KPTM FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |Investigators Say Self Defense Claim Could Have Been Murder

Meghan McRoberts

OMAHA (KPTM)-

A ten year old cold case is re-examined, and leaves one Omaha woman behind bars.

45 year old Tracy Roberts was arrested in Omaha Tuesday with a warrant for 1^st degree murder. Her fiancé tell us she moved to Omaha 4 years ago to care for a sick relative.

In 2001, Tracy shot and killed Dustin Wehde, claiming he intruded into her Early, Iowa home, so she acted in self defense. Investigators in Sac County Iowa, along with the help of Douglas County officials say new evidence gave them enough reason to arrest her. She was pulled over and arrested at a traffic stop near 180^th and West Center.

Her fiancé Russell Schertz told us, "I don't believe a word of it, if someone broke into my home, choked me and my kids were there I would do whatever I could to protect my kids and I think all of us would."

Investigators say that Roberts originally stated that there were two intruders in her home, but they now believe Wehde was the only one. Wehde was also no stranger to the family, and was considered a family friend. Evidence also suggests that Roberts placed an item in Wehde's car to make him look like an intruder.

Schertz says he doesn't believe it was staged, "I've seen the scars personally from what she went through, I mean she was savagely beaten within an inch of her life… and to think that was somehow planned is absolutely insane, it all seems very fishy to me that he was there in the first place and now that they're using that attack against her like they are"

Investigators reopened the case in 2009. Sac county official Terry Klooster explained, "We have closely examined all aspects of this case, we've interviewed new people, re interviewed people, and closely examined statements made during the course of the investigation. All of those things led to the arrest of Tracy Roberts."

Roberts does have a criminal past in Douglas County for Theft by Deception and Welfare Fraud.

Douglas County Captain Steve Glandt, with the Criminal Investigation Bureau said officials found a picture of the Crime Scene from ten years ago in her car around the time she was arrested. While this seemed strange, she reportedly filed a complaint that her ex husband broke into her car and put the picture in it.

Schertz says two of her children are now living with her ex-husband, and that he would like to have them back living with him. But for now, he says he looks forward to her release and being proven innocent, "She's a great mom very giving person, she doesn't have a mean violent bone in her body."

Roberts is being held without bail, and is being considered for extradition back to Iowa.