Who was the primary suspect in Wilma Schwartz's murder? Details explored ahead of The Murder Tapes on ID

Wilma Schwartz's boyfriend Daniel Zerbe was charged in connection with her shooting death, after detectives used surveillance footage and firearm found in his possession to link him to the crime.

The Fort Wayne mother-of-one was reported missing in March 2016. Within a week, her body was found in an Antwerp property. She died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Two days later, the victim's abandoned car with blood evidence on the interior was discovered about 40 miles from where the body was found.

At first, Daniel was arrested on unrelated drug charges, before being charged with murder, to which he pleaded guilty in 2017 and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. He is currently serving time in Ohio's Chillicothe Correction Institution.

This Thursday, August 17, 2023, an episode of ID's The Murder Tapes will further delve into Wilma Schwartz's shooting death. Here's the official synopsis of the segment:

"When workers find a body on an abandoned property in western Ohio, it opens up a homicide investigation that sends shockwaves through the Amish community."

The episode, titled Body in the Yard, is scheduled to air at 7:00 pm ET.

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Wilma Schwartz's boyfriend Daniel Zerbe pleaded guilty to a murder charge in connection with her shooting death

Wilma Schwartz (Image via National Gun Violence Memorial)

Daniel Zerbe was reportedly charged with unrelated drug charges, before he pleaded guilty to murder in November 2017 in connection with Wilma Schwartz's shooting death, cutting short his trial. As part of Daniel's plea deal, a firearms charge against him was dropped. He was then sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and was given credit for the 266 days already served in jail.

Daniel and Wilma were partners for several years, and according to The Cinemaholic, even shared a son together. The 44-year-old mother from Fort Wayne was reported missing on March 9, 2016. Her dead body was found in an abandoned Antwerp property on March 14 by construction works.

Wilma Schwartz died of a single gunshot wound to the head. A 9mm bullet, which allegedly killed her, was found stuck between her clothing and the back of her neck. Two days later, her abandoned red Pontiac Sunfire was found in Markle, Indiana. Inside the vehicle, they found blood evidence and a spent shell casing.

According to WOWO News, Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers said,

"[Wilma] Schwartz was shot inside her vehicle by [Daniel] Zerbe. We learned Schwartz and Zerbe had been in a relationship for several years, and it wasn’t good."

Surveillance footage then linked Daniel and a woman, later identified as Lisa King, to the crime, when they were seen abandoning Wilma's car before getting dropped off at an Auburn hotel. Later, Daniel was also spotted buying cleaning supplies from a local store.

Detectives believed that Daniel possibly shot Wilma in her car and then dumped her body at the Antwerp house. He then tried to clean the vehicle before abandoning it. A phone found in the car reportedly pinged close to the area where Wilma's body was found on March 9, 2016.

Eventually, a 9mm handgun found in the suspect's possession was confirmed to be the murder weapon. He was charged on meth-related charges before being charged with murder. Meanwhile, Lisa King cooperated with the police and had the charges of tampering with evidence filed against her dropped.

The outlet reported that Sherrif Landers further said,

"My deputies were able to advance this case when Zerbe was arrested on an unrelated warrant, and he was found in possession of the gun used in the murder."

According to the Ohio Department of Corrections, Daniel Zerbe is currently serving his sentence in Ohio's Chillicothe Correction Institution.

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ID's The Murder Tapes will chronicle Wilma Schwartz's murder case on Thursday.