Wife Swap Star Charged with Killing Mom, Brother

Jacob Stockdale, perhaps recognized by a handful of readers due to his appearance on the reality show Wife Swap, has been officially charged with the murder of his mother and his brother.

The horrifying alleged incident took place in June of 2017, as written about in detail HERE.

According to TMZ at the time, the 25-year old took the life of his two relatives inside their family in Stark County, Ohio.

He then turned the gun on himself, but actually survived the self-afflicted blast.

Jacob’s 54-year-old mother, Katherine, and his 21-year-old brother, James, were both pronounced dead on the scene when authorities arrived.

A well-known fiddler, Stockdale and his family were featured on Wife Swap in 2008 and he was placed in critical condition after the failed suicide attempt.

He was under doctor’s and rehabbed for months to repair extensive damage after the probable double murder.

In the latest update to this horrible story, orosecutors in Ohio charged Stockdale with two counts of murder, per TMZ sources.

However, they will NOT seek the death penalty, specificially asking a judge not to have Stockdale executed.

Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero says the case was presented to a grand jury, which ultimately decided the death penalty was not an appropriate punishment for this ex-reality star.

We still do not know why Jacob (allegedly) committed this unimaginable crime.

Back in 2008, the Stockdales made headlines for their appearance on Wife Swap.

Jacob and his relatives described themselves as a deeply religious family who lived by strict rules, not totally unlike The Duggars.

Jacob has two other brothers and a father; they were not home at the time of this homicide.

The dad, Tim Stockdale, issued a statement about his late wife not long after news of her death went public.

It reads as follows:

Kathy has been my beloved wife of 32 years and a wonderful mother to our four sons.

She loved nothing more than being a mother and grandmother. She had a strong love of learning and was passionate about her Christian faith, natural health, and organic farming.

This is a photo of Kathy:

Stockdale faces up to life in prison for his reported actions.

The Stockdales made their living traveling throughout the Midwest, performing as a family bluegrass band.

They were a popular group around town and in the vicinity of their home and performed together mere days before this tragedy transpired.

May Katherine and James Stockdale rest in peace.

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As we previously reported, Joy-Anna Duggar threw tradition out the window in some respects when she married Austin Forsyth.

Case in point: The moment when the newlyweds first saw each other on their wedding day is not what many might"ve expected.

“I love you” were the first words Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth exchanged when they saw one another on their wedding day.

That"s certainly appropriate. The surprising part was when.

A majority of couples traditionally opt not to share physical time with another until they exchange their vows at the altar on that day.

The Counting On stars, who wed in front of a packed church full of family and close friends, decided that was just not for them.

It"s hard to be apart for a few hours when you"re in love.

“I love you,” a smiling Joy-Anna, 19, told Austin, 23 at the church in the video below, filmed by TLC before she walked down the aisle.

“You’re so handsome.”

“I can’t believe I get to marry you today,” Austin told his bride-to-be, thinking about the lifelong commitment that he was about to make.

To Forsyth, this day was the culmination of everything he has “dreamed about and prayed about pretty much as long as I can remember."

"I’m so excited to get to spend the rest of my life with Joy,” he said, and as awkward as he seems on camera, there"s no doubt it"s true.

As to what specifically they were looking forward to partaking in most that day, Joy-Anna and Austin both pointed to different moments.

No, neither one said stripping each other naked later that night … though there was a borderline full-frontal hug captured on camera.

We"ll let it slide. The restraint must be agonizing.

“I think my favorite part of the ceremony is going to be saying our vows,” said the younger sister of Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger.

The would-be groom, for his part, said “I think my favorite part is probably going to be putting the wedding ring on her finger.”

Joy and Austin, who abided by the physical boundaries throughout their courting that we"ve all come to expect, did acknowledge that.

The first kiss, therefore, was gonna be huge.

“That’s a given,” Austin said with a smile.

After tying the knot, the longtime family friends (15 years they"ve known each other!) embarked on a honeymoon to Geneva, Switzerland.

“We chose Switzerland because we knew that it was very beautiful,” shared Joy-Anna in a recent video from the location.

Speaking of beautiful … watch this clip.

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Wife Swap Mother: I Sensed Trouble with the Stockdales!

We have an update on the grisly Wife Swap-related murder that took place last week.

