The shooting death of Eddie Byrom will be the focus of the Oxygen documentary Snapped . Eddie Byrom’s wife, Michelle Byrom, and his son, Edward Byrom Jr., were accused in his death. Both Michelle and her son are now free and will discuss the murder case that shocked Iuka, Mississippi, on tonight’s Snapped episode. Along with Michelle and Edward Byrom Jr., the local investigators will discuss the story.
It happened in June 1999. Authorities say that they were called out to a scene on Miss 172 E. in Iuka, where a man had been found dead by his son. According to then 19-year-old Edward Byrom, he arrived home and found his deceased father slumped between the couch and the coffee table. Police say the man had no pulse, but his body was still warm to the touch.
Edward Byrom, who everyone calls Junior, told investigators that he was particularly worried about his mother, 42-year-old Michelle Byrom. At the time, Michelle was in the hospital suffering from pneumonia. On Snapped’s show, investigators will recall that Junior seemed calm and unaffected after they told him his dad was dead.
The investigation focused on Michelle Byrom, who authorities believed wanted her husband dead to collect his retirement and death benefits from an insurance policy. Junior ended up telling police that his mother hired his friend to kill his father.
An autopsy report showed that Eddie Byrom, a 56-year-old electrician, was shot multiple times in the chest. It appeared that he was on the couch when he was shot.
Michelle Byrom was eventually convicted in her husband’s murder and sentenced to death. Byrom had many supporters who believed in her innocence.
On Snapped , Michelle Byrom will reveal that she ran away from home at the tender age of 14. But life looked better when she met and married Eddie. It was a happy and fun marriage in the beginning. But after 20 years had passed, Michelle found herself accused of murder.
By several accounts, Michelle Byrom was abused sexually, physically, and emotionally. And her husband, Eddie, was said not to be a nice man. With a room dedicated to porn, he often made Michelle Byrom engage in some degrading sexual acts, according to The Clarion-Ledger who reported the following.
“Her stepfather abused her and, by age 15, she was working as a stripper. Edward Sr., who had a special darkened room to watch pornography, reportedly forced her to have sex with other men, which he videotaped.”
Mississippi court records go even deeper.
“The Byrom household was a particularly discordant place. Byrom and Edward frequently fought about money-related issues, and Junior would sometimes intervene when the fights escalated. Edward was physically, sexually, and verbally abusive to Byrom. He often abused Junior as well, generally in response to Junior’s partying, drinking, and drug use. Byrom and Edward themselves drank frequently, and it appears the family’s fights were worse when alcohol was involved. Junior claims that, in the six months leading up to Edward’s murder, the family would engage in heated arguments that involved yelling and cursing at least twice a week.”
But who really killed Eddie Byrom? Was it the son or the mother? According to Secular Talk , Edward Byrom, who was originally sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy, was released from prison. Michelle Byrom’s death sentence was overturned and she was freed from prison in 2015. Even today, there is still speculation about who actually pulled the trigger.
BREAKING NEWS: MS Supreme Court orders new trial for Michelle Byrom Read the update here: http://t.co/lsrj5uKuOk pic.twitter.com/HDtwCk0ry4
— WLBT 3 On Your Side (@WLBT) March 31, 2014
Some key details that possibly led to her freedom are the following facts, according to Secular Talk .
- The jury never saw two letters written by Edward to his mother, allegedly confessing to the murder.
- Testimony from a psychologist, who claimed that Edward spoke about killing his dad, was never heard by the jury.
Learn about the inside details of the case by tuning into Snapped tonight on Oxygen.
Crime and Justice: What do you believe?
- Who really killed Eddie Byrom?
[Featured Image by AP Images]