Episode of true-crime show to feature area mother’s slaying
‘Cold Justice’ to explore the death of Candance Prunty at 8 p.m. today.
A true-crime TV show will feature an episode today about the 2015 murder of a Springfield mother.
Oxygen’s “Cold Justice” follows prosecutor Kelly Siegler and her rotating team of detectives, Steve Spingola, Tonya Rider and Abbey Abbondandolo, as they travel to small towns to dig into unsolved homicide cases.
The episode “An Officer’s Promise” will air at 8 p.m. today. The episode will detail the death of Candance Prunty, 26, whose ex-boyfriend, Thomas Albert, was indicted in connection to her death after the episode was produced.
Albert, 38, was indicted for aggravated murder, murder, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, having weapons under disability and tampering with evidence in Clark County Common Pleas Court in August. He awaits criminal trial, which is slated to begin on Dec. 6, according to court records.
Prunty was shot and killed in October 2015 at her house on West Mulberry Street. She was shot in the head and neck, according to a police report. Family members found her on the kitchen floor after she didn’t show up to get her children from school. Her sons were 1, 4 and 7 at the time of her death.
In 2018, the Springfield Police Division attempted to gather more information about Prunty’s death, as well as more information about other local cold cases, through a billboard campaign. A billboard on Spring Street featured Prunty’s picture, as well as information about her death and a phone number to call with tips.
“Law enforcement agencies often rely on public assistance in solving crimes,” said Springfield
Police Division Capt. Tom Zawada. “This is particularly true in cases where families have lost someone to violence and they seek answers.”
Prunty’s mother Patricia Beard declined to comment about the show.
Albert is in prison on counts of attempted murder and aggravated robbery from Franklin County, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction. He has been an inmate since July 28, 2018, and he is not eligible for parole until 2045, according to prison records.