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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is set to revisit the brutal death of Chanin Starbuck in an episode titled A Cold December Morning, which will re-air this Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 11 pm ET. the synopsis for the episode reads:
"Devoted to her faith and her five children, Chanin Starbuck deals with her divorce and tries to start a new life; after she is brutally murdered, the investigation reveals secrets."
Chanin Starbuck's murder shook the Deer Park, Washington, community when she was discovered dead inside her home in December 2011. The devoted mother-of-five was reportedly strangled and her body was left positioned in a horrible manner.
Clay Starbuck, her former husband, was taken into custody two months after the incident. He was found guilty in 2013 and given a life sentence.
Chanin Starbuck, a single mother-of-five, was found murdered inside the master bedroom of her house
Born in Indiana, Chanin Starbuck did her schooling in Florida before going on to earn an associate's degree in art therapy and eventually marrying Clay Starbuck in 1990. The pair got divorced in 2000, only to reconcile and marry again in 2006.
The couple then had five children before officially ending their marriage in July 2011. Three of their youngest children were living with Chanin at the time, who had just started to put her life back together and had recently graduated from a dental assistant course. But misfortune was soon to visit the mother-of-five.
Sources state that on December 2, 2011, Chanin's former husband Clay requested that the police visit her house for a welfare check. They made the decision to leave when they were unable to locate any indication of a break-in or anything else unusual. But the very next day, one of Chanin's friends contacted authorities, claiming that she hadn't been able to get in touch with her for the past couple of days.
Cops then went over to her house to check on her and found her lying dead in the master bedroom. She was brutally assaulted and was found lying face-up on the bed. The medical examiner determined that she sustained a number of wounds, some of which could have been inflicted with a stun gun. Other wounds suggested that she was dragged.
An autopsy revealed that the victim was strangled, and the cause of death was asphyxiation from pressure on the neck. Moreover, her body was presented in a s*xually hostile manner. S*x toys were also discovered at the crime scene along with a massager positioned on her vaginal area.
Chanin Starbuck's former husband found guilty in her brutal murder
After ruling out all other suspects following an initial investigation, the police questioned Chanin Starbuck's ex-husband Clay. He was initially cooperative and told them his side of the story, but his narrative soon fell apart when his phone records showed that the police had received a suspicious call from him on December 1. Authorities believed that the call was made around the same time Chanin was killed.
Upon further investigation, investigators learned that Chanin had previously filed for a protection order against Clay and DNA samples taken from under her body matched his. The ex-husband was the only possible suspect left after her two oldest sons were eliminated because of their credible alibis. Moreover, a local member of the church even reported that Chanin feared Clay.
It was alleged that Clay broke into Chanin's home after luring her out of the house. He then killed her when she returned. Then, pretending to be her, he sent texts to himself and the other guys she had been in touch with. The prosecution believed that Clay killed her out of jealousy and made it seem like one of the guys she was dating was responsible for her death.
Clay Starbuck was tried in court in 2013 and by June that year, he was found guilty of first-degree aggravated murder of his ex-wife Chanin Starbuck, receiving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Learn more about Chanin Starbuck's 2011 case on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered this Tuesday, at 11 pm ET.
