Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable reexamines Larry Isenberg’s murder and why his wife Lori possibly killed him. The upcoming episode, “Kill Switch,” will air on the network this Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. A synopsis says, “Keith Morrison revisits a story where he says unusual would be putting it mildly; at first it appeared to be a drowning accident during a romantic sunset cruise; but soon Idaho investigators suspected something more sinister.”
Investigators and Larry Isenberg’s family believed Lori Isenberg poisoned him to hide the embezzlement from him. Reportedly, Lori had been stealing from her employer, North Idaho Housing Coalition. Then, when she couldn’t hide the lies from Larry anymore, she killed him. Lori initially claimed Larry died in a boating accident in Lake Coeur d’Alene on February 13, 2018. But, evidence found during an investigation proved otherwise.
Lori Isenberg was already serving time in federal prison on fraud charges when prosecutors charged her with Larry’s murder. She entered an Alford Plea to a second-degree murder count and received a prison sentence of 30 years to life.
Why did Lori Isenberg kill Larry Isenberg?
According to The Spokesman-Review, Larry Isenberg’s son Dean believed, “When it was impossible to hide” the embezzlement, Lori Isenberg “killed him.” Lori had been steaming hundreds and thousands of dollars from the North Idaho Housing Coalition (NIHC), a non-profit that renovated properties to sell or rent to families in need. She worked at the organization as an executive director.
Oxygen True Crime stated that Lori Isenberg had embezzled $579,495.75 from the NICH. An investigation revealed that she had access to the coalition’s bank accounts and had submitted fake invoices from companies. She had set up these companies under her daughter’s names, who knew about her activities, which began to surface. Dean claimed his father, Larry Isenberg, would have divorced Lori if he found out.
Reportedly, Lori Isenberg initially claimed Larry died in a boating incident in the morning hours of February 13, 2018. She claimed he was trying to fix the motor, fell overboard, and drowned. Lori took two hours after the accident to call the authorities. In the following days, she faced multiple counts of forgery and grand theft, resulting in her arrest, but then went on the run.
On March 1, Larry Isenberg’s body was finally discovered, and an autopsy revealed that his cause of death was not drowning. The report stated that he died from diphenhydramine toxicity. He had more than 7,000 nanograms of diphenhydramine in his system, likely from overdosing on the antihistamine Benadryl. This was 70 times more than the dosage doctors recommend, per Sportskeeda.
By the time Lori Isenberg and her daughter pleaded guilty to the embezzlement charges, investigators found evidence implicating her in Larry’s murder. They discovered that she had made handwritten changes to Larry’s will, which left 80% of his assets for her children. Per the changed will, the remaining 20% was for the victim’s children.
Other evidence included reports that Lori had liquidated her and Larry Isenberg’s joint accounts. Additionally, she had transferred their community properties to her name and was preparing to sell the house. Lori also sent a mail to the NIHC one day after Larry’s death. In the mail, she wrote, “As you know by now, Larry and I had an accident yesterday” and urged them to forgive her. Moreover, she promised to return the stolen money,” I can pay all of it back as soon as I can sell my home.”
Lori Isenberg was serving a five-year term in federal prison when she was charged with Larry Isenberg’s murder in early 2020. The following year, she entered an Alford Plea to second-degree murder. The plea meant the accused would maintain their innocence but admit that a trial would find her guilty, per The Spokeman-Review. Lori received a prison sentence of 30 years to life.
Learn more about Lori and Larry Isenberg’s case on Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable on Thursday, August 1.