Overview of Episode 376
Sword and Scale recounts the death of 80-year-old David Cole Sr. in Zanesville, Ohio, and the family’s attempt to conceal that he had died at home. His body was found in a backyard shed after a teenager told police what she had heard. Interviews, phone records and home camera footage exposed a shifting timeline and led to criminal convictions, though toxicology and the autopsy raised questions about how David died.
Key Events and Investigation
- David lived with his son, David Jr., daughter-in-law Brittany, and granddaughter Nina. The family initially told police he had moved away, but gave conflicting accounts of when and where he had gone.
- On February 10, 2025, police searched the property after Emily Walls called with information she had received through Nina’s friend, Nevea Stroud. Officers found David’s body wrapped in plastic in a shed.
- Nina later said she knew her grandfather had died and had told Nevea because she wanted someone to alert authorities. She said her father had frightened her and urged her to keep quiet.
- Brittany repeatedly changed her account. She first said David had died naturally and that she had found him; later, she said David Jr. found him. Camera footage showed David Jr. discovering the body on January 8, apparently unaware of what had happened.
- Brittany eventually admitted that David had died weeks earlier, that she had moved his body from his bedroom to the sunroom and then outside, and that David Jr. helped conceal it after discovering it.
- The family had gone to Florida after Christmas while David’s body remained in the house. They continued receiving and spending his Social Security payments after his death.
Evidence, Possible Motive, and Uncertainty
- Brittany confessed to giving David large amounts of medication, including Tylenol with codeine and ZzzQuil, and said she knew the drugs could kill him.
- Toxicology found no trace of those medications. The autopsy reported severe heart disease and identified an acute myocardial infarction—a heart attack—as the cause of death. Decomposition limited what investigators could determine.
- Investigators also examined the family’s finances. David’s Social Security income supported the household, and a nursing home placement could have redirected that money toward his care. The episode presents this as a possible motive, not a proven explanation.
- The host speculates that David Jr. and Brittany may have discussed killing David before he died, and that his death may have occurred sooner than planned. The host explicitly says this is speculation; the episode presents no direct evidence proving that theory.
Legal Outcome
- Brittany pleaded guilty to murder and abuse of a corpse. She received a life sentence and will be eligible for parole after 16 years.
- David Jr. pleaded guilty to multiple felonies connected to the concealment and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
- Nina and her boyfriend were not charged.