NOTORIOUS MURDERS > DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Larissa Schuster

By Bryan Lavietes

A joyful married life

Once upon a time, Larissa and Tim Schuster were a happily-married couple. They had similar backgrounds: both had grown up on farms, Larissa in Clarence, Mo., and Tim in Golden, Ill. They had met in Missouri, working at the same nursing home while in college; Larissa was studying biochemistry at the University of Missouri and Tim was attending nursing school. They fell in love and married in 1982. Three years later they had a daughter Kristin. As their family expanded, so did their professional opportunities and in 1989, the family moved to the Fresno, Calif., area where Larissa took a job at an agricultural research lab in Madera. Their son Tyler was born in 1990.

Larissa became the family's primary breadwinner when she subsequently opened her own successful business, Central California Research Laboratories (CCRL), where she specialized in biochemistry for the agricultural industry. As Larissa worked longer hours getting her business up and running—neighbors said she routinely left the house at 6:30 a.m. and wouldn't return until 7:30 p.m.—Tim happily stepped into the "Mr. Mom" role. It would fall to him to take the children to doctor's appointments, music lessons, and football games.

Larissa's hard work paid off, and in 2000, the couple bought a pricy home in nearby Clovis. Records show Larissa earned $160,000 in 2001, while Tim made $77,290 as an administrator at St. Agnes Medical Center. The family attended Hope Lutheran Church in Fresno and Tim was a member of the Clovis Masonic Lodge.

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1. A joyful married life
2. The marriage crumbles
3. A plan is hatched
4. Murder most gruesome
5. Tim is missing
6. Larissa behaves strangely
7. Where was Tim Schuster?
8. Larissa's police interview
9. The plot discovered
10. The body in the barrel
11. Trial of James Fagone
12. Schuster's trial is moved
13. Schuster's trial begins
14. Larissa's own words
15. The defense's case
16. The defense's case, continued
17. Larissa takes the stand
18. Juror misconduct?
19. Verdict
20. An emotional sentencing