Dateline NBC: What was the motive behind Ken Jeudes' murder?

The shooting death of Ken Jeudes in 2006 in Wisconsin is the focus of the upcoming Dateline episode. The murder case, which turned cold for years, resulted in the conviction of Ken's second wife, Cindy Schulz-Juedes, in October 2021.

While the prosecutors and the investigators alleged that Cindy had shot Ken to death with the motive of financial gain, she claimed to be innocent until her death in 2023. Cindy stood to gain around $1 million alone from Ken's insurance policies in addition to his properties in Hull and Norrie.

The Dateline NBC episode titled The Trouble at Dill Creek Farm showcases the possible motive behind Ken Jeudes' murder as it airs on July 19, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on NBC exclusively. The official synopsis reads,

"When a pharmacist is found shot to death in his Wisconsin farmhouse, investigators embark on a 15 year hunt for his elusive killer."

---

Did Cindy Schulz-Jeudes kill Ken Jeudes for financial gain?

The upcoming episode 9 of Season 31 of Dateline showcases the murder of Kenneth E. Jeudes, who was shot to death in his Hull home. According to Oxygen, Ken was fatally shot with a .20-gauge shotgun twice on August 30, 2006. He was allegedly discovered dead in his bedroom by his wife, Cindy Schulz-Jeudes, the next morning.

Cindy had reportedly taken medication for a sinus infection before she headed to a camper next to the house for the night. According to the Wausau Daily Herald, Cindy did not want to be disturbed in her sleep. Considering she was the last person to see Ken before his death, she was considered a person of interest for many years.

The murder case remained unsolved for more than 13 years with multiple suspects before the authorities narrowed down on Cindy. The investigators alleged that she had financial gains as her motive to kill Ken Jeudes, considering that she stood to gain over $950,000.

Ken Jeudes, a pharmacist at Memorial Health Care at Medford, owned a house with four bedrooms in Maple Road in Hull. The property was estimated to be worth $347,700 wherein he was yet to pay $82,404, per the Wausau Daily Herald. Kenneth Jeudes had multiple insurance policies all of which totalled over $900,000. The authorities found out that Cindy Schulz-Jeudes had allegedly cashed out $285,000 from a State Farm Policy.

The investigators unearthed financial debts of $75,711 on the credit card in Cindy's name accrued in the first year of their marriage. She took a loan for $278,000 on Ken's house without his knowledge. Moreover, she had forged his signature on the papers to clear the debt, per the Wausau Daily Herald.

The Central Wisconsin News, however, reported that Cindy was the sole beneficiary of all the insurance policies as mentioned in Ken's will, but a handwriting analysis revealed that the signatures on the documents were possibly forged as well. Cindy denied claims of financial gain and told the Wausau Daily Herald,

"I don't feel I am a person of interest in my husband's death. Most of the money went to the kids. Moneywise, my husband and I together would have earned more in two years than I ever would have gotten from his death, and I still would have had my husband."

Kenneth Jeudes owned 80 acres of land in the Town of Norrie, which was on the market twenty days after his death. Ken's mother, Margaret Jeudes, did not wish for the sale and wanted to return the property to the Juedes family.

---

Catch all the details of Ken Jeudes' murder as Dateline's new episode airs on NBC on Friday.