Dateline: Deadly Denial – 5 harrowing details about Janet Abaroa’s murder, explored

Dateline: Deadly Denial is an episode of the true crime series which aired in 2014, but is still remembered by the audience for the horrific case it covered. The episode delved into the murder of Janet Abaroa, a 25-year-old woman from Durham, North Carolina.

Janet was found murdered at her home in April 2005. What made the incident even more horrific was that Janet was pregnant when she was brutally stabbed. She was already the mother of a six-month-old son, who was in another room during the murder.

The victim’s husband, Raven Abaroa, claimed he wasn’t home at the time and suggested that an intruder could have committed the crime. However, Dateline: Deadly Denial revealed that further investigation pointed to a sinister plot envisioned by Raven.

5 disturbing details about Janet Abaroa’s murder seen on Dateline: Deadly Denial

1. Janet was pregnant when she was killed

Janet Abaroa’s husband Raven Abaroa (Image via NBC)

Janet Abaroa was just 25 years old when she was found dead in her home. She had been stabbed multiple times, and the autopsy showed she was pregnant with her second child. Her 6-month-old son, Kaiden, was in the next room, but he was left unharmed.

Raven Abaroa claimed he had gone to play soccer that day and was shocked to find his wife’s dead body when he returned. However, there were no signs of a forced entry into the house, and no items had been stolen. This made the police doubt his alibi.

2. Raven had a troubled past

As shown on Dateline: Deadly Denial, Raven was arrested for embezzling over $9,000 from his job just months before Janet’s murder. Though he admitted to embezzlement, the incident hinted that he was not a trustworthy person.

Raven had also been having troubles in his marriage with Janet. He admitted that he cheated on his wife. He moved out of the house at one point before the murder but returned after learning she was pregnant with his second child.

3. Janet’s body was exhumed for investigation

Raven claimed someone broke into the house and killed Janet. But detectives saw no signs of a struggle at the crime scene. Meanwhile, they discovered a major clue: Janet’s contact lenses were still in her eyes at the time of death.

Raven had told the police that Janet was getting ready for bed at the time of her murder, but the contact lenses contradicted his claims. To be sure about the clue, the police had to exhume Janet’s body, which confirmed she was still wearing her contacts. This indicated that she died earlier than Raven said.

4. Raven gave confusing statements about the case

A still from Dateline: Deadly Denial (Image via NBC)

Raven’s version of what happened kept changing every time. Detective Charles Sole, who later took over the case, noticed that Raven’s phone calls and interviews had several contradictions.

For example, he repeatedly changed his story about whether the lights were on or off when he arrived home and whether the baby was crying. In his 911 call, he never once asked for help for Janet. As seen on Dateline, these little details made investigators even more suspicious.

5. Janet’s family had to fight a long battle for justice

Raven was finally arrested in 2010, five years after the murder. But Janet’s family’s fight for justice was far from over. The trial began in 2013 and ended in a hung jury. A second trial was then planned, but Raven agreed to an Alford plea before that in 2014.

This meant he did not admit guilt but accepted that there was enough evidence to convict him. He was sentenced to 10 years but received credit for time already served. Raven was released from prison on Christmas Day in 2017.