Where Is David Swift Now? He's Been Accused of Murdering His First Wife and Stalking His Second

In an interesting twist, Dateline is tackling a story that has yet to be resolved. It was two days before Halloween in 2011 when a 9-year-old girl called her mother to pick her up. Ashley's mother, Karen Swift, had been at a Halloween party where she was tagging along with her married friends. Despite usually being the life of the party, Karen was not in a celebratory mood. After leaving, she decided to spend the night with her friends when her phone rang.

Ashley was at a slumber party but like her mother, was no longer interested in hanging out. The duo arrived back at the Swift home in Dyersburg, Tenn. close to 2 a.m. Karen lay down with her daughter in her bed, but by the next morning was nowhere to be found. David Swift, Karen's husband, soon got a call that his wife's abandoned car was found nearby. Her body was eventually discovered in an abandoned cemetery. Did the husband do it? Where is David Swift now? Details to follow.

In August 2022, David was arrested and charged with one count of premeditated murder in the first degree in connection to Karen's death, per Law & Crime. David was always a suspect, partially because of his odd behavior following his then-wife's murder. "Since that time he has never picked up the phone and called and asked about the investigation at all," said Karen's mother, Carol Johnson. "To me, if it was my wife that had been murdered, I’d be burning the phone up every day for answers."

In June 2024, Court TV reported that David was found not guilty of "first-degree premeditated murder, attempted first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, but was unable to reach a verdict on the charge of voluntary manslaughter." Although David's lawyer argued that the statute of limitations to prosecute on lesser charges had run out, the judge disagreed and set an appearance date for July 30, 2024. He is in jail awaiting a new trial.

When David was arrested for Karen't murder, he was living in Alabama with his new family. While awaiting his first trial, David was accused of stalking his second wife, via AL.com. Jefferson County sheriff’s officials found evidence that David had been "following his ex-wife, which included parking outside of her home at all hours of the night in western Jefferson County." They married in 2016 and separated six years later.

Apparently, this was a pattern for David. On day three of his first trial, Karen's friends testified that he would constantly spy on her, frequently followed her, and called and texted her relentlessly. Sometimes Karen's phone would go off as much as 25 times a day, while David was desperate to reach her. Multiple people said he would often show up where Karen was, and demand she come home with him. Prosecutors believe this controlling behavior is what led Karen to file for divorce, three days before she was murdered