Hell and Gone Murder Line: Tarryn Trybus

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up their dream life. On the surface, they appeared to be a happily married couple, but behind the scenes things had been deteriorating for a long time. Exactly what happened behind those closed doors is at the heart of this case, and it's something we're going to be looking at in exhaustive detail. When the police answered the phone, Taran told them she needed them to come get rid of a body, her body, because she was going to kill herself. I'm

Catherine Townsend. Over the past eight years of making my true crime podcast, Helen Gone, I've learned that there's no such thing as a small town where murder never happens. I have received hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking for help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families, and their communities. If you have a case you'd like me and my team to look into, you can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder Line at six seven eight seven four four six

one four five. That's six seven eight seven four four six one four five, or you can send us a message on Instagram at Helen gonepod. This is Helen Gone Murder Line. When police got to the tribe As home, the officer found Tarran hanging from the ceiling near a ladder in the garage. After the officer cut her down. Police investigated the scene and they found a note that Tarran had left. She wrote, quote to my family, I am so sorry, but I just couldn't take it anymore

end quote. Terran said that a dark cloud had been over her for a long time, so this seemed like a fairly cut and dried case of suicide. But what was the dark cloud she was talking about? Was it depression or was it something else? According to police records that were later ariston court, some of Terran's family and friends told officers they believed the dark cloud Tarran was referring to was alleged abuse by her husband, Christopher. Christopher

and Terran had been together for over a decade. They met in South Africa, where they were both originally from. They started dating and in two thousand and seven they moved to the UK together. Two years later they got married and eventually they moved to Swindon. Tarran did have some mental health issues. One of the issues she struggled

with was PTSD. Sadly, in South Africa, carjacking is not that rare crime and Tarran had witnessed two carjackings while she was there, so understandably, Terran was traumatized by this. According to court records, this led to her receiving a diagnosis of PTSD post traumatic stress disorder. But even though she was struggling with PTSD for a long time, Christopher and Tarran seemed to be a happy, married couple. Christopher was described by family and friends as being a mild

mannered guy. He worked as a software consultant. Tarren worked at a local opticians office. She also did some work in Chris's business. On the outside, everything looked great, but in twenty fifteen, things between Tarran and Christopher started to fall apart. Now exactly what happened between them is something that is really hotly debated. Tarran described Christopher as a monster. He would later describe her as a fantacist and a pathological liar, but we do know a few facts for sure.

So both Christopher and Terren's families followed them from South Africa and ended up settling in the UK as well, so they saw both families quite a bit. At some point, Terran's mother in law moved in with Tarran and Christopher in late twenty fifteen, Tarran and her mother in law got into an argument, and according to court testimony, that fight ended with Teraren asking her mother in law to move out, and this made Christopher furious. Terran began to

spiral after that. Now, the prosecution would later claim that's when a tsunami of alleged abuse by Christopher began. Terreen started going to the doctor a lot to report this alleged abuse. By May of twenty sixteen, Tarreen told her GP that she sometimes felt life was not worth living. She visited the GP over one hundred times. Also during this time, Terreen's mother, Michelle Baird, later testified in court Taren was telling her mom Christopher was controlling when Michelle

would come over. She claimed that Terran would act strangely. Christopher worked from home, and Michelle said Terren would insist she had to have lunch ready at exactly twelve fifteen pm, for example, and afternoon tea ready at exactly three fifteen pm. Mischelle Belle said Tarran told her she did this because Christopher demanded that was how it had to be. Later,

Christopher would completely deny that this was true. When Michelle asked Christopher how Terreen got some bruises that she was noticing. She testified in court. Christopher said it was because Terren was an alcoholic and as a result of that and of taking prescription medicine, Terreen kept falling. Whatever was going on, it was clear Terren's mental health was getting worse. She took several drug overdoses, and on one occasion, just weeks before she hung herself, she called the police and told

them that she was going to hang herself. That time, the officer arrived on scene and was able to talk her down, but on November twenty eighth, twenty seventeen, sadly, help arrived too late for Terran. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Christopher Tribus was in Germany on a work trip in Stuttgart when he got the call that his wife was dead. He rushed to the airport and

flew home to Swindon in tears. According to the Guardian's court report, Christopher said, quote, it's not something anyone can prepare themselves for. It's a cliche, but you never think it's going to happen to you. So worst day of my life, just absolutely terrible. I don't know how else

to describe it end quote. When he got home. He insisted that even though Terren had had some problems with depression and mental health, he had had no idea how bad things really were, and Christopher insisted he had nothing to do with her death. After conducting an investigation, the Wiltshire Police determined no further action would be taken against

