Dateline NBC: Cara Rintala Trial: Was She Found Guilty of Wife’s Murder?

Dateline NBC plans to re-examine the 2010 killing of Annamarie Cochrane Rintala in her home in Granby, Connecticut. Titled ‘Down the Basement Stairs,’ the episode will give a detailed look at case and know why Annamarie’s wife, Carla Rintala, killed her. The Carla Rintala trial had many twists and turns. The episode will feature every minor detail about the case and air on the network on Friday, December 15, at 10 p.m. ET.

On March 29, 2010, someone manually strangulated Annamarie Cochrane Rintala and killed her in the basement of her Granby home. Authorities began the investigation and instantly named Cara Rintala as the prime suspect. During the interrogation, Cara told the investigators that she was not at home when the murder took place. She also noted that she found Annamarie’s body in the basement of her house.

The investigation continued, and in October 2011, almost a year after the murder, the police finally arrested Cara. However, the case had many ups and downs, and Cara went through four trial hearings. The first trial took place in 2013 while the final Cara Rintala trial happened in September 2023.

During the trial that took place in 2016, the jury found Cara guilty of first-degree murder and sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole. However, the court overturned the conviction in 2021 and released Cara from prison. But the case didn’t there, and in September 2023, the fourth Cara Rintala trial took place and found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

Cara Rintala trial explored: Where is she now?

As mentioned above, the jury in the fourth Cara Rintala trial found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter. However, after receiving the sentence, the accused didn’t spend much time in prison and was granted bail. According to Court TV, Cara is currently free on bail and living with her family in Rhode Island with GPS monitoring. Cara Rintala vehemently denied all the accusations and maintained her innocence throughout the four trials.

During the fourth Cara Rintala trial, the court heard victim impact statements from both sides. It included an emotional statement from Rintala and Annamarie’s now 16-year-old daughter, Brianna. In her statement, Brianna made an emotional appeal for her mother’s immediate release and noted that no child should be taken away from her mother.

She said, “The only mother I ever remember is Cara. I remember the first time she was taken away and believe it is something a child should never have to go through. Every time she is taken away from me it feels like a piece of me is taken away from me as well. I want this pain to be over and I want my mom back for good.”

After hearing both sides, the court found Cara Rintala guilty of voluntary manslaughter and said Annamarie’s death was Cara’s fault. The court revoked her bail as well. This is the second time the court gave a guilty verdict. In 2016, the court gave a guilty verdict and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, it is to be noted that the court declared mistrials in the first two Cara Rintala trials because they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict.

Why did the court overturn the guilty verdict?

The victim’s family were relieved to see that the third Cara Rintala trial ended with finding her guilty. But things took a turn in 2021 when a Massachusetts court overturned the conviction. They noticed that one of the witnesses who testified in the trial was not a qualified expert.

Eventually, the fourth Cara Rintala trial found her guilty and sent her to prison. However, she is currently free on bail and living with her family in Rhode Island.

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