Chanin Starbuck Murder: Where is Her Husband Clay Starbuck Now? – Dateline: Secrets Uncovered revisited Chanin Starbuck’s gruesome murder in an episode titled A Cold December Morning. When Chanin Starbuck was found dead in her home in December 2011, her murder shocked the Deer Park, Washington, neighbourhood. According to reports, the dedicated mother of five was strangled and her body was placed in a deplorable condition. Let’s, therefore, learn more about what transpired at that time.
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How Did Chanin Starbuck Die?
Before completing her high school education in Florida, Chanin Denice Starbuck was born in Indiana. Later, she also earned an associate’s degree in art therapy. Chanin was a Clay Starbuck wife. The couple got divorced in 2000 after getting married in 1990. They reconciled and ultimately wedded in 2006. Their second marriage ended in July 2011 after they had had five children together. The three youngest kids were staying with Chanin at the time. She had just started to put her life back together after finishing a dental assistant training course.
Clay requested that the police check on her well-being at her residence on December 2, 2011. They decided to leave when they couldn’t locate any indications of a forced entrance or anything else unusual. The police were contacted the following day by a friend who reported that Chanin had not been in contact with her for a few days. When the police arrived this time, they discovered her body in the master bedroom. She had been battered from head to toe when she was discovered face-up on the bed.
The medical examiner had determined that some of her wounds might have been brought on by using a stun gun, and that other wounds suggested that she had been relocated. She had been strangled, and the cause of death was suffocation from the compression of the neck. What was notable was how her dead body was displayed in a sexually provocative manner. On the scene, sex toys and a massager were discovered. The massager was placed on her pubic area beneath her hands.
Who killed Chanin Starbuck and Why?
Chanin had been in contact with several guys she had met on internet dating platforms, according to an initial investigation. However, after their alibis were confirmed, they were excluded. Of course, Clay, her ex-husband, was questioned by the police. He initially cooperated with the detectives and provided information about his previous interactions with Chanin. On December 1, he claimed, he was supposed to drive the kids to school, but his car broke down, so he asked Chanin to pick them up instead. He claimed to have texted her about it at around 8 AM before returning home to sleep. Around 11 AM, Clay went back for the automobile.
Clay explained to the cops that he had missed some text messages because his phone had run out of battery in the interim. When he turned on his phone around 3:37 PM, Chanin had texted him asking him to pick up the kids from school at 3:17 PM. Later that evening, Chanin also skipped her son’s basketball game. Thus, on December 2, Clay had called the police. They thought she might have been slain on December 1 after 3:17 PM based on Clay’s phone records, which appeared to support the information.
However, after checking Chanin’s phone records, they learned that a 911 call had been placed. On December 1 at at 9:17 AM, it captured a female grunt followed by a rustling sound that the police determined to be the moment of her death. Additionally, research into the couple’s background revealed that Clay owed her a sizable sum of money in child support. According to a local churchgoer, Chanin allegedly feared her ex-husband would harm her. The same individual asserted that Clay informed him he believed Chanin was cheating on him and that he had set up the spyware on her computer to monitor her activities.
Additionally, Chanin had previously gotten a restraining order against Clay. Chanin’s face, neck, and the DNA samples taken from her under her fingernails and from her face all matched a male Starbuck. There was additional unidentifiable DNA present. Clay was the only remaining suspect because the two eldest boys had plausible alibis. In 2013, Clay was put on trial for killing Chanin.
According to the detectives, Clay enticed Chanin out of her home under the pretence of leaving the kids off, then broke in, waited for her to return, and killed her when she did. Then, pretending to be her, he sent texts to himself and the other men with whom she had been in contact. According to the prosecution, Clay killed her out of jealousy and made it appear as though one of the guys she had been seeing was responsible.
Where is Clay Starbuck Now?
Clay was convicted guilty of sexually abusing human remains and aggravating first-degree murder in June 2013. Before delivering its decision, the jury deliberated for around two days. For the murder, he was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole, and for the mistreatment of human remains, he was given an additional year.
The victim’s relatives believed that the perpetrator would be imprisoned. Steve, her brother, remarked, “I never imagined this day would arrive. I’m just relieved that my sister has received justice at last. She can finally slumber peacefully. According to prison records, clay is still detained at the Airway Heights Corrections Center in Spokane County, Washington. Clay unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in 2015.
