A bizarre murder case where the killer staged his own death with his victim’s body — in a bid to claim millions in life insurance — features tonight on Investigation Discovery’s Six Degrees of Murder series.
Ari Squire, 39, killed 20-year-old Justin Newman after luring him to his home on the promise of a construction job.
He then swapped clothes and wallets with his victim, who resembled Squire, before pinning his body under a truck at his home in Lake Barrington, Illinois, and setting it on fire.
Squire bought blue contact lenses and brown hair dye to try and look more like Newman, before going on the run.
It’s thought Squire was trying to cash in on a $5million life insurance policy he took out five years earlier.
Squire emailed his wife in the days following his faked death in February 2008, asking her questions about his funeral.
One message said: “When will my ashes be returned to you? When are you planning on disbursing my ashes?”
Initially it was thought the charred remains under the truck belonged to Squire, but when investigators got the dental records from the body back 10 days later they showed the body wasn’t his.
Squire later killed himself by shooting himself in the head. It’s thought he took his life after realizing the game was up.
In 2010, Newman’s family including his mother Donna FioRito were awarded $6million following a civil lawsuit against Squire’s estate and his wife Denise.
The jury found Denise conspired in a scheme which resulted in her collecting on her husband’s life-insurance policy.
Newman’s mom Donna said: “It’s so unbelievable. It’s like a movie, a bad movie.”
Six Degrees of Murder airs tonight at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.