Man Accused Of Murdering Wife And Staging It As A Suicide Found Not Guilty

An Ohio man was found not guilty of murdering his wife and staging it as a suicide.

Matheau Moore, 51, was acquitted by a Delaware County jury on Friday for the murder of his wife, Emily Noble, according to CBS Columbus Affiliate WBNS-TV. Live coverage of the case showed Moore crying as the judge read the verdict, which was returned after three hours of deliberation, according to Law & Crime reporters.

“You are free to go,” said Greene County Judge Stephen A. Wolves. “Mr. Moore, I think from day one, everyone’s wanted justice for your wife, Emily. I’ve heard that phrase a lot; I think everyone truly desires that. But I think the jury has also said that justice for Emily is not injustice for you. And they reaffirmed that.”

Emily Noble disappeared after she and Moore celebrated her 52nd birthday with a night on the town on May 24, 2020.

Moore told authorities he woke up the next morning and Noble wasn’t there. He believed she disappeared sometime in the middle of the night from the couple’s shared Westerville home, a suburb of Columbus.

Four months later, on Sept. 16, 2020, Noble was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area near the home, according to Law & Crime. The Columbus Dispatch reported there was a USB cord wrapped around her neck and tied to a honeysuckle branch.

In June 2021, more than a year after Noble’s disappearance, a grand jury decided to indict Moore on charges of murder and felonious assault. Investigators claimed fractures to the victim’s face and hands indicated her death was a homicide.

Their theory: Moore murdered his wife and staged it to look like a suicide.

But forensics examination would be paramount in the trial. Prosecutors argued the injuries were not consistent with a suicide. Meanwhile, the defense outlined the victim’s medical history and alluded to Noble’s “fragile bones,” per the Dispatch.

The defense also pointed out that investigators failed to properly secure the scene, including when they allegedly left some of the victim’s teeth and bones during their initial investigation.

During the trial, the defense and prosecution focused on Moore’s and Noble’s mental health. Those representing Moore touched on the tragedies Noble faced in her life, including her first husband’s suicide.

Moore’s 17-year-son from a previous marriage - Noble’s stepson - also died by suicide by hanging in 2019.

Noble reportedly sought help for depression in the past, but prosecutors dismissed the notion of suicide because they said she showed no red flags before her death, according to the Dispatch.

“That’s the thing about mental health,” defense attorney Diane Menashe countered. “You don’t see it coming.”

The case gained considerable attention following Moore’s arrest when it was learned he took to the popular true-crime podcast “The Vanished” to appeal for help for his then-still-missing wife. Emily Noble’s story was featured in Episode 246.

Oxygen.com reached out to Matheau Moore’s attorney and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office but did not receive an immediate response.