Johanna Hove-Becker Murder – Where is Killer Husband Craig Becker Now? – Johanna Hove-Becker, a mother and psychotherapist, was 32 years old when she was murdered. She died from injuries acquired after falling from the seventh floor of her apartment building. The violent murder is described in the NBC true crime series “Dateline” Season 31, Episode 19 episode titled, “The Window.“ If you want to learn more about Johanna Hove-Becker’s murder and her killer, keep reading.
Must Read: NBC’s ‘Dateline’ “A Journey to Nowhere” – Robin Bodden Murder
Who Was Johanna Hove-Becker and How Did She Die?
Hove-Becker was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 30, 1983. They arrived in America in 1989. Her obituary mentioned that she attended Arlington Country Day School. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Florida.
While working in Virginia, Hove-Becker received his doctorate in psychology and became a licenced professional. In 2013, when her Navy spouse, Lt. Craig Becker, was transferred to NATO, she accompanied him there and settled in Mons, Belgium.
Hove-Becker is the joyful mother of a daughter called Isabelle Louise on June 12, 2014. According to the obituary, the couple separated in September of 2015.
On October 8, 2015, around 9 p.m., Hove-Becker, 32, died after falling from a seventh-floor penthouse apartment.
Witnesses reported seeing Johanna fall from her seventh-floor apartment window, prompting first suspicions of a suicide by hanging. The absence of a suicide note contradicted the autopsy results, which revealed the presence of tramadol and zolpidem, both of which would have made the victim unconscious.
Who Killed Johanna Hove-Becker, and Why?
The authorities initially ruled Johanna’s death as a suicide, but her family and friends swiftly challenged this conclusion. According to rumours, Johanna was a devoted mother; consequently, her decision to fake her own death was extremely out of character. They stated that there were no warning signs and that the victim had not left a suicide note. According to the autopsy results, Johanna may have been unconscious at the time of her death as a result of drug use. After reassessing the scenario in light of the facts, the police initiated a murder investigation.
Johanna and her estranged husband, Navy Lt. Craig Becker, originally settled in Mons, Belgium, according to the findings of the investigation. Initially, everything went swimmingly; the couple even welcomed a daughter, Isabelle Louise, born in June of 2014. Craig and Johanna wed in May of 2015, but they were living apart by September of the same year. Despite his apparent anguish at the news, Craig became a suspect in Johanna’s murder. He asserted that he had nothing to do with the crime and even expressed sympathy for Johanna’s parents.
During this time, police analysed the evidence and determined that Johanna had not jumped to her death but rather been pushed. Also corroborating the murder theory were marks discovered near the apartment window from whence she had fallen. However, Craig raised concerns when he claimed he did not know his wife’s phone password, despite the fact that authorities discovered evidence of him impersonating Johanna after her death. In addition, law enforcement authorities uncovered evidence implicating Craig as the man who poisoned his wife with tramadol and zolpidem hours before she fell from the seventh-floor window and died. Craig was arrested and eventually charged with Johanna’s murder because there was sufficient evidence to sustain an arrest.
Craig was arrested and spent two years in jail but was never charged with a crime. In 2018, the Navy assumed the responsibility and conducted its own investigation before submitting Craig Becker to the court. Craig maintained his innocence and pled not guilty during his trial. Yet, he was convicted of many offences, including premeditated murder, conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman, and assault with a lethal weapon. He was also removed from his responsibilities by the Navy and granted a life sentence with parole eligibility in 2022. Craig has appealed his sentence, but it has not been reversed, and he is still serving time in prison at the time of this writing.
Where is Killer Husband Craig Becker Today?
While Johanna was working as a psychologist in Norfolk, Virginia, she fell in love with Craig Becker, a lieutenant in the United States Navy. There was instant chemistry between them, and they quickly felt entirely at ease with one another.
Johanna, who died when she fell from the window of her seventh-floor apartment on October 8, 2015, was a devoted mother who would never deliberately abandon her child, according to her family and friends. Due to the gravity of the accusation, the authorities renewed their investigation and decided that the woman was intentionally pushed to her death. However, the autopsy found that Johanna was under the effect of sedatives such as zolpidem and tramadol, which would have rendered her unconscious before her demise.
Craig maintained his innocence and denied any participation in his wife’s tragic death when questioned. It appeared the news genuinely moved him, and he shared the victim’s family’s sorrow. Despite yet, detectives soon unearthed evidence indicating Craig posed as his wife in a series of text exchanges sent shortly after her demise. During the initial interview, he had previously stated that he was unaware of Johanna’s phone’s passcode. Investigators also uncovered evidence implicating Craig as the one who administered the mixture of tramadol and zolpidem that rendered Johanna unconscious. Hence, the police had probable cause to arrest Craig, and he was charged with the murder of his wife.
Even though Craig was arrested in 2016, he remained under house arrest in Belgium until the Navy took up the investigation in 2018. After some time, he was moved to the Naval Station in San Diego, where he faced formal charges and a court-martial. Craig declared his innocence and submitted a not-guilty plea when he was eventually hauled before the judge. The jury, however, came to a different conclusion, finding him guilty of premeditated murder and conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman.
In addition, prosecutors allegedly provided evidence that he strangled Johanna in 2013, resulting in his conviction on an additional assault offence that resulted in battery. After Craig was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 2022, the Military discharged him immediately. Since then, Craig Becker has filed an appeal of his conviction, but it has not yet been heard; thus, he remains in a US prison.
Also See: Shele Danishfesky Murder: Where is Rod Covlin today?
