Denise Bozarth, 39, was arrested in Walton County and faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of her husband Edward Bozarth.
Authorities arrested a woman Thursday for the 2007 murder of her husband in Key Largo, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Denise Bozarth, 39, was arrested in Walton County and faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of her husband Edward Bozarth.
In July 2007, Edward Bozarth was found dead on his boat, which he lived on with his wife and their two children. His body was found in an engine compartment wrapped in a bag with a towel covering his head, the sheriff’s office said.
On Thursday Denise Bozarth's ex-lover, who lived one slip away in Key Largo, said he was surprised by her confession.
"I got a funny feeling that after five years it kinda wore on her, on her nerves and all that," Dave Campbell said.
But there were hints years before that she had a nefarious intent for her husband, Campbell said.
"All she said was that she would pay $10,000 to 'the first accident that befell him,'" he said.
Campbell said he took that to mean "that somebody had to kill him," though at first he thought it was a joke.
Edward Bozarth died of blunt force trauma, according to a medical examiner. He had been dead for a week before his body was found.
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Authorities said his wife asked for a separation from him and moved with her children near her parent’s home in Defuniak Springs. She told authorities that June 23, 2007 was the last day she had seen her husband.
She also gave many inconsistent statements throughout the investigation and failed a polygraph exam, according to the sheriff's office.
Announcing her arrest Thursday, Sheriff Bob Peryman said in an email statement, “I’m excited about the outcome of the investigation and I couldn’t be prouder of all the agencies who worked this from start to finish."
Bonnie Colon, who was the couple's friend and lived on the boat with them for a summer, said that Denise Bozarth would talk to her about ways to kill, including hitting him on the head and pushing him into the water. She also told Colon that she would inherit a large sum of money that her husband had inherited from his mother, authorities said.
She will be transferred to Monroe County to faces the charges. It wasn't immediately known if she had an attorney.
