Naman Shrestha
In NBC’s ‘Dateline: After the Halloween Party’ and ABC’s ’20/20: Her Last Halloween,’ the focus is on the 2011 murder case of Karen Swift, whose body was found six weeks after she disappeared from the house that she shared with her husband, David Swift. As the investigators dug deeper, they found David to be on top of their suspects’ list for obvious reasons. With the help of exclusive interviews with the victim’s loved ones, the viewers get a detailed account of the entire case and investigation. Since the case is yet to be solved, questions about the alleged killer’s whereabouts naturally arise in the viewers’ minds.
Police Had Reasons to Suspect David Swift of Being Involved in Karen Swift’s Murder
On September 23, 1989, David Swift married a woman named Karen Johnson Swift in the presence of their loved ones. Several blissful years of their marriage were marked by the birth of their two sons, Preston David Swift and Dustin Glen Swift, and two daughters, Ashley Paige Swift and Keeley Shea Swift. However, more than a couple of decades later, the marriage began showing signs of deterioration. Thus, in the second week of October 2011, Karen filed for divorce, and the couple prepared to part ways after several years of togetherness. However, she still lived with him for the time being.
Given these tense circumstances in their marriage, the authorities suspected David of being involved in the disappearance and murder of his wife, who went missing after returning home from a Halloween party on October 29, 2011. The following morning, he allegedly could not find his wife and reported her missing. Since he was the last person to see her before she vanished, the police believed he might be linked to her disappearance. When questioned by the detectives, he told them that he talked with her after she arrived late at night from the Halloween party. The suspicions intensified when her body was found on December 10, 2011, in a nearby cemetery.
By August 2022, David had supposedly moved on from his first marriage and got married to another woman with whom he had been living in Birmingham, Alabama. Out of the blue, he was arrested on the charge of pre-meditated first-degree murder of Karen Swift. The authorities had finally built a strong case against him and connected him to the crime. Claiming innocence and pleading not guilty to the charges, he was released from custody on a $200,000 bond. However, in July 2023, he was arrested for felony stalking of his then-ex-wife in Jefferson County.
David Swift is in the Middle of a Trial Connected to the Murder of Karen Swift
After more than 11 years of Karen Swift’s murder, David Swift stood trial for the same in late May 2024. While the prosecutors claimed that he was the sole person with a motive to kill, the defense argued that no direct evidence could connect the defendant to the crime. Moreover, David’s attorney reminded the jury of his knee injury at the time, making it physically difficult for him to attack his wife. To solidify the defense, David’s attorneys brought multiple witnesses to the stand during the trial, including two of David and Karen’s children — Ashley Swift and Dustin Swift. Siding with her father, Ashley testified that she did not hear or see any signs of struggle between her parents on the fateful night.
The prosecution claimed that the defendant had transferred Ashley from her mother’s room to another room while she slept before he ambushed Karen and killed her in the garage. Contending the claim, Ashley testified that it was Karen who moved her that night and not David. On the other hand, Dustin Swift also told the court that he did not notice anything unusual at the house or garage after the disappearance of his mother. Thus, on June 6, 2024, the jury found David Swift not guilty of first and second-degree murder and attempted first and second-degree murder.
As for the charge of voluntary manslaughter, the jury could not agree on a verdict, resulting in a mistrial. A couple of weeks later, the suspect was indicted on the charge of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. During a July 2024 hearing, the defense argued that for those two charges, the statute of limitations had expired. However, the judge still ordered a retrial. As of now, David remains in custody, awaiting the date of his retrial.
