Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Raven Abaroa’ of A&E’s ‘Lie Detector: Truth or Deception,’ the primary focus is on Raven Abaroa and his marriage to Janet Christiansen, which ended in the latter’s unfortunate and untimely demise in April 2005. Amidst all the suspicions against Raven, he maintained his innocence and provided an alibi for the night. However, in the end, he took an Alford plea deal and received a short sentence for the death of his wife.
Raven Abaroa Called the Police After Finding His Wife Stabbed to Death
Hailing from a Mormon family, Raven Abaroa crossed paths with another Mormon named Janet Christiansen in 1998 at Southern Virginia University, where they both played soccer. Finding comfort and love in each other, they began dating. After a couple of years of togetherness, the couple tied the knot at the Mormon temple in Washington, DC, in August 2000. For a fresh start together, they relocated to southeastern Virginia, but not for long, as they moved to Durham, North Carolina, for professional reasons. Eventually, they began working at a sporting goods company in the area. Around the same time, Raven and Janet reportedly went through several issues, mainly due to his habit of cheating on her with different people.
He allegedly wanted to part ways with her, but then they learned that they were pregnant. Thus, the couple decided to work things out and gave birth to Kaiden on October 17, 2004. Right when things started to look up, Raven was charged with theft after he was caught stealing from their workplace in December. By pleading guilty to five charges of embezzlement, he managed to avoid going to jail. A few months later, around 8 pm on the night of April 26, 2005, he allegedly went to play soccer with his friends. According to him, when he returned to their Durham, North Carolina, home after 10 pm, he found his pregnant 25-year-old wife dead with multiple stab wounds, while their six-month-old son was unharmed. Raven reportedly dialed 911 and informed the operator, “My wife is dead…She’s been shot — there’s blood everywhere. She’s not breathing.”
Raven Abaroa Remarried Amidst Mounting Suspicions
Although Raven was suspected of being involved in the murder of Janet, the police couldn’t find enough evidence against him. He also reportedly refused to take a polygraph test. Soon, he and his son relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he met Vanessa Pond, who was also a single parent to her daughter. As sparks flew between them, they began dating and eventually moved in together. Although she had doubts about his innocence in connection with Janet’s death, she was later convinced by him as he told her how people were trying to frame him for the murder.
Three years after the tragic death of Janet, Raven exchanged marital vows with Vanessa in the summer of 2008 in the backyard of the latter’s parents’ house. Within a few months, Vanessa claimed that she feared for her safety with Raven as her doubts about his involvement in his first wife’s murder rose again. Eventually, they got divorced and had their marriage annulled. In the spring of 2009, Vanessa released a public statement claiming that she believed Raven was responsible for the killing. Armed with enough circumstantial evidence against Raven, on February 1, 2010, he was finally arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Janet’s passing.
Raven Abaroa Seemingly Leads a Private Life in Utah
In 2013, Raven Abaroa stood trial for the murder of his first wife, Janet. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence against the defendant and described him as a controlling and violent husband. Vanessa Pond was the prosecution’s star witness who testified against him and claimed that he had been aggressive towards her. She stated, “When he sees weakness, he just comes at you harder and harder. He told me how much he hated me and how much it didn’t matter if I died.” Meanwhile, the defense argued that the evidence against Raven was circumstantial. In May 2013, the jury declared a mistrial as they failed to reach a verdict. Before his second trial commenced, the accused entered an Alford plea for voluntary manslaughter in March 2014. It meant that he acknowledged there was enough evidence against him, but didn’t admit guilt.
Ultimately, Raven was sentenced to between 95 and 123 months in prison, but got credited for the four years he had spent behind bars. After his sentencing, he stated, “I would just like to state that I didn’t receive a fair trial the first time. I don’t think I’ll receive a fair trial a second time. I don’t think it’s worth risking the possibility of spending the rest of my life in prison for something I didn’t do. I take this plea to ensure that doesn’t happen, and that’s the only reason. I didn’t kill my wife.” On Christmas Day 2017, Raven was released from prison and began a new life in Utah. He seemingly still resides in Utah, but leads a private life away from the spotlight. As of 2019, his son Kaiden lived with his mother, Karyn Abaroa-Bolton, and stepfather Jim Bolton.
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