In March 2009, Rhonda Casto was on a hiking trip where she fell off a cliff and did not survive the fall. Back then, the tragedy was ruled an accident, and nothing more came out of the ordeal – it appeared that the case was closed. However, it recently came to light that her then-boyfriend, Stephen Wagner Nichols, might actually be involved in the girl’s death.
This month, authorities arrested Nichols at the San Francisco International Airport after being tipped off that he’s coming in on a Chinese flight. After his arrest, he was indicted on a murder charge and is now being investigated for possibly causing Rhonda Casto’s death himself.
Recent developments came about after it was revealed that the couple had taken out an insurance policy for $1 million each, naming each other as beneficiaries. This was in 2008, one year before Rhonda Casto’s death – and subsequently, Nichols tried to claim the insurance money from MetLife, the insurance company.
However, his claim was denied, as the company claimed the insurance policy was void, as there were some discrepancies with the application. The company then stated that it was not clear whether or not Nichols was involved in the death of Casto, and they subsequently refused to pay him anything.
In the end, attorneys for the insurance firm reached a conclusion, stating that if Nichols was not eligible for the money, it would be put in an interest-accumulating account and then given to the daughter of the couple, who was named as a contingent beneficiary in the insurance policy.
Currently, Nichols is in jail in Oregon, held without bail, and he’ll have his first court hearing on March 3. The case has been attracting a lot of attention, and discussions about it are quite popular on the Internet – there seem to be many people convinced that Nichols is guilty, but others are not so sure what exactly happened in 2009.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time a hiker has had an accident in the same area where Casto fell off a cliff, which could lend some credibility to the story that her death was accidental. Still, investigators are reportedly hard at work and have a lot to go over before they can draw a conclusion, so it looks like there might be more behind the scenes that we have no idea about. In any case, once the court has issued a verdict, it will be clear what exactly went down between the couple on the day Casto died. Or at least, the story will reach a conclusion in legal terms – whether the truth ever comes out is a different topic.