Killer Wife Realizes Police Found Her Husband's Body | Forensic Files

all right here's the deal you're being charged with murder I never put my head this is 37-year-old Nicole Woodard just 48 hours ago police discovered her husband Daniel
Rayburn brutally beaten and deceased in the yard of his own home neighbors said that uh
they heard some subject arguing and possibly one gunshot last night at first detectives
believed this tragedy was was the result of a robbery but they would be horribly
wrong as the weeks-long investigation began detectives would uncover a toxic relationship
and a twisted conspiracy with Nicole at the very center of it all who's DNA is going to
be on that gun now's the time you need to tell me cuz there's not going to be another
[Music] opportunity on July 4th officers in Dublin Georgia received a disturbing
call a passing motorcyclist reported seeing a motionless body on the front lawn of a nearby
house and urgently requested a welfare check when First Responders arrived at the scene it quickly became clear the man was already Beyond saving how y'all [Music]
doing Blood come across his arm right there he's laying like somebody he was ATT taged or a child
or something that's first respon responders took a closer look the disturbing condition of the man's
body became clear his skin was covered in bruises insects crawled across his face and most troubling
a gunshot wound was clearly visible at the back of his head even more telling was the stiffness
of his body clearly indicating he'd been dead for several hours to the officers on scene one thing
was immediately clear this was a homicide and they needed to figure out who this man was and and why
he was so brutally killed luckily it wouldn't take long before officers began uncovering
crucial details do we even know his we don't know his name dude yeah we ran um that's as far as that
okay we hav't positively identified you 26 radio off that 28 that was ran at this location who it
come back to6 come back to a Daniel it has e the victim was quickly identified as d Rayburn
a 40-year-old father and the homeowner himself with this in mind officers would approach Daniel's
neighbors who would reveal information that would prove crucial to solving this case later
on 26 radi 9 CLE oh Sor sorry have y'all been home all day been to the grocery store have yall heard anything over there no like today
today bye self or do you know a lady lives there a lady lives there there's a man deceased in her
yard in yard yeah he's dead right there in her yard yeah oh my daughter said heard somebody
arguing last night last night said who you call call me another one and she said she said mom
was firecrackers she said with a gun come here you see his body oh talking about right here near the
oh wow lady lives there with him I mean she she can't that's the same lady that came her name is
Nicole Nicole yeah is she younger older or she younger than us so I'm 43 so she might be her
early 30s early to mid3 oh my God who found him some passer by just come by he's been there for
a [Music] while across the road heard AR over here and about 1: a.m. heard one shot they're
supposed to a female that resides here by the name of Nicole white female to see if she's inside yes
we'll knock on the door and then if it's unlock we can s and we do a Warfare [ __ ] officers didn't
know who Nicole was yet but she would become a very familiar figure over the coming days without
wasting any time officers moved to search Daniel's home and what they would find inside would soon
blow the case wide open but before we continue it's worth noting that situations like these
can be extremely distressing not only for those directly involved but also for anyone following
along at home just like you if you've ever felt that you need help with mental health you should
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therapy with that said let's get back to the investigation officers were about to search
Daniel's home aware there could be another victim or even someone dangerous hiding inside the door
lock Police Department police department police department all right so females gone you got a female
name all we know is it's a white female by the name of Nicole right here suitc Nicole Woodard
fortunately for officers the house turned out to be empty with no visible signs of violence
or struggle inside however they did uncover one crucial clue a letter revealing Nicole's full
identity Branda Lee Nicole watered Daniel's wife this discovery immediately opened up new leads
for investigators but officers were about to catch another clue one of the paramedics on the
scene would recall encountering a woman with the exact same name just hours earlier let yall know
about it I don't think the neighbors saying that they heard sub just arguing last night
and a possible one gunshot see appear yeah they said it's supposed to be a white female staying
with him first name by Nicole we went in and cleared it nobody ain't in there but it's a
letter in there with her name on a piece of paper with the cold wood on that name we just picked
up a person at Applebee's with the same name 37 years old SE throwing up according to the
paramedic 37-year-old Brandel Nicole Woodard had been working at a nearby Applebee's when
she suffered a seizure and was rushed to the ER earlier that day to detectives this timing
felt a little too convenient Nicole's medical emergency occurred just hours after Daniel's
brutal murder potentially giving her an alibi to distance herself from the crime if this was
in fact Nicole's plan it wouldn't work out very well officers were now able to easily
locate her at the hospital and question her regarding the actions leading up to
Daniel's death since her injuries were minor she was quickly transferred to the station for
questioning did he have any friends that came over to visit uh once in a blue moon
um we'd go over and hang out with Tim and syvia but we hadn't seen them in a couple of months but other than that you can't tell me anything else that you might
know CU he was out in the yard when he was founding the yard this afternoon before they
called about time after they called you he sign out in New York nobody called me I mean how did
they get in contact with you the officer showed up at the hospital I'm saying you got in contact
got in contact with your doctor okay so other than that you hadn't seen him n before that I
hadn't seen him at all today even though Nicole insisted she had no idea what happened to Daniel
that night her demeanor told the detective a different story her shaky voice and uneven answers
indicated extreme nervousness she seemed on edge uncomfortable and far from natural these subtle
cues could mean one of two things either Nicole was genuinely shocked to learn that Daniel was
killed or she was hiding something this detective strongly suspected the latter and intended to find
out exactly what Nicole was holding back you want know anybody that might have been he had problem
with or giving him problems anything like that how how was he on the job he had problems on the
job anything like that that you know of I mean we don't know if anybody actually done anything
to him or whether he might have just fell and passed out or whatever I ask you how much did
drink last night I don't know well you said you drunk a bottle I I was drinking last night
