5 chilling details about William Hudnall's murder

William Hudnall
ID's Evil Lives Here revisits William Hudnall's murder (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

In June 2011, an ex-serviceman named William Hudnall was brutally hacked to death with a pickaxe by his own teen daughter in his Hawthrone, Florida, home. Hudnall had three children with his estranged wife Stephanie Hudnall, and his eldest son was the one closest to him.

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Sadly, at the time of the murder, William's son was stationed in Iraq as part of the US Army and only received the news over the call.

It was later discovered that Hudnall's daughter Guenevere was manipulated and persuaded by her mother to kill the 51-year-old man for social security payouts, given that their financial condition was deteriorating. They were both found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

The son, Joshua Hudnall, who passed away in 2018 due to lung failure, gave a detailed insight into his life, family history, and "master manipulator" mother Stephanie, to ID's Evil Lives Here. The episode, titled Let Her Rot, first aired in 2019.

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Here is a list of a few shocking revelations Joshua made about his father William Hudnall's murder.


Daughter's confession, multiple attempts to murder, and 3 other key facts about William Hudnall's murder case

1) William Hudnall was found hacked to death in his Florida home in a staged crime scene

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On June 9, 2011, 51-year-old William Hudnall was found hacked to death by a pickaxe at his 22118 SE 71st Avenue Hawthrone, Florida, home, by his estranged wife Stephanie and teenage daughter, Guenevere. They were the first to call 911. Sources state that he was murdered while he was sleeping in bed.

Authorities quickly realized that the scene at Hudnall's home seemed to have been staged when they arrived at the site of the murder.

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2) Stephanie and Guenevere Hudnall lived separately at the time of the murder

Their neighbors claimed that in the months leading up to William's murder, his marriage to Stephanie allegedly worsened and the two began to drift apart.

Stephanie and his two daughters, Guenevere and Ruby Grace, were living in a mobile home in Keystone Heights at the time of his death and were having financial difficulties.

The victim himself was living alone in the home and their son Joshua was away in Iraq, serving in the US army.

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3) Guenevere confessed to murdering her father under persuasion and manipulation

Stephanie and Guenevere Hudnall were questioned by detectives working on the case until they confessed. According to reports, William's ex-wife took their 19-year-old daughter to his residence the night of his death, where the young woman spent hours chit-chatting with her father.

She then used the pickaxe to repeatedly hack him in the chest and head after he had slept.

Three days later, on June 12, 2011, the mother and daughter were taken into custody. Guenevere claimed that Stephanie was the mastermind behind the plan and that she committed the murder after her mother persuaded her to do so.

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4) Stephanie had made multiple attempts to kill William Hudnall but failed

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Joshua Hudnall disclosed that his mother had made multiple attempts to kill his father. She once poisoned him and on another occasion, lit the bed on fire while he was asleep. He also claimed Stephanie tried to stab him with a knife, which pushed him to the extent that he decided to join the army.


5) Financial gain was the motive behind William Hudnall's murder

Stephanie Hudnall was in a tight spot financially and thought that her husband's demise would enable them to benefit from his social security benefits, which is why she made multiple attempts to kill him.

As she was unable to do so, she manipulated her daughter into hacking him to death.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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