In the quiet town of Orleans, Vermont, the life of Thea Swartz, a 54-year-old White/Caucasian woman, came to a tragic and violent end on May 15, 2018. On that day, she made a desperate call to 911, reporting that her husband, Randall Swartz, was intoxicated and threatening her. The dispatcher heard the terrifying sounds of gunfire over the phone before the line went silent. When police arrived at their Irasburg Street home, they found Thea deceased from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Her husband was also found at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his abdomen, which he survived.
The investigation into Thea's death quickly focused on her husband as the sole suspect. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was eventually charged with second-degree murder. The case brought to light a history of domestic abuse that Thea had endured. Her daughter, Bailey Swartz, described her father as manipulative, arrogant, nasty, cruel, and mean, and indicated that her mother was in the process of leaving him, which likely precipitated the fatal confrontation. This tragic event was described by the sentencing judge as the "epitome of domestic violence."
In February 2023, Randall Swartz, then 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement. During the sentencing hearing, Thea was remembered as a vibrant person who was dearly missed by her loved ones. Her children gave harsh testimony against their father. In November 2023, a judge sentenced Randall Swartz to 30 years to life in prison. At the time of the murder, Swartz was also under a joint state-federal investigation for allegedly stealing from his employer. He was later convicted of federal mail fraud for that scheme.
