Kriti Mehrotra
When 53-year-old army veteran William “Jake” Embert was found shot to death inside his Dougherty County, Georgia, home on June 28, 2014, it left his entire family shattered to the core. As explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Malice,’ his cause of death was ruled a suicide, but almost no one close to him believed it to be true, and it ultimately culminated in further investigations. His two adult children, Rachel and Will Embert, were the loudest voices fighting to secure him the justice they believed he deserved, hoping to keep their father’s legacy and memories alive.
Rachel and Will Embert Have Dedicated Themselves to Being Their Father’s Voice
From the moment Rachel and Will Embert came to learn about their father’s passing, they knew that something was wrong because they never knew him as someone who would take his own life. They had grown up in an incredibly loving household where he had provided them with every joy and need they could imagine, all the while showing up for them in the most significant ways. Therefore, they knew something was wrong and hired a private investigator to look into the matter, which paved the way for an autopsy that brought to light the fact that there were traces of insecticide, antifreeze, and arsenic in his system at the time of death.
That’s when Rachel and Will became more vocal about their father’s case, prompting the police to get involved and launch a full-scale investigation. It all culminated in the arrest of Jake’s wife, nurse Susan Fortune Embert, in the summer of 2025 on five counts in relation to his murder, including malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. She was convicted in December 2019, but the decision was overturned 3 years later, leading to her retrial in 2025, which ended in a mistrial. She was convicted once again in 2026, as a result of which she was sentenced to life in prison plus 5 years.
During Susan’s sentencing, both Rachel and Will gave emotional impact statements. The former said, in part, “She’s a danger and a menace to society. The jury made the best decision, not once, but twice! And if you take it to appeals, we’ll see you then too!” As for her brother, he said, “She is scum of the earth, a liar, a thief, a murderer. She’s trash. In my opinion, you do not deserve to walk freely on this earth or to even draw breath… I, on the other hand, don’t believe our tax dollars are worth housing and feeding her. Like it says in the Bible, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Blood for blood… I know that the death penalty isn’t on the table, but if it were up to me, that would be my punishment.”
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Rachel and Will Embert Are Keeping Their Father’s Legacy Alive
While Rachel has been a vocal advocate for her father for the past 11 years, she is determined to continue down the path to ensure his legacy never wavers. “From a judicial aspect, yes, (Susan’s conviction) is the finality of justice,” she said. “From a human being aspect, we’re forever broken. Doors will close in your face — continue to go through them. Don’t give up on your family. Justice for Jake.” She still misses her father terribly, and often even pens emotional tributes for him on her social media accounts. On Father’s Day 2025, she wrote a beautiful poem expressing how she gets what it feels like to be a daughter and wake up on such a celebratory day without her dad.
As for Will, having followed in his father’s footsteps professionally by enlisting in the army, he keeps his legacy alive in everything he does daily. From what we can tell, the 28-year-old is currently based in Salem, Alabama, where he happily resides alongside his wife, Catherine Embert, and their adorable two fur babies, Addie and Ridge. He had tied the knot with Catherine in a cozy ceremony on December 31, 2022, and she also gave a victim impact statement during Susan’s 2026 sentencing hearing. We should also mention that the siblings appear close to this day, and they credit their familial connections and their faith for the courage to keep fighting for their father.
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