Dateline: Manner Of Death - 5 harrowing details about Matt Podolak's murder, explored

Troubled relationships often result in separation, but in Matt Podolak's case featured on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, the Ohio man got killed by his fiancée, Holly McFeeture. His murder case wasn't solved for years, and McFeeture freely lived her life until her conviction in 2013.

As shown in the Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode "Manner of Death," Matt Podolak and Holly McFeeture had three children, two of their own and a daughter from McFeeture's past marriage. Initially, the couple didn't face challenges, but soon Podolak lost money due to gambling and was depressed.

The victim's brother shared that the couple often clashed, and Matt Podolak even wanted to get out of the relationship. However, he didn't part ways to stay close to his children.

Little did anyone know that McFeeure had been poisoning her fiance for days, which resulted in his tragic death in 2006. At first, it looked like Podolak committed suicide, as there was no evidence to prove McFeeture guilty.

However, two witnesses, including a former friend and McFeeture's ex-boyfriend, testified in court, and the jury found her guilty in 2013. Continue reading to dive deep into the details of the case.

Five startling details about Matt Podolak's murder case on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered

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The Matt Podolak murder case is one of the most chilling homicides in Cleveland, Ohio, in which the killer was declared guilty after almost seven years. What's the worst about the murder? The killer was Matt Podolak's partner, Holly McFeeture, with whom he welcomed two kids.

Here are the five harrowing details on the tortuous death of Matt Podolak explored on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode:

1) Slow poisoning in Matt Podolak's favorite drink

Matt Podolak couldn't detect the poison (Image Source: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered)

As previously mentioned, Holly McFeeture poisoned the victim to death, giving him a slow and painful end. McFeeture used antifreeze, a toxic liquid generally used in car engines.

This liquid has a deadly ingredient called ethylene glycol, also found in Podolak's body. McFeeture mixed the poison in Matt Podolak's favorite raspberry iced tea, and due to its sweet taste, he wasn't able to detect anything wrong.

This means that Podolak consumed the iced tea without realizing that a poisonous liquid had been mixed. Per CBS News, McFeeture began poisoning the victim from July 26 until his death on July 31, 2006.

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2) Matt Podolak's death wasn't initially ruled as a homicide

Holly McFeeture had a daughter from a past marriage (Image Source: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered)

Another startling detail about Matt Podolak's murder is that Holly McFeeture wasn't immediately arrested despite the circumstances surrounding her partner's death. The autopsy reports explained his death from ethylene glycol poisoning (antifreeze), but wasn't solved until the prosecution got two witnesses.

As for Holly McFeeture, she wasn't initially charged in the case and even stated that Matt Podolak's coworkers might be behind the murder. Per Oxygen True Crime:

"There was some people at his job, they had not liked him. It was his uncle’s company and um, people I think were a little jealous. He was supposed to get a promotion and I think there were some people who didn’t think he deserved it."

Since there was only circumstantial evidence, Holly McFeeture was assumed innocent. However, Matt Podolak's family always believed it was someone close to him and even noticed McFeeture's behavior after Podolak's death.

3) Holly McFeeture emptied Matt Podolak's bank after his death

Matt Podolak loved his children (Image Source: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered)

Shortly after Matt Podolak's torturous death, Holly McFeeture withdrew all his money through the ATM. Not only this, McFeeture was also charged with forgery and claimed that she required money for her children.

McFeeture also received the life insurance money after Podolak's death and wrote checks in Matt Podolak's name. These activities suggested McFeeture was benefiting from the victim's death.

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4) Holly McFeeture's suspicious behavior after killing her fiancé

Holly McFeeture lied initially (Image Source: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered)

Holly McFeeture's behavior and actions after Matt Podolak's death were alarming. Her mother-in-law noticed McFeeture showing less emotion during Podolak's service. While her sister claimed she cried on the way, Podolak's family didn't believe her.

From McFeeture accessing Matt Podolak's ban account and life insurance policy claim to showing less pain of losing her partner, all hinted at her involvement in the murder. The victim's brother Mark also talked about his brother's relationship and suggested Holly Mc Feeture was controlling and demanding.

5) A former boyfriend led to the conviction of Holly McFeeture

Years after trying hard to solve the case, the prosecution was able to find two key witnesses. Included in the testimony were Rebecca Vega, a former friend of McFeeture, and Jamison Kennedy, her ex-boyfriend.

As revealed in the Dateline episode, Vega claimed she noticed antifreeze in McFeeture's kitchen during the time of Matt Poodolak's death. As for Kenney, he revealed that Holly McFeeture confessed to contaminating Podolak's drink while she was drunk.

Following Kennedy's history with crime, it was challenging to believe his claims. However, the prosecution eventually succeeded, and Holly McFeeture was given a life sentence in 2013, with a possibility of parole only after 34 years.