Christopher Tribus, and Terran's death was ruled a suicide. But then, in twenty twenty, almost three years later, Terrean's mother, Michelle, was going through her daughter's belongings when she found something that changed everything. It was an audio recording on Terran's phone. It was four minutes and fifty seven seconds long. Michelle listened to slaps and sounds of what she believed were violence on the recording, and with horror, she believed she

was listening to tapes of her daughter being raped. Michelle also found some other things, including a secret file on Terran's phone, where Terran had saved information about what she claimed was Christopher's history of alleged violent abuse. There were pictures of bruises that Terran had documented, and Tarreen also

kept a diary. Mischelle believed Tarran had been abused and that this abuse had contributed to her suicide, a theory that prosecutors later advanced in court and which Christopher Tribus always denied. Michelle turned the audio she found over to the police, and in twenty twenty one one, eventually the Dorset Police took on the case. This time police stated that they had found enough evidence to bring charges against Christopher.

They charged him with manslaughter in connection with Terren's death, as well as with two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behavior. Christopher continued to completely deny that he had anything to do with Terren's death. This was a groundbreaking case because Christopher was not in the country when Tarran died, so if he was convicted, he would be found responsible for her death even though he wasn't there. Authorities now had to look back over Christopher and Terran's

entire relationship and compile evidence. It was a case if he said, she said, but the second person was dead. I want to make clear Christopher denied all of the allegations against him, and he was ultimately acquitted of every charge. So the allegations we're talking about here are claims that were made in court in medical records and diary entries or by witnesses. They are not findings of guilt. I want to also let you know there is an awesome podcast out there if you want to go into the

weeds and really listen to the entire trial. It's called The Trial and it was produced by the Daily Mail. They have actors reading the court testimony and it's fascinating to see how this case played out. I wanted to cover this case because there doesn't seem to be a real US equivalent to the Christopher Tribe's case, at least not one that I can find where domestic abuse or coercive control allegedly led to a suicide and the abuser

was then charged with manslaughter based on that. So let's back up and talk about coercive control for a minute. In the USA, the law is still catching up to the concept of coercive control. Domestic violence is still easier to prove here when there is a documented assault, a police report, a hospital visit, or something concrete like a threatening text. But coercive control is about patterns, patterns of isolation, surveillance,

financial pressure, threats, humiliation, and fear. Some US states are beginning to recognize coerceive control in domestic violence law, but we do not have a unified national approach like they do in the UK. This is a super controversial topic because it raises some tough questions, like the idea that someone's behavior can be responsible for someone else's death even

if they're not directly involved. In the US, the closest comparison that comes to mind to the Tribe's case is probably the Michelle Carter case out of Massachusetts, the so called texting suicide case. In that case, prosecutors argued that Michelle's pressure caused Conrad Roy's death, and she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. But with Christopher and Tarran, prosecutors were

not saying there was one exact text or instruction. Instead, they were asking a jury to look at an entire relationship dynamic and decide whether a pattern of alleged abuse could legally become a cause of death. But the legal landscape does seem to be shifting. The US is beginning to recognize the idea of coercive suicide in certain context.

In my opinion, in the social media era, where everything is documented, including people's thought processes, in real time, it's easy to imagine more and more cases testing this boundary, and that is the question at the center of this case. When does abuse become a cause of death? The prosecution called Terrance doctor doctor Tessa Jones. They also talked to Terren's friend, Taren. Baird's best friend was a woman named

Carina Silva. She testified in court. Tarreen told her that Christopher had raped her twice and gotten violent with her on several occasions. Karina said Terreen withdrew and eventually became a shell of her former self. According to the trial podcast, Tarreen told Karina that during this alleged rape in twenty sixteen, Chris had strangled her. Terreen had shown Karina photos of injuries to her neck. Karina begged Teren to get out of the relationship. Karina told Terreen she could stay with

her if she needed to. Karina said Teraren would sometimes talk about leaving Christopher, but that she never did, and Karina said this became a pattern. Terreen would come to her with these graphic details of abuse. Karina would offer a shoulder to crown and a place to stay, and then Terreen would later backtrack and say it hadn't been that serious. Karina testified Tarreen had told her her that

