'An olfactory deluge': Cop testifies about 'horror show' in home where a wife 'pretended to take care' of dead brother-in-law for 6 months

A Pennsylvania pistillate who kept her precocious brother-in-law's dead body successful her location for respective months truthful she could currency his Social Security checks is taking a plea deal.

Debbie Bebout, 64, is expected to plead blameworthy to 1 number of felony theft arsenic portion of a "fast track" deal. Local quality outlet Herald-Standard reported that Bebout and her husband, 68-year-old James Bebout, appeared remotely for a preliminary hearing connected Dec. 26 successful transportation with charges of theft, transgression conspiracy, and maltreatment of a corpse. As Law&Crime antecedently reported, James Bebout reported that helium recovered his brother, 64-year-old Michael Bebout, dormant when helium brought him breakfast connected the greeting of Jan. 16.

When constabulary arrived, they recovered thing but skeletal remains. Michael Bebout had been dormant for respective months.

During the Dec. 26 preliminary hearing, Greene-Washington Regional Police Corporal Adrian Poux testified astir the country helium and his colleagues encountered erstwhile they entered the Bebouts' location successful Canton Township, Pennsylvania, connected Jan. 16. Poux said the location "smelled of death," and the utmost odor was truthful "overwhelming" that it was "an olfactory deluge."

At the clip of the discovery, Greene Washington Regional Police Chief Will DeForte described the location arsenic "one of the astir atrocious and horrific conditions we've ever recovered a decedent." He added, "There was wall-to-wall canine feces. The concern looked similar a hoarder had lived there, precise hard to traverse done the residence, and the odor was extraordinarily unpleasant."

Poux testified that the location looked similar a "horror show," and helium and his colleagues were expecting "a assemblage that was 24 to 48 hours old." An autopsy determined that Michael Bebout apt died sometime successful August 2024. Authorities did not fishy foul play successful his death.

James Bebout told constabulary that Debbie Bebout was acting arsenic his brother's superior caregiver. On the greeting of Jan. 16, Debbie Bebout was successful jailhouse connected a seat warrant, truthful James Bebout took connected the role. When helium recovered his member that morning, helium told constabulary helium was "stiff arsenic a board."

During his testimony, Poux said helium told James Bebout, "there was nary mode helium didn't cognize what was going on," adding, "He was dazed."

More from Law&Crime: Wife 'pretended to instrumentality care' of decomposing assemblage of husband's member for 6 months truthful they could currency Social Security checks: Police

Further probe revealed that Debbie Bebout had been "pretending to instrumentality attraction of" Michael Bebout for months truthful she could currency his Social Security checks totaling $6,189. Poux testified that Debbie Bebout ne'er implicated her hubby successful her scheme. She spent the wealth connected groceries, kerosene to vigor the home, and different surviving expenses.

While Debbie Bebout agreed to plead blameworthy to a felony number of theft, James Bebout maintained that helium had thing to bash with the program to currency his precocious brother's Social Security checks, nor did helium recognize his member was dormant until helium brought him meal that January morning. The Herald-Standard reported that helium told his nationalist defender, "I can't hold to thing I didn't do."

While James Bebout's nationalist defender noted that his woman did not implicate her husband, Assistant District Attorney Robert West countered that determination was nary mode helium did not cognize determination was a dormant assemblage decomposing successful his two-bedroom home. West cited the "immediate smells" that constabulary described upon entering the location and the information that Michael Bebout's assemblage was successful a chamber specified feet from the surviving country wherever the surviving Bebouts slept connected couches.

"Inaction is enactment erstwhile it comes to the desecration of a body," West said. The justice agreed, saying, "Living astatine the aforesaid code arsenic the assemblage negates [the claim] that the suspect wasn't aware."

Debbie Bebout is expected to beryllium sentenced to clip served. James Bebout is acceptable to spell connected proceedings for conspiracy to perpetrate theft and a misdemeanor complaint of maltreatment of a corpse aft the justice dismissed 1 complaint of felony theft. He is successful custody astatine the Washington County Jail, wherever helium is being held connected $6,000 currency bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2026.