Who are the ex-wives of Randy Roth? History explored ahead of new Killer Attraction episode on ID

Former Marine Corps serviceman Randy Roth, who has been serving time in prison for murder since 1992, had four wives in the 1980s and early 90s. While his first and third marriages ended in divorce, the second and fourth had rather tragic endings.

Roth claimed that his second wife Janis Miranda died from a fall off Beacon Rock a day after Thanksgiving and a few months after their marriage in 1981. Ten years later, in 1991, his fourth wife, Cynthia Roth, died in a drowning incident at Lake Sammamish. During both the incidents, Randy was the only one present at the spot and was the one who would have inherited a significant sum in life insurance funds.

An upcoming episode of ID's Killer Attraction will chronicle the case of Randy Roth and his multiple wives on Saturday, February 25, 2023. The episode, titled Don't Marry Randy, airs at 9 pm ET.

The synopsis states:

"Ten years after losing his second wife and divorcing his third, widower Randy Roth marries a fourth time to Cynthia; one day, Cynthia drowns while on a family getaway, turning Randy into either the unluckiest husband or a cold-blooded killer."

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Diving into the four marriages of convicted murderer Randy Roth

In July 1975, Randy Roth married his first wife, a bank teller named Donna Sanchez. Randy had just been released from prison where he was held for two weeks for robbing former fiance Terri Kikbride's home. Randy and Donna had been dating while Randy was still engaged to Terri, who left him.

After getting married, Randy and Donna moved to Mountlake Terrace in Washington State. Initially, they had, what Donna described as a happy, healthy, and harmonious marriage that was filled with care, passion, and devotion. Their son, Greg, was born in 1978.

However, soon after Greg's birth, Randy suddenly asked for a divorce, and in 1979, the couple separated, finalizing their divorce in May 1980. It was even more surprising when Randy got sole custody of Greg and Donna was granted visitation rights which allowed her to occasionally see Randy and Greg.

In 1992, after her husband was charged with the murder of his fourth wife, Donna, his first wife gave an exclusive interview to The Seattle Times. During the interview, she said that in the early days of their marriage, her husband was very romantic. She claimed that she felt safe around him as he "had that strong, protective type of personality."

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Randy met his second wife Janis at a Parents Without Partners gathering

Randy Roth convicted in fourth wife's murder (Image via Bromberger Hoover Photography/Getty Images)

On Halloween 1980, Randy Roth met the woman who would be his second wife at a Parents Without Partners gathering. Janis Miranda was a divorced single mother who worked two jobs. She fell head-over-heels in love with Randy's charisma, his authority, familiarity, and his dedication towards his son.

Just a few months after they first met, Randy and Janis got married in the spring of 1981.

However, just a few months after their marriage, on November 27, 1981, Janis died while hiking up Beacon Rock in Washington with Randy. Reports stated that the three-hour trip from Seattle was Randy's idea and that he was the only one with Janis when she died. He told authorities that Janis had slipped and fallen to her death.

However, an investigation into her death told police that it was nearly impossible to fall the way Janis did. Additionally, Randy also kept contradicting his own statements.

After a brief few relationships in the years that followed, in 1985, Randy Roth met Donna Clift, another divorced single mother. The two first met at a local store where the latter worked and married a few months later in May of that year.

Their marriage only lasted three months before she filed for divorce, claiming that she feared for her life and was very scared of him

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Randy's fourth wife, Cynthia Baumgartner died in a drowning incident weeks before the first marriage anniversary

Randy then met Cynthia Baumgartner, a widowed mother-of-two, in 1990 at one of their sons’ Little League games. Soon after meeting, the two got married and lived in their Woodinville home.

However, a few weeks before the couple could celebrate their first anniversary, Cynthia died after she drowned at Lake Sammamish during a trip in July 1991. Randy was once again the only one present at the time of the death and claimed that she drowned after the raft capsized on her, while she was experiencing a leg cramp.

Randy Roth was subsequently found guilty of Cynthia's murder and was given a 50-year sentence in 1992, but was never charged with Janis' death. His third wife, Donna Clift, testified against him at his murder trial, while his first wife, Donna Sanchez, has consistently defended him.

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As mentioned earlier, ID's Killer Attraction will showcase Randy's case in an episode on Saturday, February 25, 2023, which will air at 9 pm ET.