Shraman Mitra
Authorities in San Diego, California, went on high alert in late 2013 when US Marine Stephen James Tepatti faced an attempt on his life. Incidentally, the attempts continued, and even though authorities initially believed it to be a terrorism issue, they soon realized that Stephen’s wife, Astrid K. Tepatti, and her lover, Ebony Wood, were behind the crime.
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? Marriage of Mass Destruction’ chronicles the horrific incident and follows the investigation that brought the perpetrators to justice.
Who Are Astrid K. Tepatti and Ebony Wood?
When Stephen James Tepatti met Astrid K. Tepatti, he believed she was the woman of his dreams. Hence it was not long before the two took to each other and began a whirlwind romance. Besides, after tying the knot, the couple settled in San Diego, California, as Stephen was posted in Camp Pendleton. People who knew Astrid and Stephen claimed they were a happy couple who appeared to be in love with each other. Although they bickered occasionally, their acquaintances pushed it aside as lover’s quarrel and insisted that there was nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact, Stephen and Astrid were also well respected in society, and people were shocked when someone started taking attempts on the former’s life. Reports mention that Stephen faced an attack for the first time in late 2003 when someone attempted to stab him while at the beach. Although he was at the beach with his wife, Stephen never suspected her, and authorities believed it was a terrorism-related incident. The next attack occurred in Stephen’s house on January 4, 2004, when someone shot at him with a potato-silenced revolver.
Thankfully, the attempt left the target unarmed, and the police determined that the weapon used in the crime was a Ruger Blackhawk .30-caliber revolver. While investigating the incident, the police looked into Stephen and Astrid’s relationship, only to realize they were not on good terms in the days leading up to the attempt. Apart from regular arguments and altercations, there were also rumors about Astrid’s infidelity, which worsened their marriage.
Surprisingly, the infidelity rumors turned out to be true, as the police discovered that the US marine’s wife was seeing her lesbian lover, Ebony Wood, on the side. Evidence also indicated that Ebony and Astrid wanted to start a life together, for which they had to get rid of Stephen in a hurry. Additionally, as a final nail in the coffin, detectives realized that Astrid had her eyes on Stephen’s life insurance money and was planning on sharing it with Ebony after his death.
Consequently, convinced of their involvement, the police pulled the couple over and arrested them near the city of Winterhaven in California. After their arrest, the cops searched the car they were driving and found a homemade poison from castor beans that the women were planning on feeding Stephen. They also found the recipe for the poison in the car, which further deepened the suspicion.
Astrid K. Tepatti and Ebony Wood Are Embracing Privacy Now
In police custody, both Astrid and Ebony confessed to their roles in the crime and admitted that they were planning on killing Stephen by feeding him the poison. On top of that, Astrid confessed to procuring the .30-caliber revolver and shooting at her husband on January 4, while Ebony claimed she drove her lover to Stephen’s house even after having complete knowledge about the deliberate murder plot.
When presented in court, Astrid pled guilty to a count each of attempted murder and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. As a result, she was sentenced to 10 years and 11 months in prison in 2004. Similarly, Ebony Wood pled guilty to a single count of attempted murder and was sentenced accordingly in the same year. From the looks of it, both women have since been released from prison after serving their sentences, and while Astrid still seems to reside in the state of California, Ebony has embraced privacy, making it difficult to locate her whereabouts.
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