Bio

Linda Lou Charbonneau was born on February 9, 1948. Her first husband died in a car accident. She was left to raise two young children on her own.

After that, she moved in with John Charbonneau. She and John had another child together. For about two decades they lived together and helped raise her children.

By 1997 she left John and married his nephew, Billy Sproates. Within a few years she spent time back with John while still married to Billy. Her youngest daughter is Mellisa.

Murder Story

Linda Lou Charbonneau was born on February 9, 1948. She was charged with two murders in Sussex County, Delaware. The cases involved her former husband, John Charbonneau, age 62, and her husband, William Sproates III, age 45.

John Charbonneau was reported missing on September 23, 2001, near Millsboro. The record lists the method of death for John as blunt force injury causing a fractured skull.

William Sproates III was reported missing on October 17, 2001, near Bridgeville. The record lists his cause of death as multiple stab wounds, blunt force trauma, and asphyxiation. An autopsy later found dirt in Sproates’ lungs, which indicated he was breathing when he was buried behind a house.

Police investigated and identified Linda, her daughter Mellisa Rucinski, and Mellisa’s boyfriend, Willie (Willie Tony) Brown, as suspects. The bodies and other evidence were found during searches in November 2001, and authorities arrested the three on November 30, 2001. Brown later led police to the location where John Charbonneau’s body was recovered.

Prosecutors said the motive was financial gain tied to collecting John Charbonneau’s benefits and that Sproates was killed after he began asking questions about John’s disappearance. Willie Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder on April 24, 2003 and agreed to cooperate. Mellisa Rucinski pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and to a first-degree conspiracy count in October 2003.

At trial, a jury convicted Linda Charbonneau of the murders on April 23, 2004. The jury recommended death by votes of 10–2 for John’s killing and 9–3 for Sproates’ killing. On June 4, 2004, the trial judge sentenced Linda Charbonneau to death and imposed additional prison terms for conspiracy and weapon charges.

The Delaware Supreme Court reviewed the case and on March 1, 2006 reversed the conviction and remanded the case for a new trial. The high court found that the trial judge had abused his discretion by excluding certain evidence related to a co-defendant’s plea and proffer, which affected the fairness of the trial.