Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Titled “Summer’s Deadly Fling,” the upcoming episode of ID‘s Murder in the Heartland will air on the network on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET. The episode will follow the disappearance of Beth Kutz, which was followed by the arrest and subsequent conviction of her estranged husband, Daniel Kutz.
Daniel Kutz was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, stalking, and obstructing an officer. His estranged wife, Beth Kutz, was reported missing on July 27, 2000. She was last seen leaving Demco in DeForest, where she worked, at 3:15 p.m. Beth was reportedly on her way to her mother’s house. According to the court documents, she had been staying there with her children for a week before the disappearance.
A few weeks prior to her disappearance, Beth and Daniel Kutz had been having marital problems. Beth then moved into her mother’s house along with her children. However, after she went missing, Greg Stahl, a man who claimed Beth Kutz had been having an affair with him, showed up at the police station. He told authorities that Beth had been followed by Daniel multiple times before. Moreover, he alleged that she said she had grown tired of his “controlling behavior.”
Following his arrest, Daniel Kutz had to hand over a watch he was wearing. Surprisingly, police noticed blood that was later identified to be of Beth. They also noticed minor scratches and sores on his hand, some of which had traces of dried-up blood. Even though Beth Kutz’s remains have still not been found, Daniel Kutz was convicted of her murder. He refused to reveal the whereabouts of her remains.
How many years was Daniel Kutz sentenced to?
Daniel Kutz was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of four offenses. Even after police interrogation for years, he had not revealed where he buried Beth Kutz. However, Daniel did admit to killing her. In July 2022, WKOW reported that Detective Captain Jason Kocovsky said Daniel is unlikely to reveal the location of the remains as he is sure he is going to remain behind bars for the rest of his life.
During his trial in January 2001, prosecutors argued that despite the remains not being found, there is substantial evidence to prove that Daniel Kutz killed his wife, Beth. He reportedly told authorities that he was distraught by their breakup. He said that he had not eaten or slept in days. But when the investigation progressed, Daniel’s fingerprint was found on the driver’s seat door handle of the Jeep that Beth had been driving for the five days before her disappearance.
As per the court documents, Beth Kutz’s blood was found in the cargo of the Jeep. A murder weapon was reportedly not found. However, prosecutors argued that Daniel Kutz kept a knife in the trunk of his car, which was missing during the search. There was also a shovel and a five-tine fork missing from the farm where Daniel and Beth previously lived together.
“Summer’s Deadly Fling” is an episode of Murder in the Heartland on ID that will be aired on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
