An Ohio woman convicted of shooting her husband in the head and burying his body in a backyard grave more than 40 years ago was granted parole, according to authorities and media reports.
Linda Couch, who was sentenced to life in prison after her 1985 conviction in the death of her husband, Walter Couch, at their Cincinnati home, had her parole granted by the Ohio Parole Board this month, WXIX-TV reported.
Linda, 72, is featured on Netflix’s true crime series I Am a Killer.
In her episode titled “Trapped,” which aired in January 2020, Linda discusses Walter’s killing from inside a women’s prison in Ohio.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich told WXIX-TV that the decision to grant Couch’s release is disappointing.
“The parole board can make whatever decision it wants, but as a citizen, I’m a little disappointed,” Pillich said. “What she did was cold and callous. This was premeditated murder.”
The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office opposed Linda’s release, the office’s spokesperson, Sharon Coolidge, confirmed to Us Weekly on Friday, January 16.
In October 1984, Couch, who was 30 at the time, fatally shot Walter, 35, in the head at their home and rolled his body into a rug, according to authorities, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Afterward, authorities said she put his body in the basement.
Then, she had her three children, her father-in-law, and a neighbor help her dig a hole in the backyard, telling them it was related to “drainage issues and planting grass seed,” prosecutors said, the newspaper reported.
Her father-in-law later found Walter buried in the hole, WKRC-TV reported.
Following the killing, Linda was accused of forging her home’s deed and trying to transfer the ownership to herself, according to the TV station. She also allegedly lied to her family about Walter’s whereabouts.
“There was no remorse. It was always about her, what was best for her,” Pillich told WXIX-TV. “Not even her kids. Just her.”
“She bought the gun,” Pillich also said. “She changed the deed to the house. She checked the insurance. She sent her children away for the night. Step by step — this was planned. It was cold.”
Linda was sentenced to life in prison on March 18, 1985, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records show.
While appearing on Netflix’s true crime series I Am a Killer, Couch detailed the yearslong abuse she claims led up to the killing.
In 2021, one of her children, Roxanne Wagner, acknowledged claims that Walter was abusive to Linda while speaking with WXIX-TV.
However, Wagner said at the time that she believes her mother should remain in prison.
“It’s something I’ll never be able to escape,” Wagner told the TV station.
“There’s no remorse, no sympathy, nothing on her part. She’s never admitted to what she’s done,” Wagner added.
Coolidge told Us that Linda’s release from prison is dependent on her being placed in a nursing home where she can continue her ongoing cancer treatment.
While speaking with WXIX-TV, Pillich said Linda is undergoing chemotherapy, regularly receives morphine as part of treatment and uses a wheelchair.
