Mark Gerardot has opened up on his wife's murder-suicide. Photo / ABC
Mark Gerardot has opened up on his wife's murder-suicide. Photo / ABC
A US husband has spoken out over the murder-suicide involving his wife and his mistress, revealing the last text messages she sent him moments before their deaths.
In 2018, Jennair Gerardot's life was turned upside down when she discovered her husband of more than 20 years, Mark Gerardot, was having an affair with a younger woman.
Enraged by her husband's betrayal, she embarked on a secretive mission to uncover the extent of her husband's affair which lead her to kill both his lover, Meredith Chapman, and herself.
Mark and Jennair Gerardot were married for over 20 years after first meeting in their teens. Photo / Mark Gerardot
"There were emails and text messages indicating what she planned to do," Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo said in a news conference.
In a revealing interview, Mark told ABC's 20/20 how the affair played out and ended with his wife sending him disturbing texts before committing the crime.
After their marriage was in a rut and Jennair had lost her job in 2017, Mark explained that they moved to Delaware for a fresh start.
Mark found work at the University of Delaware while his wife remained in South Carolina for a month-and-a-half as she arranged their home to be rented out.
At his new job, Mark immediately hit it off with his colleague, Meredith Chapman, who was 15 years younger and also married.
Weeks later they expressed their feelings for each other and started having a secret affair.
When Jennair arrived in Delawar, she knew something was up and pressed her husband about her suspicions.
"She finally asked me, 'What is up with you? You're acting different'," Mark told 20/20.
"She said specifically, 'It's Meredith, isn't it?'"
He initially denied the affair, but believed his wife had some evidence about their relationship and eventually came clean.
Meredith Chapman was shot dead at her home. Photo / University of Delaware
Mark revealed his intent to file for divorce and said while Jennair was emotional at times over their situation, she appeared to be dealing with the breakup quite well.
That was until April 23, 2018, when Jennair's secret plan to seek revenge unfolded when she made dinner plans with Mark and didn't turn up.
His wife sent him several messages, one with a picture of rubbish and a condom, which made him think she had been going through his mistress' bins.
"You ruined my life", a text from Jennair to Mark read.
"I hope you never find happiness" and "Bye Mark", followed.
After she sent that alarming message and with Mark getting no replies, he rushed to Meredith's home, where he found his lover face down in a pool of blood and his wife's body also laying on the kitchen floor.
"It took five seconds [to react] and I screamed an obscenity and ran to her," Mark recalled.
"I just said, 'Baby. Oh, baby. What have you done?'"
Speaking about the affair, Mark said he regretted how it played out and wish he could take it all back.
"I broke her heart," he said referring to his wife.
"My regret comes back to breaking her heart and making her feel like she had no other choice," he said.
Mark and Jennair Gerardot had been married for over 20 years. Photo / Instagram
"I wish I wouldn't have hurt her because I loved her. I still love her. I wish I could take it back."
But he is also trying to move forward.
He said that writing private letters to Meredith and driving past her house helps him come to terms with what happened so that he can let it go.
He has also written a manuscript for a book about the incident, finding it cathartic but also hoping others will learn from his mistakes when reading it.
"There [are] a lot of married people out there ... going through a lot of the same things Jennair and I were going through. Not to say they're all going to end the way ours did. But ... there's a lot of passion, there's a lot of arguing in the book that I think is so common in a marriage," he said.
"We didn't do everything right," he added. "That's for sure."
