Scott Purk was 22 years outdated when he known as 911, telling police and paramedics that he discovered his spouse Margaret “Meg” Purk hanging of their residence. He stated he lower her down and began CPR, however the nine-months-pregnant girl died. Ahead of the Dateline NBC episode about how Purk was lastly caught, right here’s what it’s essential know in regards to the crime, his apprehension, and his sentencing.
Meg’s Death Was Initially Ruled a Suicide
Dateline Episode Trailer: Secrets from the Grave | Dateline NBCJosh Mankiewicz stories Friday, September 18 at 10/9c on NBC. Watch full episodes: http://www.nbc.com/dateline Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/datelinenbc Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/datelinenbc Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/datelinenbc Plus! Stream current and basic episodes of Dateline now on Peacock, the brand new free streaming service from NBCUniversal right here: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/home2020-09-16T21:34:28Z
Meg Purk, 24, was resulting from give delivery inside days when her husband Scott informed police he discovered her hanging by a rope from their second-floor stairway of their house. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, he informed police he was within the bathtub round 11 a.m. when he noticed his spouse stroll previous the toilet doorway. Then about 5 minutes later, he discovered her hanging from the railing. He stated he lower her down and began attempting resuscitation whereas he needed for the paramedics to reach.
In court docket information from the time, Dr. Roberto Ruiz, whom the Beacon Journal reported was by no means educated in forensic pathology, concluded that Meg died of coronary heart/lung failure from asphyxiation and the fetus died earlier than hospital procedures may very well be carried out. Ruiz listed suicide on the demise certificates and stated that Meg had “emotional issues” and had “tried suicide in [the] previous.”
However, the Akron police detectives indicated they had been “conflicts” in Scott Purk’s story, together with that Meg had left a suicide notice that police might by no means find.
25 Years Later, Meg’s Body Was Exhumed After Scott’s Second Wife and Two Children Were Involved in a House Fire
In 2011, Scott’s Stow, Ohio, residence caught hearth at 3 a.m. His second spouse Tammy, daughter, 16, and son, 12, had been at residence, however all of them managed to flee safely. At the scene, then-Sergeant Ken Mifflin, who occurred to even be the lead investigator on Meg’s demise, stood speaking to Scott in regards to the hearth — and what Scott began saying to him aroused his suspicions.
“We had been simply speaking about what he had completed all through the day of the hearth as a result of it had occurred within the early morning hours. Once he bought completed with that, he began going off a tangent into all kinds of issues,” stated Mifflin, including that Scott began speaking about Meg’s suicide. “He simply introduced it up, threw it on the market. I used to be very shocked and it simply took off from there.”
Mifflin had at all times felt that Meg’s demise was suspicious, in order he investigated the home hearth as potential arson, he additionally began wanting into the unique stories.
“Bottom line, the investigation took off on our finish, mainly, the place Akron left off,” Mifflin informed the Beacon Journal. “Even although the case was dominated a suicide, there have been doubts throughout the Akron Police Department that it really was a suicide. Indications had been, there in all probability was a murder however they simply didn’t have sufficient to cost him at the moment.”
So Meg’s physique was exhumed and this time, the medical expert, Dr. Dorothy E. Dean, a forensic pathologist, concluded that Meg “died from ligature strangulation fairly than self-inflicted hanging.” The suspected ligature was a belt.
Scott Purk Was Sentenced to twenty-eight Years for Attempted Murder of His Second Family and Life in Prison for Meg’s Death
MyTownNEOScott Purk at trial.
In 2013, Scott was sentenced to twenty-eight years in jail for one rely of tried aggravated homicide, three counts of aggravated arson, one rely of insurance coverage fraud, two counts of disrupting public companies and two misdemeanor counts of endangering youngsters, in keeping with the Kent Record-Courier. Scott had set hearth to his own residence and in addition a duplex close by.
Detective Mifflin stated on the time, “It is believed that the second hearth was set to make it seem {that a} serial arsonist was in that neighborhood to throw suspicion off of Mr. Purk. It is our perception that the primary hearth was set to get out of debt.”
Tammy Purk was additionally initially charged within the crimes, however in 2012, she pleaded responsible to obstructing justice and all the opposite fees had been dropped. She was sentenced to 6 months in jail, which had been suspended.
While Scott started serving this 28-year sentence, authorities reopened his first spouse’s demise investigation. After the second post-mortem, Scott was charged in Meg’s demise, and in 2015, a jury discovered him responsible of homicide and tampering with proof.
Summit County Common Pleas Judge Todd McKenney sentenced Scott to life in jail with parole eligibility in 18 years, in keeping with the Cleveland Plain Dealer. McKenney ordered the sentence to run consecutively along with his 28-year sentence, which implies Scott received’t be eligible for parole till 2057.
Dateline NBC airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Source: heavy.com
