Ep 3. Kimberly Cunningham

In the season 5 episode 3 of Snapped, the focus is on Kimberly Cunningham, a striking young woman with an exotic past and a troubled present. Born and raised in Venezuela by her American father and Venezuelan mother, she spent much of her childhood traveling the world before settling in the United States.

Despite her beauty and charm, Kimberly had a difficult personal life. She suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to numerous hospitalizations and eventually a suicide attempt. Her marriage to a successful businessman also came with its own stresses, including infidelity and financial problems.

As the episode unfolds, viewers are introduced to Kimberly's close friends and family members, who describe her as kind-hearted but emotionally volatile. They discuss her tendency to alternate between manic highs and depressive lows, and the impact this had on her relationships with others.

But what really drew the attention of law enforcement was the mysterious disappearance of Kimberly's husband, Joe Schulte, in 2003. Despite days of searching and numerous interviews with Kimberly, there was no sign of Joe or any indication of what might have happened to him.

The case remained cold until 2005, when police received a tip from a friend of Kimberly's. The friend claimed that Kimberly had confessed to killing her husband and burying him in a shallow grave in a nearby park. Investigators immediately began digging in the indicated area and soon discovered a body matching Joe's description.

As the trial begins, Kimberly's defense team argues that she was not in her right frame of mind when the murder occurred, due to her bipolar disorder. They suggest that her medication was not being properly managed and that she was experiencing a manic episode at the time of the crime.

However, the prosecution paints a different picture of Kimberly, citing her history of violent outbursts and past threats against Joe. They argue that she killed him in a fit of rage, motivated by jealousy and anger over his infidelity.

Throughout the episode, viewers are presented with conflicting accounts of Kimberly's personality and motivations. Was she a helpless victim of her own illness, or a calculated killer with a motive to get rid of her husband? As the trial comes to a close, the answer becomes clear – but not without leaving a lasting impression on those tuning in.