DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — The first day of testimony in Matheau Moore’s murder trial made one thing clear – this case will hinge on whether jurors believe Emily Noble was murdered or that she died by suicide.
Noble was reported missing on May 25, 2020, the day after her 52nd birthday. Her body was found months later, in September, in a wooded area not far from her Westerville home. She was found with a USB cord around her neck. Investigators say her death had been staged to look like a suicide.
The following June, Moore was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder. At the time, he told reporters that investigators were making a “mistake” and that he did not kill his wife.
In fact, body camera footage played in court on Wednesday would reveal that he very early on worried his wife had done something to herself. Several times during his conversation with the responding officer, he alluded to suicide.
And jurors learned that suicide played a major role in Noble’s life. Both prosecutors and the defense detailed the many loved ones throughout Noble’s life who died by suicide. That includes her first husband and Moore’s teenage son, Joey, who lived with the couple. In fact, Joey died in 2019 by hanging himself in a park not far from where the couple lived.
Also on Wednesday, jurors heard from Noble’s sister, Amy Thomas, and her good friend, Celeste Grone.
Thomas testified that her relationship with Moore deteriorated in the weeks and months following Noble’s disappearance. She said, at one point, he asked her to be his spokesperson for both the police and the media. An email she had sent to a detective was also mentioned in court. In it, she encouraged him to look beyond suicide as a possible cause of death for her sister.
Many of Noble’s friends also were in the courtroom to hear testimony. One said she was glad the trial was finally starting. Another has taken two weeks off work to be in court.
Court resumes Thursday morning.