Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins is examining the murder of Edward “Ed” Bozarth, who was bludgeoned to death by his wife, Denise Bozarth, on their live-on boat at a marina in Key Largo, Florida.
In June 2007, 62-year-old Ed and 39-year-old Denise were living on a sailboat called the Screw U 2. They were married for nine years and had two children together.
However, it later transpired that Denise had wanted her husband dead for some time.
Ed’s remains were discovered on the boat on July 1. A man working on a nearby vessel had complained of a foul order coming from the Screw U 2.
Deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office found Ed’s body in the starboard engine compartment, wrapped in a canvas sail storage bag. His head was covered with a towel, and the air conditioning was set to 60 degrees.
He’d been dead for approximately a week and had suffered a blunt force trauma to the head.
Denise told the investigators that she had last seen Ed alive on June 23. The killer claimed that she had told Ed she wanted a separation and had left with the kids for her parents’ house in Defuniak Springs, FL.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelKey Largo cops always suspected Denise Bozarth had killed Ed Bozarth
The cops began to feel suspicious of Denise as her story seemed inconsistent, and she failed a polygraph test. However, there was not enough evidence to hold her.
The southern Florida community was rife with rumors of who killed Ed. Some even suspected that Ed may have been involved with Miami’s “Cocaine Cowboys,” the colloquial term used for the city’s drug runners who had their heyday in the 1980s.
Denise was eventually arrested in March 2012 and charged with first-degree murder. In the meantime, a former boyfriend of Denise’s said she had wanted Ed dead. Dave Campbell claimed that before the murder, Denise had told him “she would pay $10,000 to ‘the first accident that befell him.'”
A friend of the couple, Bonnie Colon, also said that Denise talked about killing Ed by hitting his head and pushing him into the water. Denise believed that she would get a hold of a large amount of money Ed had inherited from his mother. She hoped to pocket over $600,000.
Denise Bozarth convicted of the murder of Ed Bozarth
Denise confessed to the murder immediately after her arrest. However, a Monroe County Circuit Court judge threw out the confession because a police officer had continued to interview her after she had requested a lawyer.
Eventually, in April 2015, Denise Bozarth took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 14 years.
Denise was released from custody in February 2024.
Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins airs Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.