Christopher hit her around twenty five times now. During this time, between twenty fifteen and twenty seventeen, Karina and Taren were also texting. Taren texted Karina photos of what she claimed were injuries that Christopher had inflicted on her face, neck, and stomach. In February of twenty seventeen, Taren texted Karina. She said Christopher had lost his shit and that she could not take it again again. Karina testified she said to come over, but Terran never showed up. During this time,

Karina said Terreen started drinking more and more. Taren was also writing her thoughts about what was going on at home in her diary. The diary was presented as evidence, and portions of it were read at trial. In an entry on June twenty third, twenty sixteen, Tarren wrote, quote, it started slowly over the years without me even knowing it, then progressed into more serious things. He spoke to me,

started getting more condescending. End quote. She also wrote quote the second standout moment was one night during sex, I felt his hands around my neck. Something in him was unleashed that night. Progressively, sex got rougher, and the more I fight back, the more he enjoys it. It's like there was this side of him hidden all these years. End quote. So the trial started on February twenty six, twenty twenty six, at Winchester Crown Court. It went on

for two months. Karina took the stand and testified about what Arran had told her regarding the alleged abuse, but the defense grilled her. They asked Karina why, if she really believed Tarn was being abused, why she didn't go to the police. Karina said she tried to get Taren to report the abuse, but she said Tarren didn't want to.

I feel for Karina here because a lot of people out there who've experienced domestic violence themselves or had a friend or a family member dealing with this, have faced this exact issue. Sometimes it's very hard to know what to do when the victim doesn't want to press charges, because you want to help them get out of the situation, but at the same time, you don't want to make things worse, and you also don't want them to stop talking to you altogether if they end up going back

to their abuser. The defense attorney pointed out something else, that Karina's story had evolved since she first spoke to police. The defense claim the huge amount of press coverage this case got had impacted Karina's testimony. They believed that Karina, when she said that Terreen had been hit twenty five times by Christopher, got the number twenty five from a Daily Mail article that mentioned Terran taking twenty five selfies

of the injuries she allegedly received from Christopher. Karina denied getting the number twenty five from the media coverage. Terreen's GP doctor Tessa Jones, was also testifying that Terran came to her over one hundred times over a two year period. Terarrean was complaining about symptoms she was experiencing, including panic, insomnia, injuries, and PTSD. Doctor Jones said at trial that beginning in the fall of twenty sixteen, Terren said she was terrified.

She said Christopher had raped her, strangled her, and beaten her with objects, including a metal bar. She also said he had stalked her and held her head under the water while she was taking a bath. Doctor Jones testified Terran had told her she didn't want to contact law enforcement because Terren believed this would make things worse, and doctor Jones said she believed Terarren had the capacity to

make her own decisions. The doctor said she was trying to figure out how to help Teren without putting her in danger. During this time, Terran was also suffering with suicidal thoughts, according to doctor Jones's notes, including buying pills online and thinking about jumping in front of a train or off a building. On November twenty seven, seven, the day before she killed herself, Tarren went in to see

doctor Jones. On that occasion, according to the notes that doctor Jones read from a trial, Tarren told doctor Jones that over the past few days Chris had held her head under the water and beaten her. The next day, November twenty eighth, Tarren called her doctor's office again. A few hours later, she was dead. Doctor Jones's testimony was crucial for the prosecution because they claimed doctor Jones's notes

showed a pattern of Tarran reporting abuse. They believed this pointed to Christopher's coercion, But the defense believed the notes were good for them, especially because during the time when Tarren was telling her doctor, Christopher was beating her with a metal pull and holding her head under water. He

was out of the country on a work trip. Several of Christopher's colleagues testified he was in Germany and the Netherlands during that time working on a software project, and there were questions raised by the prosecution about whether Christopher could have gone back home to the UK during that time period, but the defense had tons of receipts, flight records, meal records, and people who worked with Christopher during that

time period and saw him. Doctor Jones testified there did appear to be a disconnect between what Tarrean said and what the record showed, and there were other inconsistencies, like the fact that Tarrean told one of her cousins she had fractured ribs and a cheekbone. Meanwhile, doctor Jones said there were no medical records of fractures. Just like everything else in this case, most of the evidence can be

interpreted in two ways, he said versus she said. Do the doctor's notes show a woman trapped in a cycle of violent abuse or someone going through a mental health crisis and making up stories. Was Taran a victim of coerci of control or suffering from mental health issues, or lying or all of the above, or none of the above. Christopher took the stand, and not surprisingly, he had a

completely different take on his relationship with Terreen. Christopher said not only was he not controlling like the prosecutors claimed, he said that Terran was the controlling one in their relationship. He said he was mild mannered and kind of went with the flow. He said he tended to go along with what she wanted. Christopher said over the years he did try to help Terrean with what he called her

mental health issues. He said they thought about how many work trips he took, but he said he was torn. He wanted to help her, but he had his own company and he believed that showing up at these meetings in person was crucial to continuing to build his business.

