When Mark and Shaun Staudte passed away in 2012, the police, as well as their close ones, believed it to be of natural causes. However, a shocking tip from an unlikely source led authorities to believe there was something afoot. ABC’s ’20/20: Home Sweet Murder’ chronicles the deaths and shows how an investigation finally led to Mark’s wife, Diane Staudte’s arrest. Let’s explore how the police honed in on the perpetrator and find out where Diane is at present, shall we?
Who Is Diane Staudte?
Diane and Mark were sweethearts from high school who married and settled down in the city of Springfield in Missouri. Diane mainly worked as a nurse but also played the organ at the Redeemer Lutheran church on the side, while Mark was the lead singer of a local band. Naturally, Mark’s career did not guarantee him a fixed income, and soon, Diane found the entire weight of the household on her shoulders.
Over time, the couple had four children, Brianna, Shaun, Sarah, and Rachel. While Rachel was considered the star child who was good at everything, the show mentioned that Briana has a learning disability, and Shaun lived with autism. On the other hand, their sister Sarah was a college graduate but had no job as of that moment.
Things changed drastically in the Staudte household when Mark unexpectedly died in the month of April. His death was ruled to be a natural one, and Diane used his insurance money to move herself and her children to a better house. However, much to everyone’s surprise, the family faced another death when 26-year-old Shaun suddenly passed away in the month of September in 2012.
According to reports, Shaun was experiencing body pain, nausea, and diarrhea for at least three weeks before his death, and thus, it was classified as a demise due to natural causes. For months, life went on, and investigators did not give a second thought about Mark and Shaun’s death.
However, things completely turned on their head when authorities received an anonymous tip in early 2013, which claimed that there was more to the deaths than what meets the eye. The tipster even claimed that Sarah wasn’t doing well and seemed to hint at possible homicide.
The police immediately reached out to the doctor treating Sarah and learned that they suspected her of being subjected to slow poisoning. Thus, with a clear indication of a possible double murder, authorities decided to have a chat with Diane Staudte. Initially, Diane seemed quite oblivious of the matter and insisted that she knew nothing about poisoning.
However, as the police kept questioning her, she began contradicting herself and, according to the show, claimed that her husband and son were drinking antifreeze because they wanted to commit suicide. Still, the cops weren’t satisfied, and only after they pushed her further did Diane confess to putting antifreeze in her husband and son’s drinks.
With Diane under arrest, the police carried out a search warrant in her house and found Rachel’s diary. Inside, they discovered that she had written down the dates of her father and brother’s murder. It was clear that she was in on the plan, and thus, Investigators brought her in for questioning.
Once at the station, Rachel, too, broke under a tough interrogation and confessed to helping her mother commit the crimes. She even mentioned that although they had researched various methods, including poisonous plants, they chose antifreeze because it was tasteless and undetectable. Thus, with a complete confession on their hands, the police arrested both and charged them with murder.
Where is Diane Staudte Now?
Once produced in court, both Diane and Rachel pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. As a result, in 2016, Diane was sentenced to life in prison without parole, while Rachel was handed a prison term of 42 and a half years to life. Thus, with no parole on the cards, Diane Staudte is now convicted of a single count each of second-degree murder, first-degree murder, and first-degree assault and is incarcerated at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, Missouri.
