She died young because of an affair
A married woman found herself having an affair with her neighbor’s husband. The affair quickly progressed into a serious relationship. The two talked about abandoning their partners and starting a new life together. She had no idea what was in store for her.
On the day she expected a romantic proposal from her lover in the desert, things took a wrong turn.
Her Husband Wasn’t Enough For Her Problems
Erin Heavilin grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She was a sweet and loving person. She had a special love for pets and a talent for taming horses. Erin met her husband, Jonathan Corwin, in a barn. They built their relationship from a sweet friendship. They got married in 2012.
Jonathan joined the Marines.
In September 2013, the couple relocated to a marine base in 29 Palms, California. The pair quickly got along with a neighboring couple, Chris and Nicole Lee. The couples would often enjoy barbecues at night.
Erin and Jonathan argued a lot, mostly about finances, accusing each other of overspending. When Erin got pregnant, the couple focused more on their upcoming baby. Their excitement was portrayed in Erin’s social media posts.
However, Erin suffered a miscarriage shortly after. It left her shattered and devastated. She began to close herself in and avoided social interactions with people.
She Found Comfort In her Neighbor’s Husband
Erin got close to one of the neighbors, Chris Lee. Chris was also dealing with his own depression problems at the same time.
Erin and Chris started hanging out more often in the absence of their spouses. In February 2014, Chris and Nicole visited Erin and Jonathan’s house to binge on The Walking Dead.
Amidst the episode, Erin left for her bedroom to play video games. Chris followed shortly after. The two started making out in the bedroom despite their spouses being right there.
The risky act strengthened their love affair. They were often sneaking away from their houses for risky sex. Their relationship took off fast. They were now planning on leaving their spouses to be together.
Chris’s wife, Nicole, noticed her husband’s strange behavior. She decided to check his phone. Nicole found a lot of texts between Chris and Nicole.
One stated: “You are so gorgeous; I think I am falling for you.” The texts sparked an argument between Nicole and Chris. Nicole also went to inform Jonathan about her findings.
Eventually, Nicole told Erin: “If you ever have anything else to do with my husband, I will kill you myself.”
The Affair Bore Fruit
After the blown-up truth, Chris and Erin ended their affair. Erin later found out she was pregnant, and she was not sure who the father was. She suspected that it was Chris’s.
On June 28th, 2014, Chris had asked Erin to meet her at Joshua Tree for a surprise. Erin thought that Chris was going to propose to her.
That day, she never returned home. Her husband, Jonathan, filed a missing person report. The police went over to Joshua Tree to investigate. They found her car, but Erin was nowhere to be found.
After investigations, police learned about the affair between Erin and Chris, including the surprise on the day of her disappearance. But, when the authorities initially questioned Chris, he denied ever having an affair with Erin.
He later admitted to the affair but claimed it never went beyond kissing. At that point, the police believed that Erin’s case was a possible homicide.
The authorities continued to search for Erin for almost two months to no avail. To their luck, a woman who ran a horse ranch where Erin and Chris often volunteered found some unusual photos of abandoned mines.
Chris took those pictures a few days before Erin disappeared. After further investigations, the police found Erin’s body in one of the mine shafts, hidden 140 feet below the surface.
Erin was strangled to death. She also had a propane tank tied to her, which investigators believed was meant to burn her body after the murder.
At the crime scene, the police uncovered a homemade torch made from a Marine Corps shirt. When the torch was sent for DNA testing, Chris’s DNA was found all over it. A sprite bottle that contained Chris’s and Erin’s DNA was also found at the crime scene.
Conclusion
Erin was not pregnant. She might have lied about it to Chris to pin him down.
Chris was on the run. The police later found him in Alaska, and he was arrested. During the trial, the woman who ran the horse ranch testified that Chris’s wife, Nicole, had told her that she wished Erin dead and she would not care if it happened. Allegedly, Nicole said this after Erin went missing.
Chris later admitted to murdering Erin. He was angry after finding that Erin was molesting his daughter, which led to him murdering her.
She allegedly told him that she had molested his child. Chris was convicted of first-degree murder. And on November 29th, 2016, Chris was sentenced to life in prison without a possibility of parole.
My partner and I also started a true crime YouTube Channel. Check out the videos HERE.