Where Is Eli Weaver’s Mistress Barbara Raber Now? Inside Her Life After The Amish Stud’s Wife Was Murdered

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Eli Weaver’s lover, Barbara Raber, was convicted of murdering his wife, Barbara Weaver, in 2009.

• Text messages between Raber and Eli revealed that they had planned different ways to kill Weaver

• The story was adapted into the 2023 Lifetime movie Amish Stud: The Story of Eli Weaverwhich hit Netflix on January 15th

Barbara Raber was a former Amish woman who was convicted of murdering her lover’s wife.

Raber was raised in the Amish community by her adopted family, but left the group after she married, according to Snapped: Killer Couples. Even after she separated from the Amish, she did not completely remove herself from the community and offered rides to the Amish people.

During her time as a driver, she met Eli Weaver, and he became one of her repeat customers. However, their relationship turned romantic, and they became engaged in an affair — even though Eli was married to Barbara Weaver.

Although Weaver was reportedly aware of her husband’s infidelity, she wanted to remain married to him. Eli had other plans and allegedly began conspiring to kill Weaver with the help of Raber.

On June 2, 2009, Eli left for a fishing trip and said goodbye to his wife. Later that morning, Raber entered the house with a shotgun and killed Weaver. Raber was sentenced to 23 years for aggravated murder while Eli testified against her and was sentenced to 15 years for complicity to commit murder. The story was adapted into the 2023 Lifetime movie Amish Stud: The Story of Eli Weaverwhich hit Netflix on January 15th.

Here’s everything you need to know about where Barbara Raber is now after killing Eli Weaver’s wife, Barbara Weaver.

How was Raber connected to Eli Weaver?

Raber lived in rural Ohio with her husband and their three children and was part of a Mennonite church after leaving the Amish community. She began working as a driver for the Amish and became known as the “taxi lady,” per Snapped: Killer Couples.

After Eli used her services several times, they began to have a relationship. At the time, Eli had been married to Weaver since 1999, and they had five children together.

Although Raber and Eli initially claimed that their affair had ended six months before June 2009, their messages later contradicted those claims.

In addition to Eli’s affair with Raber, he was also involved in infidelity with several other women, each The Daily Record. A woman named Dandi Heasley later came forward and claimed they were also involved in an affair, and other women shared similar stories with investigators.

Eli even had a secret phone on which he created a social networking account where he referred to himself as “Amish Stud,” according to the 2017 book. Murder in Amish Country: Sex, Betrayal and Cold-Blooded Murder.

How did Weaver kill Raber?

Since divorce is generally not accepted in the Amish community, Eli reportedly wanted to find a way to get rid of his belongings while remaining part of the group.

Using his secret phone, Eli texted Raber about the different ways they could kill Weaver, which included poisoning her or using carbon monoxide. The night before they carried out the assassination plot, Eli texted Raber about how to delete their messages and how she could get into their house.

On the morning of June 2, 2009, Eli woke up and left his wife and five children to go on a fishing trip. While the exact details of the moments leading up to Weaver’s death remain unclear, a fatal gunshot wound was ultimately found in the bed. One of the Weaver children found her there, and once paramedics reached her, she was pronounced dead.

Soon after, police began investigating Weaver’s death and noticed that there were no signs of forced entry, leading them to believe that the killer either got loose or knew where he was going. They also interviewed Eli, who denied being involved and shared his alibi of the fishing trip.

However, it didn’t take long for Weaver’s sister to contact the police about her brother’s affairs. Then, Raber’s prints were found at Weaver’s home.

She eventually confessed to conspiring to kill Weaver but was adamant it was an accident. Raber alleged that she entered the bedroom with her husband’s shotgun but wanted to return when she saw Weaver. Raber claimed that she only wanted to show the gun to Weaver to scare her, but alleged that the gun accidentally went off and killed her, each Snapped: Killer Couples.

Raber alleged that she planned to kill Weaver because Eli was unhappy in the marriage. She also revealed that she was in love with Eli, claiming that he convinced her to kill Weaver so they could be together. However, Eli accused Raber of planning the murder on her own.

Was Raber convicted of Weaver’s murder?

On June 10, 2009, both Eli and Raber were arrested in connection with Weaver’s death and charged with aggravated murder, each The Daily Record. Just before he was set to go to trial, Eli was given a plea deal and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. In exchange for the lesser charge – and a sentence of 15 years to life – Eli had to agree to testify against Raber at her trial.

During the September 2009 trial, Raber claimed she shot Weaver as an accident, while Eli continued to blame the murder and the plot on her.

A jury found Raber guilty of aggravated murder and convicted her in connection with Weaver’s death. She was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison. Eli was found guilty of complicity to commit murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Where is Raber now?

Raber has been serving her life sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, since October 1, 2009, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. She will be eligible for parole in April 2032.

Meanwhile, Eli is still serving his minimum sentence of 15 years at Grafton Correctional Institution, and his next parole board hearing will be held in February 2032.

Read the original article on People