Snapped season 27 episode 9 - A detailed case overview of Sylvia White' brutal crime

Snapped, season 27, episode 9, titled Sylvia White, is reairing on August 25 on Oxygen, detailing one of the most sinister crimes in small-town North Carolina. In the episode, a familiar insurance salesman named Billy White is discovered shot to death on a rural back road, a crime that awed the small town with its brutality.

What starts as an agitated wife who reports her missing husband eventually becomes a sensational inquiry that reveals secrets buried for decades. While Sylvia White initially appears devastated by grief, her behavior in the days and years to come hints at a darker and more cunning character.

The documentary exposes not just the sensational murder but deep-seated tragedies from the past that formed the case's dark course. Catch this episode on Snapped, available on Peacock, Oxygen, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.

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Snapped: The 1992 murder of Billy C. White Sr.

Snapped: Billy C. White Sr. was shot twice (Image via Unsplash/ @ William Isted/ Snapped)

Billy C. White Sr., a 54-year-old insurance salesman known in the Kinston community, was found dead on January 21, 1992, in a wooded area off a rural road. He had been shot twice with a shotgun, once in the chest and once in the side, indicating a close-range attack, as per Oxygen.

The previous day, White had left home for what his wife, Sylvia White, described as a routine client meeting to discuss an insurance policy. When he did not return, Sylvia reported him missing to the police. Authorities initially considered robbery as a motive, as his wedding ring was missing, according to Oxygen.

Sylvia, then in her 50s, presented herself as a grieving widow, actively participating in the search efforts. However, inconsistencies soon emerged. Hotel records showed she had checked out early from a cosmetics seminar in Raleigh, contradicting her alibi. Further probing revealed Sylvia's extramarital affair and financial strains, including potential benefits from life insurance policies worth up to $200,000, as per Oxygen.

Investigators learned she had confided in her brother-in-law, Ernest West Basden, about wanting to eliminate her husband. Basden, along with another accomplice, carried out the act after being promised payment. The crime scene evidence, including shotgun shells, matched witness accounts of suspicious activity in the area. This murder not only shocked the small town but also prompted a deeper look into Sylvia's past relationships and behaviors.

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The investigation and key revelations

Snapped season 27, episode 9 (Image via Unsplash/ @ Markus Winkler)

The probe into Billy White Sr.'s death began with standard procedures, including canvassing the area and interviewing associates. An anonymous tip directed attention to Sylvia's brother-in-law, James Lynwood Taylor, who had ties to local construction and occasional police informant work. During an extended interrogation lasting eight hours, Taylor confessed to his involvement, stating Sylvia had orchestrated the murder-for-hire scheme. He implicated Ernest West Basden as the shooter, hired for $2,000, and revealed Sylvia's admission to a prior killing, as per Oxygen.

This new development prompted officials to re-investigate the 1973 murder of Sylvia's stepson, Billy C. White II. Taylor described Sylvia as nonchalantly discussing suffocating the child and saying it was "not that hard to do." With this new revelation, officials had the boy's body exhumed for a fresh autopsy, which proved homicide by suffocation and head trauma. Forensic analysts observed a big plastic item thrust into the throat, which did not match accidental ingestion, according to Oxygen. Snapped’s Season 27, Episode 9 delves into this narrative with a forensic eye.

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The 1973 death of Billy C. White II

Billy C. White II died due to suffocation and head trauma (Image via Unsplash/ @ Daiga Ellaby/ Snapped)

In 1973, four-year-old Billy C. White II died under circumstances initially ruled accidental. Sylvia White, his stepmother, claimed the child swallowed a piece of plastic while playing, leading to choking. Hospital staff noted suspicions at the time, but without a thorough investigation, the case closed quickly. The boy was buried, and life continued for the family in Kinston, according to the STATE of North Carolina.

Nearly two decades later, during the probe into his father's murder, new details emerged. Sylvia's confession to Taylor prompted the exhumation of the body. Autopsy results showed a wadded-up laundry bag plastic forced deep into the throat, too large for accidental swallowing. A four-inch skull fracture suggested prior abuse, reclassifying the death as homicide. Experts determined the injuries could not have occurred as described, indicating deliberate action, as per the STATE of North Carolina.

Sylvia's motive remained unclear, though resentment toward the stepchild from her husband's previous relationship was speculated based on her later statements. This revelation connected the two deaths, showing a pattern of violence for personal reasons.

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Trials, convictions, and aftermath

Snapped: Sylvia White was sentenced to two life sentences (Image via Unsplash/ @Larry Farr)

Sylvia White faced separate proceedings for the two deaths. In 1993, she was tried for the first-degree murder of her stepson, Billy II. The jury convicted her based on forensic evidence and Taylor's testimony, sentencing her to life imprisonment. For her husband's killing, Sylvia pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to avoid the death penalty, receiving another life term, as per The News and Observer.

Co-defendants faced justice too: Taylor, who cooperated, got life for first-degree murder. Basden was convicted of first-degree murder and executed by lethal injection in 2002. Sylvia maintained innocence in public but accepted the plea deal, as per Oxygen.

In December 2021, at age 85, Sylvia was granted parole by the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. She was released on December 2, 2022, after nearly 29 years, under supervision in a private North Carolina location, as per Neuse News.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on Oxygen's Snapped.