Lester Holt

Coming up, a Georgia woman accused of staging her husband's apparent suicide 10 years ago is standing trial for a third time.

Our next story is the astonishing case of a Georgia woman by the name of Susan Embert.

It's a case that includes allegations of murder and poison.

And we should warn listeners, we'll also be talking about suicide.

On the morning of June 28, 2014, Susan says she found her husband, William Jake Embert, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

But about eight months later, after getting new information from members of Jake's family, prosecutors charged Susan with his murder.

And not just that, they charged her with aggravated assault, accusing her of trying to poison Jake in the months leading up to his death.

Susan was convicted at trial in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.

But then, in a massive twist, in 2024, the Georgia Appellate Court threw out her conviction after her appellate attorneys discovered that one of the jurors at her trial had been ineligible to serve.

Susan's retrial began this past December, only for that to hit a roadblock too.

Just days into the proceedings, the judge declared a mistrial.

We'll get into why in a moment.

This week, more than 10 years since her husband's death, Susan is standing trial for a third time.

She steadfastly maintains her innocence.

Did you do what you're accused of doing?

No, I did not.

Dateline producer Marissa Meyer is joining us to tell us what might be different this time around.

Hi, Marissa.

Hi, Lester.

So, Marissa, let's start with what you've learned about the relationship at the heart of it all.