Kathleen Jourdan
Photo Credits: Milan Markovic | Getty Images

Kill or be Killed: Why Did Kathleen Jourdan Kill Her Husband Joshua Jourdan?

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

The upcoming episode of Oxygen’s Kill or Be Killed will air on Oxygen on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. Titled “A Fatal Fork in the Road,” the episode will revolve around the shooting of Joshua Jourdan by his wife, Kathleen Jourdan. Although she was initially charged with the murder, Kathleen was found not guilty and was acquitted of all charges by the court.

Kathleen shot her husband, Joshua Jourdan, with a handgun in a car. This was after he pulled off Interstate 80 near Cozad on June 17, 2020. Their two children, 7 and 5 in age, were sitting in the backseat during the incident. After the trial, the court found that Kathleen killed Joshua in self-defense.

She also testified and spoke of the verbal abuse that Joshua inflicted on her only three months into the relationship. He reportedly expressed his intentions to give the children up for adoption as he wasn’t ready for the responsibility. According to KNOP News, he had three children from his previous marriages and reportedly paid for their child support using Kathleen’s money. Aside from financially abusing her, he also threatened her.

Kathleen recalled an incident in 2015 when Joshua tried to strangle her in front of their two children in their Grenada home. He allegedly coerced her into signing a contract that would promise him intercourse at any time he wanted. The abuse became violent and physical over time. Subsequently, on June 17, the couple got into a heated argument in the car, where Kathleen Jourdan shot him, fearing that it would turn violent.

What was Kathleen Jourdan initially charged with?

In June 2020, Kathleen Jourdan was charged with the second-degree murder of Joshua Jourdan. She was also charged with committing a felony using a deadly weapon. However, she was acquitted of all charges in March 2022 after the court declared that Kathleen acted in self-defense and out of fear that she and her children might be harmed, per KNOP News.

Following her arrest in 2020, Kathleen’s lawyer requested that her bail amount of $1 million be reduced. This was because the Omaha physician couldn’t afford that much bail amount. Her attorney also said that Kathleen Jourdan would not leave town. The accused also didn’t have any kind of criminal record prior to this and expressed strong intentions to remain in Lexington. Additionally, her children were in a foster home there. However, the request was denied, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

In Kathleen’s mother’s testimony, she mentioned that Kathleen Jourdan was pregnant when she married Joshua. He reportedly threatened her and told her to either marry him or give the baby up for adoption. After marriage, he allegedly insisted that Kathleen cut contact with her mother. He said she would have to go through him before communicating with her daughter. She also recalled an incident when Joshua slapped her after she fed her grandson some milk from the fridge.

“A Fatal Fork in the Road” will air on Oxygen on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.

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