Susan Merriman is a socialite and the latest con victim of Lyle Christopher. Christopher was seducing Susan while he was still in a relationship with Ruth Thomas, who was planning to report him for embezzling from her, only to leave her for Susan for the same. Christopher killed her and threw her remains into the ocean.
When Christopher’s cons were being tracked in a timeline, and Ruth’s disappearance came up in their investigation, the prosecution found out about Susan, so they questioned her. Susan was delirious from Christopher’s manipulation and refused to believe his crimes, in spite of her witnessing not just his operations, but directly leading the police to a professional horse killer he hired for life insurance cons, Tibor Nichols.
Christopher’s first trial ended in a mistrial only to be found guilty and imprisoned more than a month later when a fisherman recovered Ruth’s remains. (L&O: "Corpus Delicti")