ZANESVILLE, Ohio (TCD) — A 36-year-old woman pleaded guilty this week to fatally shooting her boyfriend for financial reasons, trying to hide his body, and reporting a false home invasion.
The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office announced that on March 18, Deborah Frazier entered the guilty plea on charges of murder with a firearm specification, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Thomas Waddell.
According to a statement of facts, Frazier had lived with Waddell, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, on Sandhurst Drive for months before his death. The victim was reportedly “significantly older” than Frazier, and the two met while working at Kroger, where Waddell had recently retired. Waddell’s obituary states he was 66 years old when he died.
On Aug. 9, 2023, “after days of planning,” Frazier shot Waddell in the back of the head with a .22 caliber pistol as the victim sat in a recliner chair in his living room.
Frazier called the Zanesville Police Department the next day, claiming her boyfriend’s home had been ransacked, and the door was open when she arrived. According to the statement of facts, Frazier said there were men in the home while she was still on the line with 911. A gunshot was reportedly heard, and Frazier claimed to have been shot.
Officers subsequently responded to the home, where they observed Frazier with a gunshot wound to her leg. She informed police she had been shot by masked white men, and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
During a search of the home, police recovered a .22 caliber gun. They also found Waddell’s body in the bedroom, which had been wrapped in trash bags, duct tape, and a comforter, according to the statement of facts.
Officials said Waddell’s apartment appeared “well-kept and orderly,” and there were “no indicators of drug use or drug sales, which accompany home-invasions in almost all circumstances.”
The statement of facts describes the ransacking as “superficial mess-making.” Police reportedly discovered torn-up photos of Frazier and Waddell on the floor, but nothing of value seemed to be gone, including guns. Investigators were unable to find any footage of the intruders’ exit from nearby homes and businesses.
According to the statement of facts, a detective went to speak with Frazier and test her for gunshot residue. When Frasier heard about the testing, she reportedly “changed her story and began to claim that she had reached out and touched the gun that shot her.” Officials noted that a “guilty person might change their story if they thought forensic evidence was going to expose them.”
According to the prosecutor’s office, an autopsy later determined Waddell had died more than 12 hours before Frazier reported the false home invasion. Investigators also recovered evidence revealing that Frazier searched online for information about loading and firing guns.
Prosecutors believe Frazier killed her boyfriend for financial reasons. She reportedly had her other boyfriend pretend to be a bank fraud investigator and call Waddell. According to the statement of facts, Frazier lied about Waddell and told her other boyfriend he was a dementia patient, and she was caring for him as his nurse.
Frazier and Waddell shared a PNC bank account, and the balance had been drawn down to $2,000. Frazier allegedly created a fake email account and used it to send herself messages to look like fraud claims. She pretended Waddell was the fraud victim, and she had previously searched for a PNC logo and bank fraud information, the statement of facts said.
Prosecutors allege Frazier manipulated her other boyfriend into making fraudulent phone calls to Waddell, and she had him drive her on the night of the killing.
Investigators later identified the presence of Frazier and Waddell’s DNA on the trash bags and duct tape from the scene. They also found Frazier’s hair in the duct tape she used to secure the trash bags to the victim’s feet.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle said, “Frazier deserves and will serve a life sentence for her crime. 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.”
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