A Zanesville, Ohio, woman who needed to find out how to load a gun before shooting herself and faking a home invasion to cover up an August 2023 murder has pleaded guilty to multiple charges. Ta.
The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a press release Monday that Deborah L. Frazier, 36, pleaded guilty to murder with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse.
Police responded to a call on August 10, 2023, from Frazier, who claimed she had been shot in the leg by two robbers as she was leaving her boyfriend’s apartment.
The body of her boyfriend, Thomas Waddell, was found in a back room of the apartment by responding officers, wrapped in blankets and trash bags and secured with duct tape.
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Deborah Frazier, of Zanesville, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of murder with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse. (Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office)
Frazier initially claimed he entered the apartment and found an intruder inside, but nothing was missing, including Waddell’s firearm.
Police also were unable to find doorbell or surveillance camera footage that showed intruders entering or fleeing the scene.
An autopsy of Waddell’s body revealed that he had been murdered more than 12 hours before Frazier called 911, and a forensic examination of the suspect’s internet browsing history revealed a gun. It turned out that there were multiple searches for information about loading and firing.
Frazier stood behind Waddell as he sat in a recliner, raised a .22-caliber pistol, pointed it at the back of his head and executed him in the living room, according to a statement of facts provided by prosecutors.
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Zanesville Police Department officers responded to Thomas Waddell’s apartment on April 10, 2023, and found his body wrapped in blankets and bags and secured with duct tape. (Google Maps)
Frazier and Waddell had dated on and off for years, and although he was much older than her, he was known for reaching out and helping those in need.
Frazier called police to report a hoax shooting, claiming her home had been ransacked and the door had been left open. During her call, she yelled that men were inside the house before gunshots were heard.
Frazier then yelled that he had been shot, and all Zanesville Police Department officers on duty responded to the scene.
When officers arrived, they found Frazier bleeding from a gunshot wound to the leg in the entryway of the apartment. She told her police officer that masked white men came out of her apartment and shot her as she was leaving. One of the officers provided a tourniquet on Frazier’s girlfriend’s leg, and she was taken to the hospital. Next to her as she fell to the ground was a .22 caliber revolver.
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Inside the courtroom where you can see the gavel. (St. Petersburg)
During the investigation, detectives conducted a forensic software search to examine Frazier’s cell phone. Between August 5th and August 9th, detectives conducted research on topics such as “How to Load a Gun,” “How to Load a Revolver Pistol,” “How to Know the Ammunition Used in a Gun,” and “The Hammer of a Gun.” I found searches such as “How to remove it.” “Revolver”, “What does a .22 round look like?”, “The worst place to get shot in the head”.
When detectives examined the duct tape wrapped around Waddell’s body, they found hair from Frazier.
Prosecutors said the investigation uncovered a body of evidence suggesting Frazier acted alone and that others were duped by her manipulation and lies.
The statement of facts also states that the circumstances and results of the investigation, including the court order, show that Frazier “intentionally killed” Waddell with a firearm and that he created false evidence and shot himself. He said this shows that he tried to cover up the crime. .
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“Frazier deserves a life sentence for his crimes, and he will serve it,” said Assistant Prosecutor John Little. “This plea allows her to accept her responsibility and eliminates the risks associated with a trial on the horribly tabloid facts of this case.”