Of course, one can never really know what's going on inside someone else's marriage, but Christopher brought witnesses who said they never saw any abuse, including Terrean's former sister in law, who testified Terren had sent her photos of injuries over the years, but explained them as accidents or feigning. So the defense's position was they could prove some of what Terren said was not true, so if some of it was not true, it was reasonable to believe all of

it was not true. But if Terran was lying, why why would she lie over such a long period of time and to so many people? And if Christopher wasn't abusing her, how did she get those injuries? Christopher set in court some of the injuries were caused by Terren falling downstairs or in the bathtub, and that some of the bruising had been caused by her using foam rollers, but the defense also claimed Terran may have injured herself

to get attention. According to expert evidence summarized by Channel four, the abdominal bruising became one of the most contested parts the case. A forensic physician testified the type of bruising that Tarren had on her abdomen and neck were similar to ones they had seen in cases involving car crashes

or fatal strangulation. These were serious injuries. The doctors said that in their opinion, it was unlikely that Terran had done this to herself, but the defense pointed out all of the bruises on Terran were in places Terran could reach herself, and that Terran had no apparent defensive wounds. Doctor Philip Joseph A. Psychiatrist who testified for the defense, said that in his opinion, Terren's PTSD could have played a crucial role in her suicide. We talked before about

the carjackings in South Africa. It turned out that in twenty fifteen, Chris and Terren's house in Swindon had a home invasion. Doctor Joseph testified he believed that this retriggered Terren's PTSD. The doctor explained, this is how PTSD sometimes works. After the tram event that triggers the PTSD in the first place happens, sometimes subsequent incidents, even if they aren't that serious, can retrigger it. He stated that, in his medical opinion, Terran should have been taken in for an

involuntary mental health hold. The doctor also said, in his opinion, if Tarran was abused, it could have made her PTSD worse, but that it was impossible to say whether domestic abuse alone could cause her to take her own life. And then, near the end of the trial, Christopher's defense team introduced a new and very dramatic piece of evidence, one that they claimed could have caused some of Teren's neck injuries.

A bondage caller. Christopher stated that the caller, which was described as a leather like collar with a thin leash, was part of a black bunny sex kit that he bought online. He said Terarren was the one who encouraged him to buy this type of stuff. Christopher said the caller might have caused some bruises on her neck. He said, after he saw those marks on Arran's neck, he didn't want to use that caller again. So were the marks on Terran's neck caused by strangulation or could they have

gotten there through consensual sex. In court, Christopher held up the collar and demonstrated how the caller caused the red marks. And this was a dramatic moment because the prosecutor stated the caller was a red herring and that Christopher was trying to cover up the fact that he strangled Terran. Meanwhile, Christopher said they were just a normal couple who watched fifty Shades of Gray and got some ideas. He said

he never raped or hit his wife. Side note here, this wasn't like some other cases I've seen where you have an accusation of rough sex and the defense claims, well, we were having rough sex. Something went wrong. Christopher was saying straight up, none of the abuse allegations were true at all, that Terran's wild claims were a cry for help, that all of it was a lie. The defense attorney, Katie Thorne, argued Terran may have become addicted to the

attention she received after making some of these allegations. Was the tape a sexual assault or just a couple having a kinky sex life. The prosecution tried to paint Christopher as having a nice guy facade. At one point, they asked him if he was angry with Terran. He said he wasn't. Then they said, well, if none of this was true, if she was making all this up, why aren't you mad at her? Christopher said it was complicated.

