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She texted her husband her plan to kill his mistress.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Jun 09, 2020
In 2018, a Pennsylvania woman found out about her husband’s affair and murdered his mistress, then killed herself.
Jennair Gerardot murdered the woman her husband, Mark Gerardot, was having an affair with after discovering the love triangle he created.
According to Delaware Online, Jennair, 47, explained how she was going to kill the woman he was seeing behind her back, 33-year-old Meredith Chapman, through a series of text messages she sent to Mark, 49.
Around 7 p.m. Monday, Jennair wore a wig to disguise herself and broke into Chapman’s home through the front door.
She made sure to clean up the broken glass so that her target would not suspect anything, police said.
She waited for Chapman to return home and shot her as soon as she walked through the door. Jennair then shot herself.
“You had a man who’s married who’s having an affair with this other woman. His wife knew that. This was a calculated attack,” Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo said.
"There were emails and text messages indicating what she planned to do. Detectives are still sorting that out.”
Mark found the bodies after he went to Chapman’s home when she didn’t show up for a dinner date they had planned to have.
"We believe the husband was in the area under the belief that he was meeting the other woman for dinner, and when she didn't show up, that's when he got concerned and showed up at the house,” Colorulo said. “But again, that's unconfirmed and what we're working on right now."
Police responded to a 911 call around 7:05 p.m. The caller reportedly said there were "two people down" and "blood on the floor."
"My wife may be inside,” Mark told police when they arrived.
A bag with a wig and some clothes were found at the crime scene, which prompted officials to conclude the murder-suicide was a "thought-out plan.”
Chapman’s neighbor, Melissa DeJoseph may have been the last person to see her alive before she was ambushed by Jennair.
"As soon as she went in, probably less than five minutes after she went in, and I heard a noise that at the time I thought, 'Is that a gunshot?" she told the news outlet.
Chapman had recently begun a job as vice president at Villanova University. Jonathan Gust, a spokesman for the university released a statement regarding her death.
"Villanova University was informed last night about the death of Meredith Chapman," said Gust. "Our hearts are broken by the devastating loss of our new colleague.
The thoughts and prayers of the entire University community are with her family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time."
Natalie Hines, who graduated from the University of Delaware alongside Chapman, wanted her to be remembered for all the good she had done over the years, not just the affair.
“Despite whatever comes out with this story, I don’t want anyone to forget about all the people she inspired, especially the young women at UD,” she said.
Sarah Gangraw is a writer with a degree in journalism. She writes about all things news, entertainment and crime.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on April 30, 2018 and was updated with the latest information.