Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Dear Sarah’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Married to Evil’ delves deep into the tragic demise of a 40-year-old mother of one named Brenda Ripoli in New Jersey in the spring of 1999. Her then six-year-old daughter was present in the house during the crime, but was shielded from the harsh truth. During the investigation, the detectives uncovered some dark secrets about her marriage and her personal secret writings, leading them to the perpetrator.
Brenda Ripoli Was Found Dead in Her Bedroom
On February 20, 1959, in Hartford, Connecticut, Ina and Gerry Berman welcomed Brenda Sharon Berman Ripoli into the world as a little bundle of joy. Growing up, she shared a close-knit bond with her sister, Beth-Ann Fantacone. Brenda earned a graduate degree in nutrition from Syracuse University in New York in 1981, after which she landed her first job at the Burlington County Health Department in New Jersey. That’s where she crossed paths with Frank Ripoli, who was a health inspector. Since he was married at the time, he divorced his wife and got into a relationship with Brenda.
Not long after, Brenda and Frank made their relationship official in July 1986 and then moved into a home in Medford, New Jersey, to begin their new chapter in life. In the years that followed, they gave birth to their daughter, Sarah Ripoli. Unfortunately, fate intervened, shattering Brenda’s dream of seeing her daughter grow up and achieve great things in life. On the fateful day of April 8, 1999, the police received a 911 call from the Ripoli household with nobody on the line. Suspecting foul play, the authorities went to the Medford home, where they found 40-year-old Brenda dead on the floor of the bedroom. The autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was multiple gunshot wounds. Thus, a homicide investigation was immediately launched.
Brenda Ripoli’s Killer Had Allegedly Been Abusive Towards Her For Years
At the time of Brenda Ripoli’s shooting death, her husband, Frank Ripoli Jr., her father-in-law, and her then 6-year-old daughter, Sarah, were inside the house. As part of the investigation, the police dug deeper into her personal life and her marriage to Frank. They learned that they shared a volatile relationship, with Frank allegedly abusing and controlling Brenda. It is alleged that the Burlington County environmental health inspector was having extramarital affairs with multiple women at the time.
Within hours, the police took Frank into custody and charged him with the killing of his wife. According to investigative reports, on the fateful day, Brenda had decided to leave her husband for good and was in the middle of packing her belongings, while her daughter, Sarah, waited downstairs. At the time, she had recently been awarded the temporary custody of Sarah. However, she was stopped by Frank, who shot her to death while she screamed, “Frank, no!” About a month later, Brenda’s parents found a letter in her office. It was reportedly dated March 27, 1998, and it predicted that Frank would end up killing her someday.
Frank Ripoli Jr. Has Been Released But Prefers to Lead a Private Life
Just four days before his scheduled jury trial in 2001, Frank Ripoli Jr. pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter and avoided being the subject of public scrutiny in the trial. He had been free on a $400,000 bail since his arrest in 1999. As per reports, the prosecution planned to reveal Frank’s unsettling collection of photographs and videos of Brenda, with which he allegedly blackmailed her into staying married to him for over a decade.
Meanwhile, the defense considered arguing that his addiction to Xanax made him kill his wife, without his intention. During the two-hour hearing, he acknowledged being responsible for shooting his wife, Brenda Ripoli, in April 1999. In early July 2001, more than two years after Brenda’s death, his sentencing hearing took place. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the gruesome killing. After serving only 15 years of his 18-year sentence, Frank Ripoli Jr. was reportedly released from prison in 2016. Since then, not much is known about his whereabouts as he has stayed out of limelight.
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