When William “Billy” Sproates was murdered and his uncle went missing, authorities had to put in a lot of effort to sort through their tangled family relationships. Finally, the police were able to uncover the horrific truth.
A Dead Body in a Shallow Grave
“Murder” was a word rarely mentioned in Bridgeville, a small town in Sussex County, Delaware (USA), where most residents knew each other. But that changed on November 30, 2011, when officers from the Delaware State Police received a call to check on the welfare of 61-year-old John Charbonneau. Mr. John had heart problems and lived alone on the outskirts of the town of Bridgeville.
When the police arrived, they noticed John was not home. But upon observation, the officers noticed a pile of tires in the backyard that seemed to have been recently moved. Feeling suspicious, the police then dug into the ground underneath. Very quickly, they were utterly shocked to find a body with its hands tied behind its back, wrapped in a bedsheet lying in a shallow grave.
The group of officers wondered at that moment if this was the body of John Charbonneau?
But then, the authorities found a wallet on the victim, along with identification that did not belong to John. Instead, it belonged to a man named William “Billy” Sproates, a 45-year-old man who lived about 48km away. Notably, William had been reported missing by his relatives a few weeks earlier.
A Horrific Death
William “Billy” Sproates was born and raised in the rural area of Magnolia, Delaware. From a young age, William was familiar with work on the family farm. As an adult, William became a sawmill worker.
Those around him noted that William lived a secluded life, only knowing work and his relatives. But then, in 1997, a woman named Linda Lou Charbonneau entered William’s life.
Linda was 8 years older than William. “She was William’s first girlfriend. The two were always clingy with each other,” said David, William’s brother. They married in 1997.
On the morning of October 18, 2001, William did not show up at the meeting place with his brother David. Previously, the two had planned to go deer hunting together. Worried, David called his sister-in-law Linda, who informed him that she had not seen William for many weeks and that the couple had separated. Linda added that it was quite possible William had gone off with another woman.
After many failed attempts to contact his brother, David decided to report William’s disappearance to the police.
After finding William’s identification in the wallet of the murdered man, the authorities conducted an autopsy on the body. The result was not surprising: The victim was William. He had suffered blunt force trauma injuries as well as multiple stab wounds to the upper body and head.
More horrifically, the cause of William’s death was asphyxiation. The dirt found in the victim’s lungs during the autopsy showed that he had been buried alive.
The police immediately launched an investigation to find the perpetrator who killed William as well as the whereabouts of John Charbonneau.
Surprising Information
Inside John’s house, the police discovered the curtains had been removed and a cabinet had been pulled away from the wall. No one understood what had happened here?
When the police interrogated Linda Lou Charbonneau – William’s wife, who was 8 years older than William. The 53-year-old woman said she had been staying at her ex-husband’s house during her separation from William when the two were facing difficulties in their marriage.
But then she decided to return home to reconcile. However, when she got back, she could not find her husband anywhere. Linda said instead, she only saw a note William had left saying he had decided to leave her for a younger woman.
When informing Linda of the sad news that her husband had died, the investigator was very surprised by what this 53-year-old woman revealed. Accordingly, William was John’s grandson, calling John “uncle.”
But that was not all. Linda also provided an even more shocking piece of information – that she had previously been married to John before marrying William.
The Woman with Three Husbands
Linda had had a difficult life. Her first husband died in a car accident, leaving her with two young children. She then married John and had another child.
John’s brother revealed that in 1997, Linda abruptly divorced John to marry William. This made John visibly uncomfortable. Not only because his “romantic rival” was his own grandson, but more importantly, John and Linda had been together for nearly 20 years, raising their children together. John had also cared for Linda’s daughter Melissa Rucinski as his own child.
As the police continued searching for John Charbonneau’s whereabouts, they interrogated Melissa Rucinski and her boyfriend Willie “Tony” Brown. Melissa and Tony said John had left home to serve as a juror in a trial.
This information was later verified, but no one knew where John went after that.
With the information they had, the investigation team hypothesized whether the relationship between William and Linda could have been the motive for John to commit murder.
Linda told the police that she had been staying at her ex-husband’s apartment before deciding to return to William to reconcile. According to Linda, John was very upset when he learned of her intention to get back together with William. The 53-year-old woman also suspected that John may have been involved in William’s death.
But then, the police’s suspicions and the direction of the investigation immediately changed when they discovered a suspicious clue.
Important Clues
Based on the information obtained, the investigative team hypothesized that the marriage between the victim, William Sproates, and Linda Lou Charbonneau was the motive behind John Charbonneau—Linda’s ex-husband—committing the murder.
According to Linda, John was deeply saddened when he learned of her intention to reconcile with William. The 53-year-old woman also suspected that her ex-husband might be involved in William’s death.
