The Eric Somuah, Katrina Ben fatal attraction murder case will be examined tonight on the next episode of Dateline NBC this Friday. Eric Somuah was a handsome luxury car dealer in the Maryland area who was fatally shot by his neighbor and part-time lover, Katrina Ben. Court records show that Katrina Ben, whose complete name is Katrina Renee Benn, flew into a jealous rage and shot Somuah in the head after a night of sex when she discovered that he had a slew of lovers on the side.
35-year-old Katrina Ben was a traveling oncology nurse and single mother living in the same apartment complex as Eric Somuah. Court records show that after Katrina Ben’s husband died of pancreatic cancer, she and Eric Somuah became close friends, with Somuah often helping her out in times of need. Authorities say that friendship quickly progressed to a sexual relationship. But Katrina Ben had it all wrong. Eric Somuah had no intentions on having an exclusive relationship with her. His family knew nothing about Katrina Ben, and he had planned on keeping it that way.
A check into his background revealed that the affluent car dealer had a number of women coming in and out of his apartment at night for sex. He was handsome, and he had money — allowing himself every opportunity to indulge in his fantasies. Sadly he underestimated the lengths that Katrina Ben would go to in order to get revenge.
Coworkers knew something was wrong when Eric Somuah failed to show up to work. And when police went to his home, they found him in his bed with a gunshot wound to the head. The position of his hands and body indicted that he was shot execution-style as he slept.
The case baffled police. In the days after the murder, detectives canvassed the neighborhood, speaking with as many neighbors as possible to find out who could have killed him. One neighbor admitted that she had a “romantic relationship” with Eric Somuah but knew nothing about how he died. That neighbor was identified as Katrina Ben (Benn).
She also denied owning a gun. With no leads and no real suspects, the case went cold. A year later, a “ good Samaritan “ found the discarded murder weapon and turned it into police. Investigators were able to track the gun to a pawn shop that listed Katrina Ben as the owner of the gun.
Ben was arrested at her home in Mississippi. At trial, prosecutors say that after Eric Somuah had sex with Katrina Ben on the night of June 6, 2012, he fell asleep. At some point, she discovered that she was not his only lover, leading her to shoot him in the bed as he slept. After killing him, she slipped out of his bedroom, locked the door to his apartment, and discarded the gun. Over the next several days, she paid her respects to his family and attended the funeral, as if nothing had happened.
According to the Gazzette , family members were shocked to learn that Ben was the killer. Katrina Ben’s family members have remained supportive of her, and say that she has been falsely accused. A jury disagreed. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Today, she is still doing time in a Maryland correctional facility. The case is similar to the Lance Herndon -Dionne Baugh fatal attraction case. In that case, Herndon was another handsome African American man with money who juggled several women at once. He was found in his Roswell mansion naked in bed. His lover, Dionne Baugh, had allegedly bludgeoned him to death after a night of passionate sex. She has since been released from prison.
Don’t miss this shocking fatal attraction case entitled While He Was Sleeping tonight at 10/9 central on Dateline NBC. Here’s the tease.
“When a successful luxury car dealer is murdered in his sleep, detectives soon focus in on one of the victim’s lovers. But with little hard evidence to go on, the investigation stalls – until a year later, when one lucky clue breaks the case wide open.”
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