Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - How did detectives solve Shele Danishefsky’s murder case after a decade?

Almost a decade after Shele Danishefsky, a wealthy Manhattan banker and mother-of-two, was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper East Side apartment on New Year's Eve 2009, her estranged husband Rod Covlin was arrested for her murder.

The latter was convicted of second-degree murder and charged with allegedly strangling her to death and later staging the scene to make it look like an accident.

Danishefsky's death was initially ruled as an accident, claiming that she slipped inside the bathtub and killed herself in the process. Her body was soon buried without an autopsy, owing to Jewish beliefs. However, when the situation failed to sit right with family members, they had her body exhumed and a medical examiner eventually ruled her death a "homicide," likely caused by strangulation.

Years later, in 2015, Covlin was finally arrested after his crimes started to catch up on him. He was tried four years later and found guilty, receiving 25 years to life in prison. His family and children still maintain his innocence.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into Shele Danishefsky's mysterious case, attempting to unravel the intricate details of what caused her death. The upcoming episode, titled Endgame, premieres on Oxygen this Wednesday, January 11, at 8.00 pm ET.

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Along with killing ex-wife Shele Danishefsky, Rod Covlin had planned to kill his parents as well

Shele Danishefsky's sudden death came amidst a contentious divorce and custody battle with her struggling stockbroker husband Rod Covlin. The estranged couple were living in separate apartments on the same floor at the time of the murder. While authorities believed her death was a terrible accident, family members knew things were amiss.

Even Debra Oles, Covlin's backgammon partner and lover, recalled finding the timing to be uncannily opportune for him. The Washington Post reported that the former told Dateline:

"He told me that his wife had an accident and died. My very first thought was, that’s a really weird coincidence in timing, and that really basically solves all his problems. But then I felt guilty thinking that, because he said it was an accident."

According to reports, authorities did not sweep the crime scene for any evidence and her body was soon buried without an autopsy, owing to Jewish traditions. Danishefsky's body was then exhumed and sent for autopsy. The hyoid bone in the victim's neck was fractured, likely from being choked. The medical examiner determined that neck compression was the cause of death, ruling it a homicide.

Still, it wasn't enough to bring Rod Covlin in for Danishefsky's murder because there was no physical evidence. His parents soon became the legal guardians of their young children, Anna and Myles. This was certainly not something the suspect desired, aside from gaining access to all of his dead wife's assets. He then allegedly planned to kill his parents to gain custody of his children.

According to a Medium report, Covlin's then-girlfriend Oles reportedly told authorities about his numerous plans to have his parents killed, as well as her concerns that he was responsible for his ex-wife's death. The suspect was ultimately arrested in 2015 and while in custody, a camera managed to capture him teaching a fellow prisoner how to give a chokehold.

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Struggling stockbroker and Shele Danishefsky's estranged husband Rod Covlin was convicted in the case about a decade later

In 2019, ten years after Shele Danishefsky's untimely demise, her estranged husband Rod Covlin stood trial for allegedly murdering her for financial gain and the custody of their children. His attorneys claimed that he was being targeted as a scapegoat for a terrible accident. The defense further argued that the poor quality of the police investigation resulted in a lack of tangible physical evidence.

The prosecution presented an array of circumstantial evidence against Covlin, starting with the fact that Danishefsky died one day after informing him that she was removing him from her $5.27 million will. Covlin's desire to get his hands on the finances and the custody of their children allegedly pushed him to strangle her to death and then stage the crime scene to make it look like an accident.

Rod Covlin was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for Shele Danishefsky's 2009 murder.

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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will revisit Shele Danishefsky's 2009 case in an upcoming episode scheduled to air this Wednesday, January 11, at 8.00 pm ET.