On April 14, 2009, 18-year-old Sarah Ludemann was killed by 19-year-old Rachel Wade in Pinellas Park, Florida, United States. Police said the incident happened because of a romantic rivalry that was part of a larger “love hexagon.”
Sarah Ludemann and Rachel Wade
Sarah Rose Ludemann was born on December 7, 1990, to Charles and Gay Ludemann. She was a student at Pinellas Park High School.
Friends and family knew her as a teenager trying to figure out life, just like many others her age. She was in a relationship with Josh Camacho, and this relationship played a major role in the events that came later.
Rachel Marie Wade was born on February 27, 1990, to Barry and Janet Wade. She was working as a waitress at an Applebee’s restaurant.
Before the conflict reached a breaking point, she had been in a relationship with Josh Camacho as well. Once Camacho started seeing Sarah, the tension between the two young women began to grow.
The Love Triangle and Rising Conflict
Ludemann and Wade were romantic rivals, both connected to the same man, Josh Camacho. In the first six months of Sarah’s relationship with him, police officers spoke to her six times about public confrontations involving Camacho.
There were also other tense moments. Ludemann got into a verbal argument with the mother of Camacho’s child. Camacho also showed violent behavior toward Sarah at one point, punching her in the face, but she did not press charges.
Once Wade found out about the relationship between Sarah and Camacho, she began leaving insulting voicemails. The rivalry between the two became more serious. They started to harass each other, the CBS News reports.
According to Wade, Sarah would sometimes come to the Applebee’s where she worked to taunt her. Sarah also told the police that Wade repeatedly called her cell phone and left threatening voicemails.
The tension only seemed to grow as time went on.
The Night of April 14, 2009
On the evening of Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Wade said she was alone in her apartment, waiting for Camacho to come see her. Meanwhile, Camacho was spending time with Sarah, and they were watching movies together.
While Wade was outside walking her dog, she heard a car honk. She stated that Sarah yelled, “Stay away from my man!” Feeling scared and upset, Wade decided to call an old boyfriend named Javier Laboy. He told her to come to his house.
Before leaving, she grabbed her purse, opened a kitchen drawer, and took a steak knife.
Around 11 p.m., Wade went near Camacho’s house. Inside, Camacho and Sarah were playing video games. Wade sent him a text message saying, “Now I know why you’re not talking to me — because you got her.”
Camacho replied, “That’s right. I don’t like you no more. Why don’t you go home?”
Wade replied, “No. I’ll wait for her to go home.”
Later, witnesses said they overheard Wade make a threat on speakerphone, saying, “I’m going to stab you and your Mexican boyfriend.”
Just before midnight, Camacho’s sister asked Sarah for a ride to McDonald’s. While driving, Sarah saw a friend at a stop sign who told her that Wade was at Javier Laboy’s house. Sarah then decided to go there.
As she was driving, Wade called her again and shouted, “I’m going to stab you! You and your Mexican boyfriend!”
When Sarah reached Laboy’s house, she saw Wade standing there with Javier and their friend Dustin Grimes.
What Happened Next
Wade claimed that Sarah slammed on her brakes, almost hitting her, and got out of the car, moving her fists. Wade said she felt scared, so she stabbed Sarah in the shoulder and chest. One of the wounds reached her heart, per Daily Beast.
However, the prosecution and other witnesses told a different story. They said Sarah didn’t even get a chance to leave her van. Instead, they said it was Wade who walked up and stabbed her.
Even after being injured, Sarah called Camacho to tell him what had happened. He rushed to her home and told her father. Together, they drove to the scene.
Witnesses said that after the stabbing, Wade threw the knife over a nearby house and calmly said, “I’m done.”
Sarah was taken to Northside Hospital. She passed away there due to a heart injury and was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m. the next morning.
Police arrived at the scene and began questioning everyone, including Wade. When they told her that Sarah had died, she began to cry.
A few hours later, Wade was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a $500,000 bond. She remained there throughout the trial.
The Trial
The trial began on July 20, 2010, and was shown on TruTV’s In Session. After TV coverage ended each day at 3 p.m., the rest of the trial was streamed live online by CNN.
Testimony lasted from July 21 through July 23. The prosecution talked about the long history between Sarah and Wade to show that Wade intended to harm her because of their connection to Camacho.
The defense argued self-defense, using Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Wade’s lawyer, Jay Hebert, said Sarah was very upset and that Wade was scared because she felt outnumbered and thought Sarah was bigger than her.
He also talked about an incident at Applebee’s, where Sarah and her friends supposedly knocked over Wade’s tray, sang “Girlfight” at karaoke, and teased her.
He even claimed that the two had gotten into a physical fight and pulled each other’s hair.
Prosecution witnesses included Camacho, his sister, and Dustin Grimes. Javier Laboy testified for the defense but admitted that he did not see much.
The jury also listened to voicemails Sarah had saved eight months earlier, in which Wade said she was going to kill her.
After just two and a half hours of discussion, the jury of five men and one woman found Rachel Wade guilty of second-degree murder.
Sentencing and Appeal
On September 3, 2010, Wade was sentenced to 27 years in state prison. The judge stated that he believed Wade meant to kill Sarah, per Wikipedia.
Wade continued to say she acted in self-defense and later appealed the decision.
In March 2011, during an interview with ABC News, Wade said she believed social media played a big role in the rivalry. She said online platforms allow people to say things with little consequence.
In April 2011, Sarah’s father, Charlie Ludemann, filed a civil lawsuit against Wade.
On February 17, 2012, Wade lost her appeal.
As of September 2023, Wade remains in custody at the Lowell Correctional Institution’s Lowell Annex, about 10 miles north of Ocala, Florida. She is expected to be released on March 21, 2032.
