108. A Shot in the Dark: The Barbara Stager Case

In February 1988, a single gunshot shattered the quiet of a Durham, North Carolina, neighborhood. Barbara Stager told police her husband Russ's death was a tragic accident. But as investigators dug deeper, the picture-perfect image of a devoted wife began to crack. 

In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we step back into the 1980s Durham - a city caught between its tobacco past and high-tech future, where Baptist faith and family values shaped everyday life, and where appearances mattered. Against that backdrop, the story of Russ and Barbara Stager unfolds: a tale of love, betrayal, financial secrets, and deadly deception. 

Was it an accident, or something far more sinister? Join us as we explore the twists and turns of a case that shocked North Carolina and left a community asking how well we ever really know the people closest to us.