Kelli Underwood was a single mother of three who was shot and stabbed to death by two hired hitmen. She was involved in a love triangle with her on-again-off-again secret boyfriend Ronnie Welborn and his then-girlfriend Kadie Robinson, who hired the two individuals to carry out the crime. The 46-year-old was found at the crime scene by her daughter in September 2017.
Using witness statements and digital evidence, authorities were able to arrest four individuals for Underwood's killing. Welborn and Robinson both confessed to their roles but claimed that the former was responsible for concocting the murder-for-hire plot. Eventually, all four were handed lengthy sentences.
This week's episode of ID's Mean Girl Murders will further delve into Kelli Underwood's murder case in an episode titled Desperate Texas Housewives. The synopsis for the upcoming episode reads:
"Bitter accusations unleash after single mom Kelli Underwood moves in with her best friend from high school; Kelli's daughter finds her dead, and investigators begin to uncover secrets and betrayals among the women of a small Texas town."It airs this Monday, April 3, at 9:00 pm ET on Investigation Discovery.
Kelli Underwood's relationship with her boss, her autopsy reports, and more details about the case
1) Underwood's daughter found her while conducting a welfare check by herself
Kelli Underwood's daughter Kayden Graham was the first to arrive at the crime scene on September 20, 2017, while conducting a welfare check at her mother's house after failing to hear from her for a couple of days. Graham first knocked on the door, but when nobody answered, she entered the house and found her mother dead on the floor in an upstairs bedroom.
Reports state that Graham first noticed blood on her head and then tried to check for a pulse by touching her leg. This was when she realized that Underwood's body was cold and called 911.
2) An autopsy confirmed the cause of Kelli Underwood's death
After Graham's 911 call, first responders arrived at the crime scene and declared that the victim was dead. They determined that the 46-year-old had been dead for days and was likely killed between the night of September 16 and the morning of September 17. An autopsy conducted revealed that the victim was shot and stabbed multiple times, officially ruling the case a homicide.
In addition, authorities found .22-caliber shell casings, silverware, a camera monitor, and cigarette butts in the victim's backyard. Other than that, they also collected DNA samples from beneath her fingernails for further tests.
3) Authorities learned about the victim's relationship with her boss Ronnie Welborn
While investigating Kelli Underwood's murder, investigators learned about her secret on-again-off-again relationship with her boss Ronnie Welborn, whom she first met while living with her high school friend Tiffany in Dallas, Princeton. Tiffany was married to Welborn at the time, but after the two got divorced, Underwood got romantically involved with him and kept their relationship a secret from her family.
At the time of her death, the 42-year-old had worked at Welborn's Farmersville sheet metal fabrication company for nearly five years. She called off her relationship with him after he got involved with a younger woman, Kadie Robinson, who was pregnant with his child and eventually moved in with him.
4) The two hired hitmen were identified based on neighbors' statements
After Underwood's neighbors claimed to have spotted two men at her house on September 16, investigators discovered that one of them was Robert Veal, while the other individual was identified as Delvin Powell. Both men claimed that they last saw her when she was alive and had nothing to do with her death.
Later, phone records revealed that both Veal and Powell were involved in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Ronnie Welborn and Kadie Robinson.
5) Kelli Underwood's murder case concluded with two convictions and two plea deals
All four suspects, namely Ronnie Welborn, Kadie Robinson, Robert Veal, and Delvin Powell were charged with capital murder for their respective direct or indirect involvement in Underwood's killing. Veal and Powell were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after they were found guilty of capital murder. Meanwhile, Welborn and Robinson accepted plea deals. The former was handed a life sentence with parole and the latter was given 30 years in prison.
ID's Mean Girl Murders will dive deep into details about Kelli Underwood's murder on April 3, at 9:00 pm ET on Investigation Discovery.
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