Did Sam Sheppard Murder His Wife? Four Theories July 15, 2010 by Edward Jay Epstein

Theories that have been advanced  in this case include: 1. The Domestic Violence Theory. The police theory of the case is that Dr. Sheppard murdered his wife to terminate the marriage, staged a fake robbery, invented the bushy-haired man, and inflicted his injuries on himself to support his story. Police officials discount the new DNA evidence because the crime scene had been so compromised that the blood samples could have been contaminated. 2. The Handyman Theory.   Richard Eberling, a handyman who washed the windows in the Sheppard house, was the killer. In 1984, he was convicted, along with a partner, of murdering Ethel May Durkin, who lived in Lakeville, Ohio. He had a ring belonging to Marilyn Sheppard in his possession and his victim's sister was also killed after being "savagely" beaten about the head. Eberling, who died in Prison in 1998, denied murdering Marilyn Sheppard. 3. The Neighbor Theory.  F. Lee Bailey, who was Sheppard's attorney for his retrial, suggested in a civil lawsuit in 2000 that a neighbor had killed Marilyn in a fit of jealous rage because she found out Marilyn and her husband were lovers. 4. The Drifter Theory. The 1960s television series "The Fugitive", which is loosely based on the Sheppard case, portrays the murderer as a drifter.                                                                                                                                         if you have any comments please reply below: your email: