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Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is scheduled to explore Stacey Schoeck's murder-for-hire plot that ultimately led to the brutal Valentine's Day murder of her husband, Richard Schoeck, in 2010. The episode will chronicle the murder case in its upcoming episode on June 15, 2022.
The synopsis says:
"They were a married couple meeting for a secret Valentine's Day rendezvous. The secluded spot became a crime scene when Richard Schoeck was found shot dead there. Turns out, the rendezvous wasn't the only secret in their lives."
When evidence found during the investigation connected Stacey directly to her husband's murder, she was arrested along with two other accomplices and was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 after confessing to murder with intent.
Stacey Schoeck's detailed murder plan: Valentine's Day date gone awry
It all started when 46-year-old Richard Schoeck and his then-wife Stacey Schoeck planned a brief date to exchange gifts at Belton Bridge Park, Georgia, on February 14, 2010. Unfortunately, when Stacey made it to the location, Richard had been shot dead.
Since authorities could not find much at the crime scene beside a set of tyre marks, they were reportedly struggling to build a case and find the culprit behind the heinous murder during the initial stages of the investigation.
Stacey had openly informed the authorities about her affair with Juan Reyes, who soon became a key suspect in the eyes of the police, looking at it from the jealous boyfriend tangent. However, when Reyes' solid alibi checked out, they fixated their sights on Stacey as the prime suspect.
Although Stacey Schoeck immediately confessed to cheating on her fifth husband, she was reluctant to acknowledge that she was indeed the mastermind of the murder-for-hire plot with assistance from her co-worker, Lynitra Ross. She hired Reginald Coleman, offering him a sum of $10,000 and her grandparents' car to carry out the murder plan.
There was substantial contact between the three suspects before, during, and after the incident, according to phone records that were uncovered by the investigation.
While testifying during the murder trial, Stacey stated that she suspected Richard had assaulted her son. However, there is no evidence to support the claim. The prosecution reportedly claimed that according to her confession, the purpose behind the murder was Richard Schoeck's $500,000 life insurance policy and an illicit romance with her co-worker.
In court, Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh said,
"Stacey has claimed and did testify on the stand that she believed — and later found out that there was no evidence of — Richard was molesting one or both of her children. However, one of those children later told her there was absolutely no truth to anything like that."
According to reports, Stacey Schoeck decided to testify against Ross and Coleman in exchange for her own life. Ross was sentenced to life in prison without parole, and Coleman, upon entering a guilty plea, received the same penalty as the former. Stacey Schoeck also entered a guilty plea, following which she was sentenced to life in prison as the mastermind of the murder plot.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will broadcast Richard Schoeck's murder story on June 15, 2022.
