Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Who is Cara Ryan and what did she do?

Cara Ryan, a Florida teacher, was charged with the shooting death of her ex-husband John 'J.J.' Rush, a retired St. Petersburg police officer and gambling addict. Rush reportedly divorced Ryan in 2006 but shared an on-again-off-again relationship the following year, which continued for years.

On the day of the shooting in March 2015, Ryan texted Rush to come over for s*x about a month after their breakup. The latter allegedly saw someone else's text on his ex-wife's phone and lost control, pinning her down and threatening to kill her. Ryan later told authorities that he r*ped her and that she shot him in self-defense.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered chronicles the shooting incident that changed Cara Ryan's life in March 2015 in an episode titled A Shot in the Dark. The synopsis of the episode states:

"What happened in Cara Ryan's bedroom is a mystery; she admits she shot her ex-husband, but investigators need to know if it was murder or self-defense; detectives hear several versions of the story, but for a jury, there is only one truth."

The upcoming episode airs on Oxygen this Tuesday, April 18, at 7 pm ET.

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Clearwater High school teacher Cara Ryan shared an on-and-off relationship with her ex-husband J.J. Rush

In March 2015, it was only a month since Florida's Clearwater High School teacher Cara Ryan broke up with her on-again-off-again boyfriend and ex-husband John "J.J." Rush, a former St. Petersburg police sergeant. Rush, 45, worked as an investigator in the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office, struggled with gambling addiction, and often acted out of control.

According to reports, the former couple was married for nine years before getting a divorce in 2006, but their separation was short-lived. In 2007, they eventually reconnected and shared an on-again-off-again relationship until February 2015, when they broke up once again.

On March 7, 2015, Cara Ryan reportedly sent an explicit text to J.J. Rush, inviting him to her Indian Rocks Beach apartment for s*x, and he accepted the invitation. That night, Ryan claimed that she was studying for her master's degree and had consumed a couple of glasses of wine, and once her ex-husband arrived, the two started fooling around.

However, things between them got rough and violent after Rush saw someone else's text on Ryan's phone. The text was from someone the latter was dating at the time. After this, Rush started acting out, pinned her down, and threatened to kill her. At some point, he allegedly r*ped her.

The Daily Mail reported that, as per Ryan's account, the retired officer said:

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to bust you open so no man can want you again."

The high school teacher alleged that Rush left the apartment but soon stormed back in. That's when she closed her eyes and shot at him using a .38-caliber pistol the victim had given her several years prior. Ryan maintained that she acted in self-defense against her out-of-control ex-husband.

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Cara Ryan was found not guilty of a second-degree murder charge in her ex-husband's death

Cara Ryan was charged with second-degree murder following the death of her ex-husband, J.J. Rush, but was found not guilty of the charge in January 2017.

Before the verdict, Ryan's defense attorney Roger Futerman told the jury that the former officer had withdrawal syndrome from oxycodone, further alleging that Ryan had "never seen him [Rush] this out of control." Futerman further stated,

"We never doubted her innocence, from moment one. It was a very quick verdict. I think they made their minds up early on that, that this woman should never have been arrested."

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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into the case this Tuesday, April 18.