He said he found it hard to be angry with a ghost, and that he believed whatever was going on with Terran, that she had been deeply unhappy and troubled. According to the Guardian's court report, Christopher said that being angry would never change what had happened. The prosecution asked him about Terran's diary entry, the one she wrote about the day he blew up. Christopher claimed that the diary entry had shocked him. He said he had zero memory

of Taren being upset about anything they did sexually. The audio that prosecution dubbed the rape tape was actually played in court. I cannot imagine the pain of Michelle Terran's mom while this was going on. By the way, the prosecution grilled Christopher about the fact that even though Christopher said he only spanked Terran once or twice, they could

hear twelve slapping sounds in court. Christopher said the sounds were bumps and thumps and said, quote, it's hard to say exactly what's going on, but certainly not me assaulting or restraining end quote. There are so many things in this case that can be taken two ways, like a conversation Michelle talked about on the stand where she said Tarran had told her that Christopher discussed killing Karen and

dissolving her body and acid. This sounds bad, but Christopher insisted it was a joke, and he put it into context, saying that they were referring to a scene in Breaking Bad, presumably the one where Jesse Pinkman puts the drug dealer into an acid fill bath. The defense argued that anything including recordings of rough consensual sex, can sound bad when taken out of context. Both sides seemed to agree that something was very wrong with Terran and that she was suffering.

The prosecutor, Tom Little, claimed that between February of twenty sixteen and the date of Terren's death, there were at least thirty two occasions where she reported injuries or was seen with injuries. The prosecutor asked Christopher, if he was telling the truth, how was it possible he didn't notice all these bruises on his wife. Christopher said he did notice some, but that he didn't believe they were serious.

The defense claimed they believed Tarran was concocting these fans and stating that the injuries were more serious than they were. The defense focused on things they could prove, like the fact that Christopher was demonstrably out of the country during that crucial period of time in November of twenty sixteen, when Arrren said he was assaulting her. Katie Thorn, Chris's attorney,

called the case kafka esque. This case became hugely controversial in the UK because Katie Thorn said it reflected a dogmatic belief that women who say they are being abused are always telling the truth. The defense argued Christopher was not a monster. He was just a normal guy who may have been in denial or a little clueless about how bad things had gotten with his wife's mental state. Critically, the defense did not have to prove that Tarran lied.

All they had to do was create reasonable doubt that Christopher had abused her and that this alleged abuse had directly led to her death. In twenty twenty four, seven years after Teraren took her own life, Christopher married again, and the newspaper reported on his new wife, B because she made contributions to a website and also made social media postings proclaiming Christopher's innocence. On that website, she described

Christopher as a loving husband and devoted family man. She accompanied Christopher to court every day, and according to The Mirror, b caused controversy during Christopher's trial when she posted sightseeing photos on social media. This was described as a landmark case by many media outlets. The courtroom was packed for

closing arguments. The defense claimed, according to Channel four, that male jurors and those with sons may feel very afraid now, and that the entire prosecution case was built on what they called an agenda. The verdict was read. On April twenty second, twenty twenty six, Christopher Tribus was acquitted found not get guilty of all charges. After nine years it

was over. Speaking outside court after the verdict, Christopher released a statement saying, quote, after three police investigations over the course of ten years, I'm relieved that the jury is carefully considered the evidence and reached the correct verdict today. I want to thank my wife, my family, and my friends for their unwavering support, and my legal team for their hard work and dedication throughout the process. This has had a profound impact on my life and on those

closest to me. It's been an incredibly difficult experience. I would also like to acknowledge that domestic abuse is a very real and serious issue and victims must always be supported. Right now, I'll focus on moving forward and rebuilding my life with my family.

from the force. The statement from Wiltshire Police read quote, they are being investigated by us for potential gross misconduct. Our inquiries continue end quote. Obviously this news just came out, but reading this, I have so many more questions. Does that mean that they are being investigated for their conduct during the original crime scene or for investigating Christopher at all? At this point, no misconduct has been proven. Christopher Tribus

is trying to move on with his life. Meanwhile, Terran's family is still in shock over the verdict. Michelle Baird has said hearing about her daughter's injuries and alleged rape was quote something I will never forget.

kill themselves? Is Christopher Trivis's acquittal the end of these types of cases or just the beginning. I'm Katherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Helen Gone Murder Line is a production of School of Humans and iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me Catherine Townsend and produced by Etily's Perez. Special thanks to Amy Tubbs for her research assistance and Sarah Burns for legal review. Noah Camera mixed and scored this episode. Our theme song is by

Ben Sale. Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, and LC Crowley. Listen to Helen Gone adfree by subscribing to the iHeart True Crime Plus channel on Apple Podcasts. If you were interested in seeing documents and materials from the case, you can follow the show on Instagram at Helen Gonepod. If you have a case, she'd like me and my team to look into. You can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder Line at six seven eight

seven four four six one four five. That's six seven eight seven four four six one four five.