he drinking he was drinking beer sir has he ever drunk alcohol to the point where he will fall out
yes I told you but he hadn't drank like that S I mean he might drink two or three well if
that's all if that's it anything that you can tell me according to Nicole she and Daniel had
been drinking the night before when a verbal argument escalated into a physical altercation
however she still insisted that he was alive and well when she left ultimately detectives
weren't able to get any useful information from Nicole and had no choice but to let
her go however unbeknownst to Nicole this was only the beginning of a very long week back at
the crime scene officers continued collecting evidence to determine who had been at the home
at around 1:00 a.m. now with a search warrant in hand and officers moved into Daniel's home
hoping it would hold the evidence they desperately needed lock this door back I know the pastor out
there Danny he said he's been counseling them I guess they oh they been problem he
said like she clean clean her stuff out a see no female stuff there they got list his leggings was in here got l in this but either way shorts and
Capri Comfort pits pants I said the place ain't to ain't no blood nowhere there unfortunately for officers no evidence was found inside the home with that in mind
officers expanded their search to the property outside and that's when they made a critical
Discovery hey is that piece of dread yes that ear trying to find fo security with
Bott a severed dreadlock was found just feet away from where Daniel was killed the hair
clearly didn't match Daniel or Nicole's hair type confirming that someone else besides
Nicole was present that night detectives now needed to identify who this unknown person was
and figure out if Nicole might know who he is but while detectives were finishing up their
search at Daniel's home his family arrived at the scene and officers had to break the tragic
news hello how's it go I something yeah this is my son he Mr D let's go go don't
yeah I remember you but I can't remember your name right Matthew we had um pass by see somebody
laying down and they called me out here and that's when I seen him was he married or anything he was
living with a woman what was that woman's name Nicole water what to call Po and [ __ ] excuse
me although the family's comments about Nicole were somewhat vague one thing became clear Daniel
and Nicole likely had a deeply troubled relationship but suspicions alone weren't
enough and officers needed solid evidence if they were going to identify Daniel's killer
before wrapping up for the day investigators would review surveillance footage from the neighbors
across the street and spotted Nicole leaving in her dad's car earlier that morning additionally
when police analyzed Nicole's phone records they discovered that she had placed a call shortly
before Daniel's murder with suspicions now firmly centered on Nicole investigators began questioning
her acquaintances to find out what they knew about her troubled deteriorating relationship
with Daniel and potential involvement in his death that's when they first heard the name Misty Edge
a friend of Nicole's who as it turned out had received a visit from her just hours after the
murder they ain't going to B already they no they a John hang on just a second how are you I'm good
this is Misty Edge Nicole's friend and cooworker she reached out to police claiming Nicole had
shown up at her house early the previous morning acting strangely and carrying several bags when
detectives arrived at Misty's house they never expected the shocking details she was about to
share okay well she messaged me the other night it was R AV and I see that he had been beaten on
stuff she called me around 5:00 that morning she said she was very confused that she didn't know
what was going on that front door was open that his car was still crunk everything door was open
yeah we come back and she felt she was still drunk she fell asleep on the couch and I feel
like I really feel like she was coming off of something you ain't just going to sit here and
make yourself shake for no reason right I feel like I really feel like she was trying to hide
something from me this description of Nicole's demeanor sounded eerily familiar to how she
behaved in the interview room earlier according to Misty Nicole was visibly shaking nervous and
clearly on edge as if she was hiding something whatever Nicole had seen or knew clearly made her
unstable possibly explaining her sudden seizure and fainting earlier that day but what detectives
quickly realized was that Misty herself knew far more than she initially let on and for reasons of
her own she decided to drop the biggest bombshell yet let me ask you when did she tell you about Dan
she told me that she had made a phone call and what get rid of that she also said she wants him
dead but then she don't want him dead she walks in my front door and was like n to hit me my eye
I said what hit me my eye I said no I'm not doing that cuz that's not me I don't have nothing I
have no record no I've been good my whole life but no that's not me she said she needs a alab
detectives now had a testimony supporting their suspicions that Nicole was at the
house around the time Daniel was killed even worse Nicole supposedly made some phone calls to quote take Daniel out not only had she likely witness the murder but she may
have even coordinated it it was time to find Nicole this time there would be no walking
away how are you the next day investigators set up a meeting with Nicole at her sister's house prepared to see just
how much her story would hold up under pressure the goal was to pressure her into revealing the
names of the people she called that night and what exactly she had told them all right here's
the deal you know why we here yes ma'am then unfortunately what be here about Daniel and him
not being here anymore and yall suspect because of the fact that me and him have been busting and
fighting and stuff so much lately that I may have had something to do with it and I swear I don't I
mean I I've told him at times yeah you're going to keep on on [ __ ] ass or some [ __ ] like that but
I swear I've never put my hands on him the first furthest I've done is I pushed him backwards I've
never put my hands on him and I never would he's the one that beat the crap out of me
back in November I was in wngs although detectives hadn't openly accused Nicole of anything yet she
immediately began defending herself self almost as if she knew suspicion would inevitably fall on
her her husband had just been brutally murdered yet Nicole seemed less concerned with helping
the investigation and more focused on clearing her name has anything been physical since then
no I mean we screamed and hollered at each other a little bit and sent some nasty messages back
and forth thing with us I mean if we were not ging at each other there was something wrong as Nicole
painted a har growing picture of domestic abuse her explanation seemed carefully chosen to cast
Daniel in a negative light almost as if she had hoped investigators would see her as the victim
and while parts of her story May indeed Be True Detective sensed that she was subtly deflecting
blame and possibly laying the groundwork for a future legal defense but investigators would see
