Matheau Moore, Acquitted of Murdering Wife Emily Noble, Says He Knows Some Still Think he Did It
Matheau Moore was suspected of being involved in his wife Emily Noble's disappearance after the pair celebrated her birthday in May 2020. Four months later, she was found hanging in a wooded area near the couple's home.
An Ohio man who was found not guilty of murdering his wife and staging her death as a suicide says he's aware that some people may still think he committed the alleged crime.
Matheau Moore, 51, was acquitted by a Delaware County jury on August 26, 2022 for the murder of his wife, Emily Noble, whose body was found in the woods near their Westerville home, according to CBS Columbus Affiliate WBNS-TV. Live coverage of the case showed Moore crying as the judge read the verdict, which was returned after three hours of deliberation, according to Law&Crime reporters.
What has Matheau Moore said since being acquitted of killing his wife, Emily Noble?
Moore — who wrote a book called Emily: A Staged Suicide in Ohio, which was released on digital form in March — has said he's aware that despite last year's verdict, some may still believe he is guilty. “It’s something you have to get used to, I guess,” Moore said, according to WBNS. “It’s not fun. I like Westerville. It was really nice living there. I care about what the people there think. I don’t know. I hope they read my book. And I hope it helps them in some way, to see what’s going on.”
He added, "The people that think I’m guilty, there’s nothing I’m going to say to change that. There’s nothing I can do. But if you’re on the fence, it will help. ‘Cause there’s a lot of stuff that they didn’t know that the book will help them with. I hope her family reads it.”
When he was found not guilty in 2022, Greene County Judge Stephen A. Wolves said, “You are free to go. Mr. Moore, I think from day one, everyone’s wanted justice for your wife, Emily. I’ve heard that phrase a lot; I think everyone truly desires that. But I think the jury has also said that justice for Emily is not injustice for you. And they reaffirmed that.”
What happened to Emily Noble?
Noble disappeared after she and Moore celebrated her 52nd birthday with a night on the town on May 24, 2020. Moore told authorities he woke up the next morning and Noble wasn’t there. He believed she disappeared sometime in the middle of the night from the couple’s shared Westerville home, a suburb of Columbus.
Four months later, on September 16, 2020, Noble was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area near the home, according to Law&Crime. The Columbus Dispatch reported there was a USB cord wrapped around her neck and tied to a honeysuckle branch.
What was Matheau Moore charged with?
In June 2021, more than a year after Noble’s disappearance, a grand jury decided to indict Moore on charges of murder and felonious assault. Investigators claimed fractures to the victim’s face and hands indicated her death was a homicide.
Their theory: Moore murdered his wife and staged it to look like a suicide.
Matheau Moore's Trial
But forensics examination would be paramount in the trial. Prosecutors argued the injuries were not consistent with a suicide. Meanwhile, the defense outlined the victim’s medical history and alluded to Noble’s “fragile bones,” according to the Dispatch.
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The defense also pointed out that investigators failed to properly secure the scene, including when they allegedly left some of the victim’s teeth and bones during their initial investigation.
During the trial, the defense and prosecution focused on Moore’s and Noble’s mental health. Those representing Moore touched on the tragedies Noble faced in her life, including her first husband’s suicide.
Moore’s 17-year-son from a previous marriage — Noble’s stepson — also died by suicide by hanging in 2019.
Noble reportedly sought help for depression in the past, but prosecutors dismissed the notion of suicide because they said she showed no red flags before her death, the Dispatch reported.
“That’s the thing about mental health,” defense attorney Diane Menashe countered. “You don’t see it coming.”
Earlier this year, Moore told WBNS that he wasn't able to grieve the loss of his wife during his arrest and trial. "There’s no closure with Emily and me and her death, so it’s, the combination of being accused of murder, at the same time dealing with that, it’s a pressure and a feeling that I can’t describe,” he reportedly said. “Right when I was found not guilty is when I started to be able to grieve her, so that’s why probably I got emotional. That was her more than anything else. I could start the grief process with my wife right there, in court, when they said not guilty.”