'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAIRAAAgEDAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDABExBQYSBxUjUWH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBEhNBUf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AzKLfKpDEOzwFV4k+ZhzK5vbAPoVS3UBmYsukwIpNwomaw+YpSk3bofGs6P/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the predawn hours of September 22, 2013, a Delaware couple named Joseph and Olga Connell were murdered in a senseless double homicide that Dateline revisits. The Dateline: The case's unforgettable presentation revealed a life insurance policy-driven assassination-for-hire plot and emphasized the premeditated crime.
Joseph and Olga had been married for a few months and were driving home after celebrating Olga's birthday. They pulled into the parking lot of their Wilmington home when they were ambushed and shot to death in their car in what police would later find to be a targeted killing, not a botched robbery.
Who were Joseph and Olga Connell?
As shown in Dateline, Joseph Connell Jr. was a Wilmington entrepreneur whose parents ran a wedding videography company. Joseph was in the local events industry and had previously worked for Christopher Rivers, another videographer. Joseph's wife, Olga Connell, was a native Ukrainian who had come to the U.S. and had just married Joseph. The two were celebrating Olga's birthday at night and were driving home early the morning after when they were killed.
Police reports and video taken from surveillance cameras confirmed the shooting occurred about 1 a.m. outside their apartment complex parking area. There was no evidence of forced entry or robbery, suggesting the scene was a result of a premeditated and targeted attack.
Investigation and uncovering a murder-for-hire scheme
Dateline says that the Wilmington police and federal authorities launched a complete investigation with surveillance tapes, cellular phone records, and banking records. All these aids facilitated them to find out a murder-for-hire scheme crafted and executed by Joseph's old business associate, Christopher Rivers.
Law enforcement learned that Rivers and Connell had bought $1 million life insurance policies on one another as part of their business arrangement. Rivers was then found to have arranged the murders to access the policy proceeds. As reported by Dateline, this motive was the foundation of the prosecution's case.
The role of the co-conspirators
As Dateline depicted, three other individuals were implicated in the conspiracy. Alongside Rivers, Dominique Benson was found guilty of conspiracy. However, the jury failed to agree on the murder and gun possession charges against him, and a new trial was planned. Another suspected shooter, Aaron Thompson, was detained, accused of murder, and put on trial separately. Joshua Bey, yet another co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was given a five-year sentence.
The episode described how the suspects' movements were coordinated using phone records and burner phones. There was also evidence that Rivers had been stalking the Connells and had communicated with the other assailants before the attack.
Trial and sentencing
Christopher Rivers was found guilty in 2017 of two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and various ancillary charges. He received two life sentences and fifty years in prison. His conviction was significantly based on forensic evidence, online communications, and financial incentives regarding the life insurance policy.
Dateline also showed that Dominique Benson was only found guilty of conspiracy at that point. A retrial was ordered because the jury was still debating the other counts. Aaron Thompson was still to be tried as of the latest available information. Joshua Bey's plea deal resulted in a five-year sentence for his role in the conspiracy.
As Dateline emphasized, Olga Connell was not seen to be the target. Being present on the scene, however, made her a secondary victim of the plot, emphasizing the indiscriminate and far-reaching consequences of the intended scheme.
Olga and Joseph Connell's murders were a profound shock to the families, society in Wilmington, and the world. The case drew media attention due to the repulsive motive behind the killings, personal relationships among the players in the tragedy, and the deliberate manner in which the investigation was conducted. Dateline presented the events' sequence based on donations from police officers, court officials, and people who knew the victims.
Trending
The close examination of telephone records, insurance policies, and electronic taps made it obvious how a former normal business partnership deteriorated into fatal betrayal. The incident presented the true reflection of how greed, suspicion, and clever schemes created disaster.
Also read: Dateline: The Last Mile - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode
Reply
