Sartaj Singh
Helmed by Marla Sokoloff, ‘Betrayed by Love’ follows Carrie (Sara Ball) as she investigates the seemingly accidental death of her sister, Riley, only to find malicious intent behind the incident. A beloved family woman, Riley’s picture-perfect life is brought to an untimely end by a motor vehicle accident. Unsuspecting at first, Carrie begins to notice that some details of the chain of events don’t add up. She uncovers a web of secrets and lies that point to foul play rather than a tragic accident. Determined to find the truth, Carrie risks her own safety as she becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy involving someone close to Riley. The Lifetime film is a suspenseful tale of betrayal, family bonds, and the pursuit of justice that seems to have some connection to true crime.
Betrayed by Love is Likely Inspired by True Events of a Murder Staged as a Car Accident
‘Betrayed by Love’ is a fictional Lifetime mystery written by Peter Sullivan inspired by actual events. The film likely takes inspiration from multiple true crime cases, as there have been far too many murders of women staged as car accidents by a family member or lover. One of the contemporary cases of the same is the murder of Ashley Schwalm at the hands of her husband, James Schwalm. Residents of Collingwood, Ontario, James and Ashley Schwalm struggled with a failing marriage. Ashley was reportedly having an extramarital affair, which was discovered by her husband in April 2022. Having been married for ten years with two children, they tried couple’s therapy, but their relationship didn’t seem to improve.
A fire captain for the Brampton Fire Department, James became involved with the ex-wife of the man Ashley had an affair with, and the two expressed feelings for each other over text in January 2023. He began making plans to kill Ashley and stage it as a car accident, doing suspicious searches online and asking a friend whether snapping someone’s neck would kill them. On January 25, 2023, after Ashley came home from work, the two fought, and James strangled her. He then dressed her body in hiking clothes, drove her to Arrowhead Road, near Craigleith, in her 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander, and set fire to it using gasoline. On January 26, 2023, firefighters responded to a call about a burning car and discovered Ashley’s charred remains. Burnt beyond recognition, dental records were used to identify her.
Despite his creation of an elaborate fake alibi, James’ involvement became suspected when a forensic pathologist discovered that Ashley was not alive during the time of the fire and had been strangled. There were two life insurance policies in Ashley’s name totaling over a million dollars. When confronted with all the evidence against him in court, James Schwalm confessed to the crime on June 20, 2024. He is charged with second-degree murder, and his sentence will be delivered in November 2024.
Other Similar True Crime Cases
There are a number of similar real-life cases of a staged car accident. An ongoing case is that of 23-year-old Australian Hannah McGuire, who was found dead in a burnt-out car. The police suspect foul play and accused her former partner, Lachlan Young, of murder. The 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty, and the case is heading to the Supreme Court. In September 2016, a bizarre accident was staged by a Wisconsin man, Todd Kendhammer, who claimed that a pipe flew out of the back of a truck and struck his wife, Barbara Kendhammer.
Barbara passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. There were inconsistencies in Todd’s account, and forensics found strangulation marks around Barbara’s neck and Todd’s DNA under her fingernails. Todd Kendhammer was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison in December 2017. ‘Betrayed by Love’ is a work of fiction that bears similarities to true-crime cases with the attempted cover-up of a murder using a staged car accident.
Read More: The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead: Is the Lifetime Movie Based on a True Story?