right through this tactic and it only made them push harder to uncover what Nicole was really
hiding have to be done you just said just we in fighting I don't know but you just said just a
second ago you know what we're here you think we to do with I've been told three different things
I've been told he may have had a heart attack in the yard I've been told he was beat up and I've
been told that they don't know what the hell happened just that he was found in the yard
why do we know more I don't listen to me listen to him it's always better and I know you talked
to detective the other day he still that things have changed and we know some stuff that you did
we need you to come forward and tell the TRU all I mean I've called and talked to people and stuff
and I've told them at times I I I I love him I hate him get me out of here stuff like that but
I've never hurt him I swear I would never put my hands on him I him L look at me look at me like
Sergeant Rose just told you we no more we want to hear your sh and I'm telling you I didn't you
didn't mean to Hur him I did not touch him I did not go help I did not you know who did and it's
time for you to tell us who did this to him the stress was clearly getting to Nicole detectives
made it obvious they knew she wasn't telling them everything and the pressure was starting to show
visibly nervous and beginning to break Nicole was about to give detectives exactly what they
came here for I suspect that my foster brother may have had some or adopted brother may have
had something to do with it because I did call them and I did ask them for help to get me out
of there why do you suspect that he had something because he they've all said before if he kept on
hurting me they were going to do something and I the last time that we had a fat that he come up
he bitched him out and that was it gr we know that you have made a phone call to somebody I
called pops which is C look green and I him if he would come over and take and calm me down and
stuff and I called Andrew and TomTom and told them to come over and find out what the f was
going on and Andrew and TomTom said they couldn't get there anytime soon why were you wanting them
to come over there what were you wanting them to take care of not him not like that I swear nothing
like that that's what you just said I wanted them to calm him down I wanted what is that not like
that we know you sat want them to no I did not all right so did not listen there was camera footage
across the street so let's talk about it okay I never saw anything happened I heard him out
there fussing and stuff and then they left listen to me you know more about what happened I have my
suspicions but I don't want to accuse anybody of anything you know more about what happened
now you give us the runaround already no you have and that points fingers at you that raises
flags with you Nicole would finally loosen up a bit giving detectives a couple of names but that
alone wasn't enough detectives still needed to find out who actually pulled the trigger what did
you see and what did you hear I heard shouting and I've heard all the fireworks and all that [ __ ]
that is all I've heard what kind of shouting you called something and ordered something on that
phone what did I order because I haven't ordered anything why do you think you're your the guys
would have come over there and done something because he was being an [ __ ] to me again I
mean I just told him I said y'all just get him to stop y'all I I can't take it anymore y'all come
get me y'all just get me out of here don't you want Justice for him yes that's why I'm telling
you he was left laying in the yard this what I'm telling you I'm giving you the names that I have
do I need a lawyer despite Nicole bringing up her right to legal counsel detectives weren't ready
to give up yet and moved in closer physically encircling her and increasing the pressure and
it's a good thing they did because Nicole was seconds away from finally breaking down and
confessing I called them and told them to come beit his ass I was [ __ ] tired of the [ __ ]
but I didn't think that they would do it they've never done it before and then I was scared and I
didn't know that he was dead I swear to God I did not know that he was [ __ ] dead I did not
I thought maybe they just fing rubed him up just rub up a little bit and they come in in a little while that's why
St now I come in and be like yeah your brother fing big ass I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't mean to to but I was Scar and they had already told me before that if they beat
him up and they got told on I was in trouble but like I said they never did it before and
I've told him multiple times I just could his ass a [ __ ] tired of it and nobody ever did the only
thing that's ever happened was I ended up calling the did you go out check on him and make sure he
was all right no I did not did you see him out there in the yard I did not you're almost there
you got about 10 15% that you're not telling us of what happened after the fact no I don't
you got one or two more I promise I don't none that I know of just sit there and think about it
even if parts of Nicole's story were true her overwhelming emotional reaction seemed driven
more by Panic and fear than genuine sorrow and by now detectives had everything they needed to move
forward and Nicole would be arrested and taken to [Music] prison while officers had enough evidence
for an arrest and were nearly certain of brandle Le's involvement in the murder whether she had
actually wanted Daniel dead remained unclear to solve this detectives now turned their attention
to Thomas Harper and Andrew Huber the two men Nicole claimed carried out the attack fortunately
locating them didn't take long and due to their High likelihood of involvement both men would
be arrested immediately and questioned the very next day during their arrest police discovered
a piece of clothing with blood stains at Andrew Huber's residence after running a DNA test this
would prove to be Daniel's blood confirming that Andrew was present that night and he would be
charged with murder still there was one person left and a final nail in the coffin for Nicole
her adopted brother brother Thomas Harper during his arrest officers discovered a handgun along
with four spent casings directly matching the bullet fired into Daniel's head on top of that
the dreadlock found at the crime scene would turn out to be a direct match to Thomas himself neither
Andrew nor Thomas ever claimed Nicole was outside during the fight however police could confirm that
Nicole had seen Daniel leave and heard gunshots yet she never checked on him and never called 911
won instead she simply walked away choosing to protect Andrew and Thomas this paired with
Misty's disturbing witness statement and the phone logs confirming the timeline was more than enough
evidence for police Nicole may not have pulled the trigger herself but she set it all into motion and
because of her actions Daniel was killed in the end Justice caught up with all three Andrew Huber
was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole
Nicole and Thomas Harper both pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter likely receiving
sentences ranging anywhere from 10 to 20 years in prison for their roles in Daniel's brutal death