But then, suspicions and the direction of the investigation immediately changed when the police discovered a suspicious clue. It was the fluctuation in John’s bank account balance while he was missing without a trace.
Believing this to be lead to John’s whereabouts, the police conducted an investigation and were quite surprised when reviewing ATM transaction footage. It revealed that the person using John’s bank card was Melissa Rucinski—Linda Lou Charbonneau’s daughter.
Moreover, shortly after William’s death, Linda, along with her daughter Mellisa and her boyfriend, Willie “Tony” Brown, moved in to live at William’s house.
In December 2001, the investigative team received a search warrant for William’s house. What they found afterward was considered a very significant lead. They discovered bloodstains on the ceiling, walls, windows, and kitchen floor. Additionally, the police found numerous bloodstains scattered on the seats inside Linda’s small truck.
The blood samples were promptly sent for testing. However, it took several months for the authorities to obtain results regarding the blood samples’ ownership. During that time, the investigative team continued actively searching for John Charbonneau’s whereabouts but found no further leads. The case thus became increasingly deadlocked.
Sinister Plot
At that moment, the investigative team received a tip-off from the Delaware state police with crucial information from a prisoner held in a state prison. This man was John Rucinski—Melissa Rucinski’s ex-husband. At that time, he was serving time for theft.
John Rucinski claimed to have learned about William’s murder and John Charbonneau’s disappearance and immediately thought of his wife and ex-mother-in-law. According to John Rucinski, Melissa and her mother had suggested he kill John Charbonneau. He stated that Linda’s motive was to steal her ex-husband’s welfare benefits and social security after his death.
With this sinister plan, Linda and her daughter plotted to scare John Charbonneau, causing him to have a heart attack and then hitting him on the head. However, John Rucinski refused to participate in this murder plot.
Finally, in the spring of 2002, the investigative team received the results of the blood samples found at William’s house and in Linda’s car. It revealed that William’s blood was found in the kitchen, while John Charbonneau’s blood was found in Linda’s car.
With more and more evidence pointing towards John Charbonneau as the victim, although Linda, Mellisa, and Willie were all considered suspects, the police still lacked sufficient evidence to arrest them for murder.
Ultimately, the investigation made a breakthrough when Mellisa decided to reveal the truth.
Sinister Conspiracy
Despite the belief that Linda Lou Charbonneau, along with her daughter Mellisa Rucinski and Mellisa’s boyfriend Willie “Tony” Brown, were all suspects related to the death of William Sproates and the disappearance of John Charbonneau, the police still lacked sufficient evidence to arrest them for murder.
Finally, the investigation made a breakthrough when Mellisa decided to reveal the truth. She confessed that her mother was the mastermind behind both murders. In the case of John’s murder, the motive was to steal money from her ex-husband’s bank account.
According to the plan, on September 23, 2001, Linda conspired to murder John by intentionally leaving the back door of their house open so that Willie could sneak in, pretending to be a burglar. Mellisa later confessed that Willie attacked John until he died. Linda witnessed the entire event. While being assaulted, the victim called out for his ex-wife’s help, but Linda did nothing. At that moment, the man had no idea she was the one behind it all.
After John Charbonneau’s death, Willie and Mellisa transported the victim’s body deep into the forest for burial. The trio of murderers then began moving John’s belongings into William’s house.
Feeling something was amiss, William immediately questioned his uncle’s disappearance and expressed suspicion repeatedly. Because of this, Linda decided to eliminate her eight-year-younger husband.
Once again, this plan received assistance from Linda’s daughter and her boyfriend.
Linda lured William into the house while Willie waited inside to ambush him. Afterward, all three brought the victim to John’s house, as they didn’t want to bury him near where they lived. Here, William was buried alive, as he was still alive at that time.
The Body in the Woods
Following Mellisa’s confession, Willie admitted to what had happened. He led the police to a forest area in Millsboro, Delaware, and indicated where John was buried. Here, John’s body was found.
However, the authorities couldn’t find strong enough evidence to charge Linda with murder. Eventually, Mellisa agreed to testify against her mother in exchange for a 25-year sentence for second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Willie received a life sentence without parole for two counts of first-degree murder.
In June 2004, Linda was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, becoming the first woman to be sentenced to death in Delaware since 1935.
However, in 2006, the appellate court overturned Linda’s sentence due to inconsistencies between Mellisa’s provided testimony and her courtroom testimony. But by this time, Mellisa refused to testify against her mother.
Before the trial began in 2007, Linda was offered a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in John’s case, and the charges related to William’s case were dropped. Linda was sentenced to 20 years in prison. For refusing to testify in the second trial, Mellisa received an additional 5 months in prison.
Linda is expected to be released in July 2022. Meanwhile, Mellisa may be released in April 2024. Tony Brown continues to serve a life sentence at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware.
