was ultimately acquitted two years later.
Michelle Witherell's chilling story will be detailed in Investigation Discovery's true-crime series Crime Scene Confidential. The episode, titled "Justice for Michelle," aired on February 7.
A short synopsis of the episode:
"Alina Burroughs is eager to determine whether Michelle Witherell accidentally fell from her balcony, committed suicide, or was murdered; searching for the truth, she navigates a maze of conflicting pathology reports."
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of murder. Discretion is advised.
Here are 5 things to know about Michelle Witherell's death
1) Jeremy locked the door before he rushed to his wife when she fell
One of the first things the investigators noticed was that Jeremy's apartment was locked when they arrived. However, according to Jeremy's statement, he rushed to see his wife when he heard a loud noise from the living room where he was playing solitaire.
Investigators questioned if he was anxious at the time and how he had time to lock the balcony door and double lock the apartment door.
2) Michelle's mother stated that Jeremy would physically abuse his wife
According to her mother, Jeremy would physically abuse his wife multiple times. Other friends have confirmed that the wife suffered emotional and physical abuse and jealousy from Jeremy. They also claimed that they noticed bruises on her several times.
Her mother also stated that her daughter mentioned that she wanted to give her husband a divorce.
3) Jeremy passed the polygraph test twice
Despite the inconsistencies in the statement and the supporting documentation, Jeremy passed the polygraph test twice. As a result, the examiners stated that the death could be a suicide, murder, or an accident.
However, her relatives insisted that it could not be a suicide as she did not suffer from any mental trauma.
4) Her wrist was broken, but her palm was not scratched
Among other pieces of evidence that pointed towards the death being a homicide, one was that despite having both of her wrists broken, her palms were unharmed.
According to the investigators, if the woman fell from the balcony, her palms would also be bruised along with her wrists.
5) Jeremy's mother claimed that the victim was trying to put up Christmas lights when she fell and died
There were various versions of her death story. Of all the stories, one was in which Jeremy's mother claimed that her daughter-in-law fell from the balcony while trying to put up lights for the upcoming Christmas.
The police restarted the investigation in 1999 after finding contradictions in the stories, and Jeremy maintained his innocence. He was, however, acquitted two years later.
