Strange Country Ep. 67: Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth
Nov 15, 2018
Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth's union was labeled "The Worst Marriage in Georgetown" in a NYT magazine article, written a a year after Drath's lifeless body was found by Muth on their bathroom floor. At first Drath's death wasn't considered suspicious. She was 91 after all, soon the house of cards Muth so carefully constructed came crashing down. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly explore this unlikely couple and muse abut the nature of identity.
Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.
Cite your sources:
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth, 49, Convicted of Murder in Death of Socialite Wife Viola Drath, 91.” The Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2014, 2014/01/16/5a942d9e-7ecd-11e3-93c1-0e888170b723_story.html?utm_term=.47bbb1f5750c.
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Hospitalized, in Critical Condition, Following Hunger Strike.” The Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-hospitalized-in-critical-condition-following-hunger-strike/2013/02/01/02e06610-6cbf-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_story.html?utm_term=.0a5280d91e5e.
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Ordered Held in Wife’s Death after Bombing Allegations Surface.” The Washington Post, 9 Sept. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-ordered-held-in-wifes-death-after-bombing-allegations-surface/2011/09/09/gIQAfdR3FK_story.html?utm_term=.23362d1c1520.
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Resumes Eating, Returned to Jail.” The Washington Post, 7 May 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-resumes-eating-returned-to-jail/2013/05/07/29f02e64-b749-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html?utm_term=.fad3b425e185.
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Sentenced to 50 Years in 2011 Slaying of His Socialite Wife, Viola Drath.” The Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/albrecht-muth-sentence-to-50-years-in-2011-slaying-of-georgetown-wife-viola-drath/2014/04/30/2c358b1e-d06c-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html?utm_term=.225ce54f0902.
Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth, Weak from Hunger Strike, Is Ruled Competent for Murder Trial.” The Washington Post, 5 Sept. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/albrecht-muth-weak-from-hunger-strike-is-ruled-competent-for-murder-trial/2012/09/05/8c8af5a8-f774-11e1-8b93-c4f4ab1c8d13_story.html?utm_term=.0dd0d15df421.
Alexander, Keith L. “Trial of Albrecht Muth, Accused of Killing Georgetown Socialite Wife Drath, Set to Start.” The Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/trial-of-albrecht-muth-accused-of-killing-georgetown-socialite-wife-drath-set-to-start/2014/01/05/88e0ed40-7496-11e3-8b3f-b1666705ca3b_story.html?utm_term=.0dd3ce348f91.
Amico, Laura. “Albrecht Muth Charging Documents.” DocumentCloud, www.documentcloud.org/documents/232961-muth.html.
Basaraba, Sharon, and Richard N. Fogoros. “Reasons Why Elderly People May Fall.” Verywell Health, 21 Aug. 2018, www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-older-people-fall-2224159.
D.C., Homicide Watch. “At Trial, Drath's Daughter Says Muth Pressured Mother for Money.” Homicide Watch DC, homicidewatch.org/2014/01/13/at-trial-daughter-says-muth-pressured-drath-for-money/.
Donnelly, Grace. “Here's Why Life Expectancy in the U.S. Dropped Again This Year.” Fortune, 9 Feb. 2018, fortune.com/2018/02/09/us-life-expectancy-dropped-again/.
Foer, Franklin. “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown.” The New York Times Magazine, 6 July 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/magazine/albrecht-muth-and-viola-drath-georgetowns-worst-marriage.html.
Joynt, Carol. “Washington Social Diary.” New York Social Diary, 17 Aug. 2011, www.newyorksocialdiary.com/across-the-nationacross-the-world/2011/washington-social-diary-31.
Joynt, Carol. “Washington Social Diary: It's a Horror Story.” New York Social Diary, 11 May 2015, www.newyorksocialdiary.com/across-the-nationacross-the-world/2015/washington-social-diary-its-a-horror-story.
Martin, Adam. “The Odd Behavior of a Husband Arrested for a D.C. Socialite's Murder.” The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/08/unfortunate-behavior-husband-arrested-dc-socialites-murder/354256/.
McElwaine, Sandra. “Socialite Murder: Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth's Tumultuous Marriage.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 8 Sept. 2011, www.thedailybeast.com/socialite-murder-viola-drath-and-albrecht-muths-tumultuous-marriage.
Stanley-Becker, Issac. “A 69-Year-Old Man Asks to Be Declared 49, Claiming Age Is as Fluid as Gender.” The Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/11/08/year-old-man-asks-be-declared-claiming-age-is-fluid-gender/?utm_term=.8376fa922826.
White, Josh. “Profile of Dead Washington Socialite Viola Drath.” The Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/local/profile-of-dead-washington-socialite-viola-drath/2011/12/06/gIQAmYQrUP_story.html?utm_term=.ab3d57ea969c.
White, Josh, and Alison Klein. “Viola Drath, Slain Georgetown Woman, Had Sought Protection from Husband, Documents Show.” The Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-drath-slain-georgetown-woman-had-sought-protection-from-husband-documents-show/2011/08/15/gIQAEb16HJ_story.html?utm_term=.2943ee4274da.
White, Josh, et al. “Viola Drath’s Husband Forged Inheritance Document, Court Papers Say.” The Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-husband-forged-inheritance-document-court-papers-say/2011/08/17/gIQAS11KMJ_story.html?utm_term=.ff4815047b84.
White, Josh, et al. “Viola Drath’s Husband, Muth, Charged with Second-Degree Murder in Her Killing.” The Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-husband-muth-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-her-killing/2011/08/16/gIQAJn3HKJ_story.html?utm_term=.df7adf323b08.
Williams, Clarence, and Jenna Johnson. “Viola Drath's Death Investigated as a Homicide.” The Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-death-investigated-as-homicide/2011/08/14/gIQAFoCcFJ_story.html?utm_term=.6112ab0a330b.