The Delaware wife believed to have travelled to Pennsylvania to shoot dead a woman she thought was having an affair with her husband desperately appealed for marriage counselors to help her relationship, just one month before the murder-suicide.
Jennair Gerardot was found to have posted requests for recommendations for counselors onto the Nextdoor website in February and March, describing how she and her husband Mark were "on the brink of divorce," reports Delaware Online.
As recently as March 14, she asked for an "excellent" counselor for couples who have experience in "infidelity, depression, traumatic experiences, child/parent dynamics, being accountable for actions."
She adds: "We have gone to someone who I would not recommend at all and who is very damaging to our already volatile circumstances."
It is unclear whether the pair ever did attend any counselling sessions. According to the Courier Express, the Gerardots were approaching the end of the six-month separation period required by Delaware state law to file for divorce.
The couple's marriage troubles culminated in tragic national news, after police discovered the bodies of Jennair Gerardot and Meredith Chapman in the kitchen of a house in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, on 23 April.
Officers say Gerardot broke into Chapman's home after disguising herself with a wig and waited to ambush her that night. After shooting the 33-year-old dead, Gerardot is believed to have turned the gun on herself.
"It's cleared as far as we're concerned," Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo said. "You had a man who's married who's having an affair with this other woman. His wife knew that. This was a calculated attack," he said.
Officers are still investigating some elements of the case, including how long Gerardot had been in Radnor Township. Police have since discovered that she did not travel to Pennsylvania by train, as originally reported, but had rented out a black Cadillac found parked opposite Chapman's home, according to Philly.com.
Despite some details still emerging, police believe they have already established the main events which led up to the deaths of the women.
"We have given the media ample access and provided a press conference to answer any and all questions," Radnor Superintendent of Police Bill Colarulo said Wednesday. "We are no longer entertaining any inquiries on this matter."
Chapman had just moved to Radnor Township to start her new job as assistant vice president in nearby Villanova University. Before that, she had spent several years living and working in Delaware, including unsuccessfully running for state Senate in 2016.
She was still married—but separated—from her husband, Newark City Councilman Luke Chapman, when she moved to Radnor Township.
Chapman's family issued a statement describing the 33-year-old as "a wonderful daughter, sister, and devoted friend," reports Philly.com.
"We loved her very much, just as she loved all of us, and we are devastated by her death," the statement added. "While her marriage to Luke had come to an end, it was gratifying to know that their separation and divorce was amicable, that they remained friends and confidants, and that each of them cared very much for the other.
"We understand that the circumstances of her death are the focus of news attention today, but we have chosen to refrain from participating in these stories because they do not and cannot capture the essence of her life.
"She was a vibrant, vital and caring woman of incredible talent, and we ask for the opportunity to mourn her in private," the statement said.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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