Detectives realize YouTuber claiming to be 'victim' is actually husband's killer after she slips up in police interview
Topics: Crime, True crime
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Law&Crime Network
Topics: Crime, True crime
When a Texas man's body was found in the woods, everything pointed to him being the victim of a brutal murder-kidnapping plot by masked intruders.
But when his wife was questioned by police, they began to realize her story didn't add up.
On February 20 2015 police rushed to the house of Samantha Wohlford in Texas after she called her mom Rosie asking for help.
The YouTuber and mom-of-five claimed that her husband Ernie Ibarra had been kidnapped and his body was found in the woods the same day.
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When officers from Titus County Sheriff’s Office arrived they found that Wohlford had seemingly been bound and gagged by intruders, who she claimed had also brutally attacked tattoo artist Ibarra in the middle of the night.
Investigators went on to suspect three men of being involved in the incident - Jose Ponse, Johnathan Sanford and Octavious Rhymes.
But while Wohlford had called the police, it later emerged that she was far from innocent and was the mastermind behind her husband's death.
The pair had a troubled marriage, with Ibarra allegedly being abusive towards his wife, allegations his family denied after she filed a complaint against him.
Wohlford had run a small YouTube channel and had ambitions to become an actor.
Her videos would see her frequently speak about her personal life, including how she struggled with juggling the responsibilities of looking after her five children.
Following the death of her husband, Wohlford was brought in for questioning by police.
She tried to place the blame for her husband's death on Johnathan Sanford, saying that he had been furious when she told him about her husband's alleged abusive behaviour.
Sanford and his brother Jose Antonio Ponse were arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping.
But when the brothers gave information about the incident they claimed that Wohlford and someone else, Rhymes, had been involved in the murder.
At first they plotted to plant meth in Ibarra's car and call the police, but then decided it was simpler just to kill him, and Wohlford lent them a car to use.
Officers questioning Wohlford were curious as to how Wohlford had managed to call her mom for help while tied up.
Not only that, but why did she call her mom and not 911 directly.
Wohlford's explanation was that she was only able to dial with her face, and one detective, Detective Ingram, asked: “Well, how did you dial your mother with your face?”
She claimed that she had just pressed the first number that came up, but officers weren't convinced.
Ibarra was shot dead, and his body was found in woods by Sand Crossing in Camp County.
Ultimately Sanford and Ponse were sentenced to 50 years in jail, while Rhymes was given 93 years.
As for Woflford, she was sentenced to 99 years in jail.