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A Delaware County jury on August 26, 2022, acquitted Matheau Moore on two murder counts and one felonious assault count in the death of his wife, Emily Noble, whose death near their Westerville, Ohio, home was ruled a homicide.

Noble, 52, and Moore, then about 50, had been married since around 2018 and lived in a condo in the Delaware County area. They met online, and Moore relocated from the Las Vegas area after they had been together for several years. Noble treated Moore's son from a prior relationship as family. Noble's first husband died by suicide in 2011, and Moore's teenage son died by suicide by hanging in 2019. Noble had experienced other losses and was described by some as having dealt with depression or stress, though accounts varied about its severity and whether there had been recent signs.

The couple celebrated Noble's 52nd birthday in Uptown Westerville on the evening of May 24, 2020, then returned home. Moore reported her missing on May 25, saying he awoke to find her gone while her car, keys, wallet and cellphone remained behind.

Noble's severely decomposed remains were found September 16, 2020, in woods less than half a mile from the condo. She appeared to have been suspended from a honeysuckle branch by an approximately 20-inch USB cord around her neck, in a kneeling or hanging position consistent with a staged suicide appearance. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office determined that she died from multiple head and neck injuries, including facial fractures and fractures to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. Experts, including a strangulation specialist consulted by investigators, concluded that the injuries were consistent with manual strangulation and assault, not typical of hanging alone, and that the scene had been staged to resemble suicide.

Prosecutors theorized that Moore assaulted and strangled Noble, possibly after she left for a walk or at or near the home, sometime after about 9 p.m. on May 24 or early May 25, then moved and staged her body in the woods. They alleged a troubled relationship, citing claims of controlling behavior, drinking issues and possible financial motives such as life insurance after the stepson's death. Moore and the defense denied any motive, portrayed the marriage as functional amid shared grief, and argued that suicide could not be ruled out given Noble's history and claims about bone fragility. No clear, proven motive was established at trial.

Westerville Police initially found no obvious signs of foul play at the home. Moore cooperated publicly by distributing fliers and giving a podcast interview seeking help, but investigators identified conflicting or evolving details about the evening and his actions. Noble's phone activity largely stopped after the couple returned home, while Moore's continued, with periods investigators considered inconsistent with his account of sleeping through her departure. Investigators examined other digital and physical evidence, including during a search of the home. The body recovery, OSU skeletal analysis and work by an external strangulation expert shifted the focus to homicide and staging, but no DNA or direct physical evidence was publicly reported as definitively linking Moore to the act itself. Police also scrutinized his statements, including early references to possible self-harm by Noble, and his interactions with family. He consistently denied involvement.

A Delaware County Grand Jury indicted Moore in June 2021 on one count of purposeful murder, one count of felony murder and one count of felonious assault. He was arrested after the indictment, pleaded not guilty and was held on high bond. His trial in Delaware County Common Pleas Court lasted about a week in August 2022, and jurors deliberated for under three hours before finding him not guilty on all counts. He was released, with no conviction or sentence imposed. Moore has maintained his innocence since the acquittal. The case remains officially unresolved regarding any other perpetrator, and Noble's death certificate reflects homicide.

The video is a police interview-room recording running about 52 minutes. It shows the interview itself, without narration or a presenter.