Naman Shrestha
In the chilling episode of Investigation Discovery’s ‘How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body: A Barrel of Burnt Bones,’ the horrific murder of Robert Roudebush is explored in a detailed manner. In the summer of 2002, the police were greeted with an unsettling scene, which involved the burned and decomposed remains of the victim in the middle of the Poconos. With the help of interviews with the officials linked to the investigation, the episode provides the viewers with insightful details about the case and the investigation that ensued.
Robert Roudebush’s Charred Remains Were Found in Barrels
In 1966, Robert Lee Roudebush and Mary Ann Phillips Roudebush became proud parents to a little boy and named him after the former, Robert Lee “Bob” Roudebush. A bright and hardworking student, Robert completed his schooling with flying colors. Not long after, he decided to serve his nation and joined the US Marine Corps. At some point in his life, he also used to work as a security guard at one of the casinos in Reno, Nevada. While working there, he regularly met with his stepsister, Sondra Thomas, who was also residing in the same city at the time.
In an unexpected turn of events, Robert, at the age of 36, met his horrific demise on July 4, 2002. However, it was only more than a week later, on July 12, that the body of the Edwardsville resident was discovered in a charred and dismembered state inside a couple of barrels deep into the Poconos. Coming across such a disturbing site, the police took more than a year to identify the victim as Robert Roudebush. Only after the identification in November 2003 were they able to focus on finding the perpetrator/s behind such a gruesome murder.
An Embittered Couple Brutally Killed Robert Roudebush on Their Property
Before the identification of the victim, the authorities had a few suspects in mind who could be responsible for the murder. However, they felt like they got a major crack in the case when they received information from a convict named James Arthur Britton right after they announced that the victim was Robert Roudebush. James claimed to be a friend of the latter, as they met during their time in the Marines, and pointed his finger at Larry Tooley, a neighbor of Robert.
According to him, Robert had been involved with Larry’s girlfriend, which was enough of a motive for Larry to commit the deed. Moreover, James and his wife, Stacy, claimed that Larry pistol-whipped him and threatened to kill them like he had murdered Robert. However, when that lead also did not yield any positive result, the case soon turned cold. Over the next few years, James and Stacy Britton moved out of Pennsylvania and got divorced.
A Decade Later, One of the Killers Came Forward With Multiple Versions of the Murder
More than a decade later, on August 14, 2015, sparks ignited in the cold case when the former couple’s amicable relationship post-divorce became anything but, and they did not see eye to eye anymore. Reportedly miffed over her ex-husband’s new wife, Stacy told the police that James was the one who killed Robert in July 2002 for allegedly stealing drugs and money from them. Regarding the fateful night, she gave multiple accounts of what really transpired. In one version, Stacy said she returned home to find out that James had killed Robert, and in another version, she claimed that while James murdered him, she only dismembered his body to get rid of it.
When the detectives interrogated James Britton about the night of Robert’s murder, he told an entirely different story. As per his account, Stacy hit Robert with a hammer out of the blue, and he froze because he was scared for his own life too. Connecting both of their accounts, the investigators concluded that the pair devised a plan to kill Robert Roudebush over a drug dispute. They killed him in their house in Wilkes-Barre and went on a drug binge. Post their return after a few days, Robert’s body was dismembered and stuffed in trash bags.
According to reports, the pair then drove to a waste disposal site in Jackson Township in Monroe County, where they burned the remains in two barrels. In order to get rid of all the evidence, they also burned down their house and moved to California. With enough evidence against the former couple, the police charged James Arthur Britton Jr. and Stacy Marie Britton with murder, perjury, tampering with evidence, conspiracy, false swearing, hindering apprehension, and abusing a corpse and took them into custody.
James and Stacy Britton Are Serving Their Respective Sentences at Different Prison Facilities Today
On October 13, 2016, James Britton took a plea deal and admitted to the commission of the third-degree murder of Robert Roudebush in July 2002. About a week later, the court sentenced him to 15 to 30 years in prison for his crimes. On the other hand, Stacy refused to plead guilty and decided to try her luck in the trial. Her decision backfired as on November 7, 2016, she was found guilty of first-degree murder, perjury, hindering prosecution, and criminal conspiracy connected to the killing of Robert Roudebush.
A few months later, in January 2017, Stacy Britton received a life imprisonment sentence, in addition to 12 to 48 months, for her involvement in the crime. A few years later, in April 2020, she and her attorneys appealed to have her conviction and sentence reversed by claiming that it was illegal for the Pennsylvania prosecutors to use a recording of California police as part of their evidence. However, the court rejected the appeal and upheld her conviction. As of today, James Britton serves his sentence at the SCI Camp Hill in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, while Stacy Britton is incarcerated at the SCI Muncy in Muncy, Pennsylvania.
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