Mark (name changed), 28, was always the “funny guy” in the relationship. His TikTok was full of pranks on his wife, Jessica. They were usually harmless: a plastic spider in the bed, swapping sugar for salt. But this time, Mark decided to raise the stakes.
“I wanted to see her real reaction to danger,” he later admitted to investigators, his hands shaking as he held a cup of water. “I thought I’d be the hero when I pulled off the mask.”
He planned it perfectly. He waited for a Friday night when Jessica was home alone watching Netflix. He told her he was going to the store, but instead, he changed into all-black clothing in the garage, grabbed a fake crowbar, and put on a ski mask.
He didn’t know it would be the last night he ever saw his wife.
Mark turned on the cameras in the living room via his phone. Then, he walked to the front door and started aggressively jiggling the handle, simulating a violent break-in.
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