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A Zanesville, Ohio woman who needed to look up how to load a gun before shooting herself and faking a home invasion to cover up a murder in August 2023, has pleaded guilty to several crimes.
The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release on Monday that 36-year-old Deborah L. Frazier pleaded guilty to murder with a firearm, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.
Police responded to a call from Frazier on Aug. 10, 2023, claiming that she had been shot in the leg by two burglars as they were leaving her boyfriend’s apartment.
The body of her boyfriend, Thomas Waddell, was discovered by responding officers in a back room of his apartment, wrapped in a blanket and garbage bag that was secured with duct tape.
Inside a courtroom with gavel in view. (iStock)
During the investigation, detectives conducted a forensic software search to look into Frazier’s phone. The detective found searches between Aug. 5 and Aug. 9 for, “How to load a gun,” “How to load a revolver pistol,” “how to know what ammo your gun uses,” “How to uncock the hammer on a revolver,” “what does 22 ammo look like,” and “worst place to get hit in the head.”
When detectives investigated the duct tape used to wrap Waddell’s body, they found Frazier’s hair.
The investigation discovered a litany of evidence suggesting Frazier acted alone, and that other people were duped by her manipulation and lies, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The statement of facts also said the totality of the circumstances and results of the searches, court orders and more point to Frazier’s “purposeful killing” of Waddell with a firearm, as well as her attempt to conceal the crime by creating false evidence and shooting herself.
“Frazier deserves and will serve a life sentence for her crime,” Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle said. “This plea allows her to accept responsibility and eliminates the risks associated with a trial on the horrific and tabloid-esque facts of this case.”