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This is real footage obtained from U.S. law enforcement.

This is Nicole Woodard, whose husband, Daniel Raburn, was discovered brutally beaten and found deceased in the yard of his own home. At first, police thought it was part of a robbery, but they were wrong....

This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. The individuals shown in this video have not been convicted of any crime and are legally presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law. This material is intended solely for educational and informational purposes and represents personal analysis and commentary. Nothing presented should be interpreted as legal counsel, and the observations provided may not include all circumstances or reflect the final charges in each case. This video features real police-related footage shared to support public awareness and government transparency. The content is designed to inform and educate viewers on public safety matters and is presented as a documentary relying on verified and credible sources. All materials used were lawfully obtained through public records requests and are available to the public. The footage is utilized strictly for journalistic, documentary, and educational purposes under the Fair Use doctrine outlined in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.**

Brief Summary

Nicole Woodard is implicated in the murder of her husband Daniel Rayburn, leading to her arrest and guilty plea for manslaughter.

Key points

Murder Charge. Nicole Woodard is charged with the murder of her husband, Daniel Rayburn.
Brutal Discovery. Daniel Rayburn is found dead in his yard, raising immediate suspicions.
Nicole's Alibi. Nicole suffers a seizure hours after Daniel's murder, complicating the investigation.
Shocking Confession. Nicole admits to calling for help to 'take care' of Daniel during interrogation.
Murder Charges Filed. Andrew Huber is charged with murder after DNA evidence links him to the crime scene.
Final Nail in the Coffin. Thomas Harper's arrest reveals crucial evidence linking him to the murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I never put my hands on him.

Nicole's defense during questioning.

17:05WatchMar 21, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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