Four days after Kristen Wagner’s body was found in a freezer at a scrapyard, authorities concluded the cause of death was suicide by hanging. But then, not long after, an arrest of James Bidwell for drug distribution and possession revealed another dark secret.
The Dead Body in a Hanging Position
At 7:30 pm on June 2, 2011, the first police officers arrived at a scrapyard in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, USA after receiving a call from an employee there.
This person reported finding the body of their coworker identified as 27-year-old Kristen Wagner inside a refrigerated tow truck. Kristen was in a hanging position, suspended from the ceiling, with her feet just touching the floor. The cord was tied to the refrigeration unit.
Kristen had a purple ligature mark around her neck from the cord. Emergency responders noted that it appeared Kristen had asphyxiated herself. Suicide was also the initial assumption by police after processing the scene and talking to witnesses.
This scrapyard belonged to a company owned by James Bidwell. The employee who found Kristen’s body said he immediately contacted his boss upon the discovery. The man told the employee he was in Philadelphia, two hours’ drive away, and instructed him to call 911 to report it.
According to information from Kristen’s relatives, investigators learned she grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs in a household that “wasn’t always great.” Nevertheless, Kristen was very kind and loving.
While still in high school, Kristen met her husband at school. She became a pregnant teenager in her senior year. In the years after, Kristen had two more children. The family was hugely important to this mother of three.
The Surprising Arrest
However, Kristen had struggled with substance abuse issues and depression at times. Previously, she had attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. But gradually, Kristen seemed to have turned her life around and found fulfillment through her job. Her death came as a shock to loved ones.
The autopsy ruled Kristen’s cause of death as suicide by hanging. Four days after the body was discovered, the case was closed.
But then not long after, an arrest for drug distribution and possession rocked the local community. The suspect was James Bidwell, the owner of the company where Kristen worked.
James had a wife and two kids and was well-known in the community. The man was charged with trafficking drugs from the Philadelphia area to Stroudsburg. Notably, the lead investigator on Kristen’s case discovered that Kristen had secretly been an informant telling narcotics police about James’ illegal activities.
Immediately, investigators from both cases were brought together to share information about James. They then pieced together an overall picture of events. According to this, Kristen met James through her father Donald Wagner. Donald and James had done business together previously. Kristen trusted that James was a positive influence.
When local police suspected James was a major player in bringing drugs into the community, they knew of Kristen’s connection to him, so persuaded her to become an informant.
Suspicious Death
When local police suspected that James Bidwell played a key role in the drug trafficking network in the community, they convinced Kristen Wagner to become an informant when they learned she worked for the suspect and had familiarity with him.
In a recorded interview with the police, Kristen revealed she feared that if she were to be an informant, she could encounter a lot of trouble. But eventually, this woman agreed to cooperate. Not long after, she was found dead.
This coincidence raised suspicions for the investigators. Although they couldn’t find a clear reason, they felt that things were not as simple as they had previously thought.
On May 9, 2013, James was convicted of several charges. His lawyer appealed, and James was released on bail with $100,000. Meanwhile, the police still couldn’t find a connection between James’s drug case and Kristen’s death.
On May 27, 2014, a man named Richard Gerber unexpectedly contacted law enforcement. Richard said he had been involved in an illegal business activity with James but they had stopped cooperating later on.
Richard claimed James and his wife Jennifer split because she discovered her husband’s drug dealing and infidelity. James’s lover was Kristen. The two had an emotional affair for a year before Kristen’s death.
A Wrongful Relationship
In an interview with the police, Richard disclosed that James told him about Kristen expressing disgust at being the third person. On the day Kristen died, she told her lover she would talk to his wife about their relationship.
Richard said James confessed to him that he lost control and strangled Kristen to death. He then staged the scene to look like a suicide.
However, investigators doubted the information Richard provided. He had a criminal history and was not trustworthy.
They then spoke to Kristen’s sister, Kimberly Ann Tucker. Kimberly admitted her sister had confided in her about her relationship with James. Kimberly also said after Kristen’s funeral, she confronted James about her sister’s death and found him very uncomfortable.
Kimberly then successfully logged into her sister’s email account. The information revealed the start of Kristen and James’s relationship as well as the development of their feelings. This corroborated Richard’s testimony.
As Kristen had been cremated, forensic pathologists carefully reviewed crime scene photos and injuries. They then determined that Kristen might have been strangled. The death was reclassified as undetermined. Kristen’s case was subsequently reopened.
Suspicious Crime Scene
Police realized there were two possible motives for Kristen’s death. First, she was an informant for police about her boyfriend James Bidwell’s drug dealing. Second, she had threatened to tell James’s wife about their affair.
However, investigators needed physical evidence to charge James. They closely examined the crime scene photos. Both the electrical cord around her neck and the way Kristen’s feet touched the floor seemed suspicious.
The cord was not knotted. Dust covered Kristen’s back and shoulders as if she had lain on a dirty surface for a while before being hanged. A box on the floor beneath Kristen’s body had fresh, large footprints that were not hers.
Another assessment based on the autopsy photos showed Kristen’s lower back was pale, unlike a hanging. Her feet touched the floor with bent knees. The marks and injuries on her body did not seem consistent with death by suicide. The cause was changed to homicide.
Life Sentence for Killing Mistress
Investigators then obtained a warrant for James’ mobile phone records. They found he had called his wife and told her about Kristen’s death around 5:30 pm, while workers at the scrapyard did not call him about it until two hours later.
Additionally, James told workers he was in Philadelphia and could not come to the scene, but he was actually at or traveling to a bar in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania.
On August 8, 2016, James was in prison for drug trafficking and distribution after his appeals were denied. He was then also charged with homicide. Some other witnesses also came forward at this point. According to one woman, after being intimate, James revealed to her that he had killed Kristen.
Another witness, Alyssa Benekcho, said one week after Kristen’s death, she met James at a bar. While drinking, James said the victim had committed suicide by hanging herself. But then he suddenly admitted he was the one who killed her.
James’ wife Jennifer Bidwell had divorced him while he was in prison. She agreed to cooperate with investigators.
James’ trial began on February 5, 2020. The defense claimed Kristen had committed suicide.
However, with the evidence gathered, the jury carefully considered and found James guilty on May 11, 2020. James was sentenced to life in prison without parole for strangling his 27-year-old mistress and staging a suicide scene. The man later appealed but was denied.
