The infamous case against Matheau Moore, once accused of his wife’s murder, will feature in an all-new episode of Dateline NBC. The upcoming episode titled “The Clearing” will air on NBC this Friday, October 6, 2023, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Investigators alleged that Moore, of Ohio, strangled his 52-year-old wife Emily Noble to death. He then staged the scene to make the incident appear like a suicide. However, a jury found the accused not guilty of murder and other related charges in August 2022.
Matheau Moore’s defense insisted that the victim’s poor mental health led to the suicide
Oxygen News reported that Moore, 51, stood trial in August 2022 for allegedly “staging” his 52-year-old wife Emily Noble’s suicide. The latter went missing on May 25, 2020, triggering a widespread search.
At first, the husband claimed that she mysteriously vanished from their shared home in the middle of the night. However, her wallet, car keys, and phone were still at home while the car remained parked in the driveway.
Investigators found Noble’s body hanging from a tree in a wooded area near the couple’s Westerville home on September 16. Medical examiners believed she died of strangulation.
Police arrested the husband in June 2021 on allegations that he murdered his wife before staging the crime scene. A jury then indicted him on charges of murder and felonious assault and a controversial trial followed suit.
During the trial, the defense insisted that the victim died by suicide by hanging from a tree. To validate the theory, they mentioned her poor medical and mental health backgrounds.
According to the same report, Noble’s first husband had died by suicide followed by her 17-year-old son’s suicide by hanging in 2019. They also cited her struggles with depression and claimed that she even sought help in the past.
Defense attorney Diane Menashe reportedly told the court, “That’s the thing about mental health. You don’t see it coming.”
The defendant’s counsel also argued the prosecution’s allegations that the injuries his wife sustained were inconsistent with a suicide. The former party highlighted her medical history, referring to her “fragile bones”.
The Delaware County jury acquitted Moore of all charges, which was followed by an official statement from Greene County Judge Stephen A. Wolves, “You are free to go. Mr. Moore, I think from day one, everyone’s wanted justice for your wife, Emily. I’ve heard that phrase a lot; I think everyone truly desires that. But I think the jury has also said that justice for Emily is not injustice for you. And they reaffirmed that.”
Dateline NBC will drop a new Friday mystery on October 6, 2023.