As previously reported, Jacob Stockdale is believed to have killed his mother and his brother last week in Ohio, prior to turning a gun on himself and attempting suicide.

However, the 25-year old has reportedly survived the blast and is in critical condition.

Stockdale and his family members took part in a 2008 episode of this controversial ABC reality show, which has since been canceled.

Jacob stood out at the time due to his fiddle playing, along with the quirks he and his siblings displayed during their time on the series.

According to Laurie Tonkovic – the woman who swapped places nine years ago with Jacob’s now-deceased mom, Kathryn – she allowed Jacob and his three brothers to enjoy a lot of freedom while they lived under her roof.

A lot more than they were used to when living with their parents, that is.

Tonkovic tells TMZ that Jacob freaked out as a result.

He was petrified that his religious mom and dad would be angry and that he would “burn in Hell” due to lessened restrictions on his daily activities.

“I was gonna let them have fun… television, video games. You know, [let them] experience life a little bit,” Tonkovic says in an interview with TMZ.

But Jacob “went outside crying” after Laurie explained this temporary situation to him, fearful of the repercussions because of what his parents had drilled into him over the years.

“He lived in a very controlled environment… his mom and dad told him what to do,” Tonkovic says, adding:

“He wasn’t really allowed to do anything. He got up and worked and worked and worked.”

Jacob and his brothers were home-schooled and “not allowed to go out among the society,” she tells the website.

A police spokesperson says that Jacob shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt just as deputies arrived on the scene last week.

His mother and brother, James, were found dead at the scene and Jacob was taken to a local hospital; he’s expected to survive.

It’s unknown at this time where Jacob’s father, Tim, and two other brothers were at the time of the killings.

But Tim issued a statement shortly after this horrible news went public on Friday.

“Kathy [pictured, above] has been my beloved wife of 32 years and a wonderful mother to our four sons,” he told local media outlets, adding:

“She loved nothing more than being a mother and grandmother.

“She had a strong love of learning and was passionate about her Christian faith, natural health, and organic farming.”

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On Wife Swap, cameras followed two women from different backgrounds as they traded homes and families for two weeks.

The Stockdales made their living traveling throughout the Midwest and performing as a family bluegrass band.

They actually performed as recently as last Tuesday and had other concert dates sprinkled throughout the summer.

“This is a tragedy for the family. It is a tragedy for the community,” Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

We certainly agree.

May Kathryn and James rest in peace.

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Jacob Stockdale: Wife Swap Star Murders Mother, Brother; Turns Gun on Self

Tragic news out of Ohio today, as TMZ is reporting that 25-year-old Jacob Stockdale has murdered his mother and brother at the family’s home in Stark County.

Stockdale then turned the gun on himself, but reportedly survived the blast.

The renowned fiddler, who appeared in a memorable episode of the ABC reality series Wife Swap, is currently in critical condition.

A police spokesperson says Jacob shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt just as deputies arrived on the scene.

There is no official word on what led to the murders.

Jacob’s 54-year-old mother, Katherine, and his 21-year-old brother James were pronounced dead on the scene.

Jacob was trasported to a nearby hospital via helicopter and is expected to survive.

The Stockdales made their living traveling throughout the Midwest, performing as a family bluegrass band.

When they were at home, however, they pursued a lifestyle of rural isolation and self-sufficiency, homeschooling their children on a secluded farm where television, Internet, and other modern conveniences were banned for religious reasons.

Jacob Stockdale was found at the door of the home, where he had apparently been on the lookout for police.

Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier declined to comment on where the other bodies were found.

Stockdale also did not comment on whether or not the remaining members of the Stockdale family – a father and two sons – were at home at the time of the murders.

The father, Tim Stockdale, issued a statement about his late wife moments ago:

“Kathy has been my beloved wife of 32 years and a wonderful mother to our four sons,” he told local media outlets.

“She loved nothing more than being a mother and grandmother. She had a strong love of learning and was passionate about her Christian faith, natural health, and organic farming.”

Since 2004, the Stockdales had been traveling and performing as a band that, according to their website, “prides itself on sharing bluegrass north of the Mason-Dixon line.”

They performed as recently as Tuesday, and had concerts scheduled throughout the summer.

Friends of the family say Jacob never gave any indication of having any hostility toward his parents or a tendency toward violence.

We will have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.

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