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Ernie Ibarra was killed due to a well-orchestrated murder scheme plotted by his own wife, Samantha Wohlford. ID's The Murder Tapes is scheduled to revisit the tragic murder story in its Season 7 Episode 2 this Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 9 PM ET.
The official synopsis of the episode, titled Friends Like These, states:
"A woman shocks the Titus County Sheriff's Office when she reports the kidnapping of her husband, Ernie; police race to find him, but things are not as they seem, and they must first figure out who is telling the truth to them to solve the case."
It all started when the Titus County Sheriff’s Office received a strange call about a house invasion in the early morning hours of February 20, 2015. Three masked men reportedly broke into the house where the family of seven - Ernie Ibarra, his wife, and five children - resided. They brutally attacked Ernie and then kidnapped him while Samantha was tied up and gagged.
Read ahead to learn more about Ernie Ibarra's tragic murder story.
Ernie Ibarra was abducted and murdered in accordance with a plan created by his own wife
Officers who arrived at their house after receiving a panic-stricken call questioned Ernie's wife Samantha Wohlford about the incident. She said that, during the home invasion, Ernie Ibarra was dragged out of bed and brutally struck with a gun. Wohlford also added that the invaders tied her up, gagged her, and made her watch as they beat him up.
Samantha reportedly told detectives:
"They had me on my knees, forcing him to look at me. It was like they were using me like some kind of taunting factor and they were punching him in the face with a gun."
The invaders kidnapped Ibarra after attacking him and drove him through Pittsburgh to the final location at Sand Crossing in Camp County, where they shot him to death amidst the remote woods. A short time later, he was found dead in a briar-filled bush on the bank of a bayou in the southeast corner of Camp County. A gunshot wound to the back of his head was confirmed to be the cause of death.
Describing her son Ernie, the victim's mother Randa Floyd said:
"As young as he was, he had maturity had a heart for kids angry at the world. When life isn't fair he'd tell them that was no reason they couldn't do better."
The victim was the father of five children and did his best to provide for the family. Reports even state that he worked multiple jobs when things got tough for them.
How did the investigation fare?
The rigorous investigation that followed led authorities to the perpetrators, later identified as Jose Ponse, Johnathan Sanford, and Octavious Rhymes. However, the mastermind of the murder plot turned out to be the victim's wife, Samantha. They had initially planned to set Ernie up for a drug bust and even bought meth for that purpose when Wohlford asked Sanford for help to get rid of her abusive husband.
Together, they decided that killing him would be easier. So, they executed the plan they had so carefully organized, while high on meth. The four individuals were accused of kidnapping and killing Ernie Ibarra.
In 2016, Sanford and Ponse entered a guilty plea, receiving a 50-year jail term each. By the year's end, Rhymes went on trial, was found guilty on all charges, and given a total sentence of 93 years in prison.
Samantha was tried and found guilty of murdering her husband in 2017. She was sentenced to 99 years in prison, to be served concurrently with a 50-year term for abduction.
The upcoming episode of The Murder Tapes will air on ID at 9 PM ET this Wednesday, July 13.
