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Murder of Joshua Hiberling

In May 2011, Joshua Hiberling filed a protective order against his wife, Amber Hiberling, who was 6 months pregnant at the time. He claimed she threw a lamp at him, causing an injury that required him to get stitches.

The protective order was dismissed when neither one showed up to a scheduled court date.

On June 7th, 2011, Amber and Joshua got into it again. Joshua’s family claims he was abused again and had packed his bags with the intention to leave her, but he didn’t make it out alive.

His 19-year-old wife pushed him out of a window of their 25th-floor apartment. He fell 17 stories and landed on top of a parking garage, where he died. She blamed the thin windows and said she was defending herself when she pushed him.

She was arrested for murder and offered several plea deals, including one that would have her serve 5 years, but she turned them all down. Her primary reason for this was that she did not want to be away from her newborn son, Levi.

Trial

When she went to trial, her attorney, Jason Corns, was a family friend who had no criminal defense experience. Her parents wanted her to get a more experienced lawyer, but she stuck with Corns.

She continued her claims of self-defense.

The prosecution, on the other hand, said she was the abuser. They showed footage of Amber in the interrogation room telling her grandmother,  “They kept saying if we stayed together, I’m going to kill him,” indicating Josh’s family was concerned about her behavior.

After three hours of deliberation, jurors sided with the prosecution. They convicted Amber of second-degree murder on March 18th, 2013. They recommended a 25-year sentence.

On April 23rd, 2013, the judge sentenced her to 25 years in prison. She was also given a $10,000 fine and ordered to pay for her deceased husband’s funeral costs.

Media Appearances

Amber made several media appearances after her incarceration, including two episodes of Dr. Phil.

Amber claimed in a 2016 TV interview that the window was smashed earlier when a laundry basket was thrown at it. She also stated in a Dateline interview that she did not regret declining the 5-year plea deal.

Death

Amber was found hanging in her prison cell at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center on October 24th, 2016, at 5:33 p.m, just 3 weeks after turning 25. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family suspected foul play.

A day before Amber’s death, she mailed a letter to the executive producer of Tulsa’s Channel 8, agreeing to an interview. Her family has pointed to this as one sign that she was not suicidal.

Ultimately, 10 years have passed, and her cause of death remains unchanged.