Heidy Truman was 25 years old in 2012 when she was shot to death, shocking the Orem, Utah community. Her husband, Conrad, was the only witness to the murder and, of course, was accused of killing his wife.
Initially, Conrad claimed that Heidy had shot herself, but no one believed him and because a prosecutor gave intentionally incorrect measurements, he was found guilty of murder.
However, after spending a few years in jail, Conrad was proven not guilty and was subsequently exonerated. Furthermore, Heidy was also found to have shot herself after she and Conrad got into a fight.
Heidy Truman’s story will be detailed in Dateline’s true crime series Secrets Uncovered. Titled As Night Fell, the episode will be released on January 24, 2023, at 8 p.m. The synopsis for the episode reads:
“Heidy and Conrad Truman are an enviable couple with bright futures until Heidy is found shot, then her fingers are pointed but could point to an innocent person.”
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of murder. Discretion Advised.
Heidy Truman’s husband was wrongly convicted of her death
1) The couple had a fight before Heidy shot herself
According to Heidy’s husband, the night of her death, the couple, who on the outside seemed like a very happy couple, had a fight. The two had been drinking whiskey and watching television when they started fighting, but he said he did not expect the fight to escalate further.
At around 11, Conrad claimed that he heard a loud bang and when he went to see where the noise was coming from, he found his wife lying in a pool of blood.
2) Conrad reportedly failed to cooperate with police.
When Conrad saw his wife lying on the floor beside him, he called 911 and told them his wife got out of the shower and heard a bang. He added:
“There is blood, it is her blood.”
According to ABC, when first responders arrived at the scene, they found Heidy’s body on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the head. The publication also stated that Conrad was “belligerent” and was not cooperating with police.
3) Heidy’s family believed that Conrad was guilty of Heidy’s murder
After Heidy’s death, her family claimed that she was murdered. They suspected that Conrad was involved in her death since he was the only one in the house when she died.
Even after Conrad was found not guilty, Heidy’s mother made a statement saying:
“My daughter’s murderer has been released. We remain true to our commitment to advocate for domestic violence awareness in memory of my daughter. We will continue to support the victims and tell Heidy’s story.”
4) Faulty Crime Scene Measurements Led To Conrad’s Conviction
Nearly four years after Conrad was convicted, investigators discovered that the evidence used to convict him had faulty measurements. His defense attorney, Mark Moffat, said the evidence presented to the medical examiner was a faulty diagram with incorrect measurements. He said the diagram was “grossly inaccurate.”
The medical examiner also changed the manner of Heidy’s death from homicide to undetermined.
5) Conrad was exonerated after a few years
In 2014, Conrad Truman was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. However, after proving the inaccuracy of the evidence presented, he was exonerated. Truman said:
“I’ve been locked up for something I didn’t do, I don’t know what else to say to that.”
As mentioned above, Heidy Truman’s story will be detailed in Dateline’s Secret’s Uncovered, which will be released on January 24, 2023 at 8 p.m. m.
