Lifetime is kicking off the summer with a slate of scintillating, heartwrenching true-crime originals that’ll leave you in dismay.
Inspired by its Ripped from the Headlines series, the network presents us with its Summer of Secrets programming, one of which is the star-studded Secrets of a Marine’s Wife.
We have an exclusive first look at this Sadie Calvano and Evan Roderick-led drama.
Secrets of a Marine Wife is based on a bestselling novel and tragic story of a young, beautiful wife of a Marine, Erin Corwin.
Corwin (Calvano) was married to U.S. Marine Corporal Jon Corwin (Spinning Out’s Roderick) when she disappeared.
The film follows the story of the young, pregnant wife’s disappearance and the hair-raising investigation into that and her eventual murder.
The teen’s disappearance prompted a massive search party where family, friends, law enforcement (including both the FBI and Border Patrol), soldiers and vets, traversed the extreme climate of Joshua National Tree Park until the discovery of her body in an abandoned mineshaft.
It’s a murder that rocked a marine base as secrets are revealed, new information is exposed, and motives become murky as the slow realization hits that the person responsible may be one of their own.
At the forefront of the investigation and a person of interest is Corporal Jon Corwin.
In the exclusive trailer, the authorities question Corporal Corwin on the whereabouts of his wife. He shares the last time he saw her, and from the looks of matters, his response isn’t the most convincing.
Corwin appears prepared for this thought process, as he’s the one to mention that he’s the husband, “and cops always suspect the husband first.”
He’s certainly not wrong about that.
Upon digging deep into the Corwins’ life to get to the bottom of who could kill her, investigators discover Erin’s illicit affair with another soldier.
Erin befriended a neighbor, Marine Christopher Lee (Supernatural‘s Tom Stevens), which blossoms into something potentially salacious.
Investigators unravel a scandal that could potentially prove a motive when the paternity of Erin’s child becomes scrutinized. Was the unborn child that of Lee or Corwin?
And does that mean one of the marines was responsible for her death?
Complicating matters is the notion that Corwin knew about his wife’s affair. We catch a glimpse of Erin as she’s saying, “you said you forgave me,” to what we can only assume is Corwin.
It’s cut between flashes of Erin and Christopher Lee hanging out together at the pool and a shadowy kiss the two share.
The trailer purports that anger and jealousy were potential motivators for Jon Corwin, and the notion of Erin carrying his love child was another for Lee.
It’s what amounted to a deadly love triangle that ended in tragedy.
It’s a devastating case that Secrets of a Marine Wife brings to life on the small screen, and it’s bound to pique your true-crime interest.
Secrets of a Marine Wife airs Saturday, June 19 at 8/7c.
And for more details on the case and murder investigation, you can catch a documentary Erin Corwin’s mother, Lore Heavilin, created.
The documentary premieres after the film at 10/9c.
You can check back with TV Fanatic for more Lifetime news.
In the meantime, get your very first look at Secrets of a Marine Wife below!
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.