Why was Brandon Boudreaux targeted, and how did life insurance factor in?

According to Brandon Boudreaux, the shot came on October 2, 2019, the day after the sale of the home he had shared with his ex-wife Melanie closed. Combined with a whole life insurance policy still naming Melanie as beneficiary, that timing made his death worth up to a million dollars to her. He had also just moved, and Melanie had texted to ask for his new address, which almost no one else knew.

• Their divorce decree required each to tell the other about any change of address.
• At trial, Lori Daybell asked Brandon who the beneficiary on his policy was on October 2, and he answered Melanie.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dateline NBC (2026-10-27). Read the whole episode summary →

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