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NBC’s Dateline took viewers back into one of Florida’s most unsettling murder cases, the death of Dr. Steven Schwartz.
A case full of suspicion, unanswered questions, and a detective who still believes the real suspect got away. The episode looks at how the investigation unfolded and whether Rebecca Schwartz was ever charged with killing her husband.
Dateline: The case that stayed with the investigators
Retired detective John Diebel spent more than ten years on this case. For him, it wasn’t just another file in a cabinet. Diebel told Dateline,
"It’s like the one case where you didn’t get the suspect that you knew in your heart that she committed a murder. You just didn’t have enough for the state attorney’s office to go forward with prosecution."
Steven Schwartz, a wealthy doctor living in Tarpon Springs, was found dead in his home in 2014. His death shocked the community. Dateline shared that he had been shot twice, allegedly with a small-caliber gun. Inside the house, investigators found drawers pulled open and jewelry boxes scattered around. But Diebel believed the whole thing was staged. Rather, it was a fake burglary meant to throw off the police.
Was Rebecca Schwartz ever charged?
Here’s the part that kept everyone confused. Rebecca Schwartz was never criminally charged in her husband’s murder. But the story doesn’t end there. According to Dateline,
"Rebecca Schwartz was never criminally charged in the death of Steven Schwartz but was found liable in civil court and ordered to pay his family $200 million."
That judgment came years later. A civil court jury decided she had intentionally killed Steven or taken part in his death. It wasn’t a criminal conviction, but for many, it felt like some form of justice after years of waiting.
The true motive
In court, lawyers for Steven’s family claimed Rebecca Schwartz had a financial motive. It was reported that the family’s attorneys accused her of killing him over a possible divorce.
After Steven’s death, she became the beneficiary of an estate worth more than $30 million. But according to Dateline, she converted the amount into a limited liability. Attorneys for Steven’s family said they managed to freeze somewhere between $6 million and $10 million of her assets.
Years before Steven’s murder, she’d pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $7,000 from a Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter she once led. That fact came back under scrutiny after his death.
Rebecca Schwartz speaks
She invoked her right against self-incrimination and refused to answer when attorneys for Steven’s family pressed her about whether she took part in his death. She also refused to answer questions about her previous conviction.
Her lawyer, Rohom Khonsari, pushed back against the claims. He said there was:
"No evidence supporting the claim that Steven wanted to divorce her. Nor was there any physical evidence linking her to the crime."
That defense echoed what many viewers have seen before in Dateline cases.
The name that reappeared: Leo Stragaj
The investigation later led police to Leo Stragaj, a handyman who had worked for the couple for years. His DNA was found on Steven’s clothing, though the match wasn’t strong. Dateline reported that Stragaj told authorities,
"That guy took care of my everything. He supported my family in Albania."
At first, he denied any involvement. But later, in a recorded interview, Stragaj told investigators that Rebecca Schwartz had asked him to stop by the house the morning of the murder. When he went inside, and discovered Steven’s lifeless body in a pool of blood. He also claimed that when he confronted Rebecca later.
Still, nothing in his statement could be used to charge her. In 2021, after years in custody, Stragaj accepted a plea deal and was deported to Albania.
Diebel, though, never believed his story. He told Dateline he didn’t think Stragaj just stumbled upon the scene, and accused him of involvement in the killing.
A case that refuses to rest
Even with all this, Rebecca Schwartz has never faced criminal charges. Diebel said he went over every detail before retiring. He even brought in other agencies to review his work. But nothing new came out of it. He said on Dateline:
"Just would encourage anybody if you know anything, no matter how small... please come forward. ’Cause you never know what information that you have might be the link that we need to put things together"
In the end, the civil court ruling stood as the only legal consequence. Dateline showed that while justice was partly served for Steven’s family, the case still feels unfinished.
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So, was Rebecca Schwartz ever charged with killing Steven? No. She wasn’t charged in criminal court. But she was found responsible in civil court and ordered to pay $200 million to his family.
The Dateline episode lays it all bare. A wealthy doctor’s death, a staged crime scene, a wife accused but never charged, and a detective who still can’t let it go. It’s a case that lingers long after the credits roll.
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