Dateline NBC: Where is Rod Covlin’s ex-girlfriend Debra Oles now?

In the long-drawn trial hearings of Rod Covlin who was accused of murdering his millionaire financier wife Shele Danishefsky, Debra Oles Campbell became an important piece in the puzzle.

Covlin's ex-girlfriend, Debra Oles Campbell, had approached the police with crucil info that helped the officers arrest and convict Covlin just before he was about to inherit Danishefsky's wealth.

Despite being a primary suspect in Danishefsky's death, Rod Covlin could not be arrested due to lack of evidence. However, that changed when Campbell, who lives in New York, gave the police a recording of a conversation between Covlin and his parents regarding stealing money from his children's college funds.

The upcoming Dateline NBC titled Secrets from the Grave showcases Covlin's motive behind Danishefsky's murder as it re-airs on Dec. 22 at 10 pm EST. The synopsis reads:

"Key players in the case of Rod Covlin, a New York man who is found guilty of murdering his wife for her $5.3 million fortune and attempting to frame his then-teenage daughter, share their stories."

---

Who is Debra Oles Campbell? Details explored

A still of Debra Oles Campbell at the hearing (Image via Chicago Tribune)

According to the New York Post, Oles Campbell was a mother of three and an IT consultant from North Carolina who shared a love for Backgammon with Rod Covlin.

The two met at a Backgammon tournament in the summer of 2009 and started seeing each other. Covlin moved into a Westchester apartment which was partially paid from the college fund of Anna Covlin.

In a turn of events, Campbell approached the New York Police Department investigators. She offered them a conversation recording between Covlin and his parents, David and Carol Covlin.

She disclosed the number of instances in which Rod Covlin plotted to murder his parents to get hold of Shele's fortune. David and Carol Covlin were granted custody of Shele Danishefsky's children Anna and Myles.

At one point, Covlin wanted to poison his parents with ricin or aconite in the Breaking Bad or Dexter style. He finally settled for rat poison, which he would have Anna slip into her grandparents' tea. The New York Post further reported:

"Debra Oles, 60, said she drove Covlin, 47, to a Yonkers costume warehouse in late 2012, where he purchased a “black man’s wig and makeup” to pose as an election canvasser."

Debra further shared with the media outlet:

“He wanted to drive to his parents’ house when he knew his mother was going to be home, and when she opened the door, he wanted to karate chop her in the throat and kill her."

Rod Covlin, a Taekwondo expert, additionally planned to pose as a bespectacled black man and pretend to be “a door-to-door election volunteer and breaking (his mother’s) neck”, according to New York Daily News.

Debra Oles also spoke about Covlin's idea to light his parents' house on fire during the power outage caused by Hurricane Sandy as the lack of lights and alarm would allegedly help.

According to the New York Times, a recording from Oles proved that Rod Covlin wanted to marry his daughter off to a Mexican when she would be 14 to gain control of her inheritance.

---

Where is Rod Covlin’s ex-girlfriend Debra Oles now?

Even though Debra Oles Campbell served as an important piece to solving Shele Danishefsky's murder, Rod Covlin's defense disregarded her testimonies labelling her as a disgruntled ex.

Nevertheless, her statement offered the prosecution to build a circumstantial yet strong case against Covlin.

Campbell had allegedly requested Justice Ruth Pickholz to prohibit photographers from taking her pictures. The request was turned down, so she stood through her time at the stand mostly wearing a pair of black sunglasses.