KIDNAPPING CASE
Who is Sherri Papini’s estranged husband, Keith?
Keith and Sherri Papini's case will be revisited in Hulu's docuseries Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini
KEITH Papini's wife Sherri went missing while out on a run on November 2, 2016.
She was found 22 days later, bound up and beaten 150 miles from her home, but after a careful investigation, Sherri turned out to be the mastermind of her own kidnapping.
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Who is Sherri Papini's estranged husband, Keith?
Keith Papini is Sherri Papini's husband. The couple reportedly got married in 2009 and share two young children.
Court documents filed on April 20, 2022, revealed that Keith had filed for divorce from Sherri.
The news came days after Sherri pleaded guilty to one count each of mail fraud and lying to a federal officer.
According to court documents obtained by The US Sun, Keith wrote: "The whole problem started in November 2016 when Sherri left our children at a daycare and simply disappeared.
"Both I and, especially, our children were traumatized by her disappearance and I spent much time and money trying to find my wife."
He added: "The trauma inflicted on our children at the unexpected loss of their mother was heartbreaking."
Sherri failed to pick up her kids from a daycare center and was reported missing on November 2, 2016.
Hours before she vanished, Papini messaged Keith to ask if he would be home for lunch. He said that he wouldn't.
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Keith told in 2016: "Everybody who knows my wife knows that there's no reason for her to leave.
Husband of kidnapped mum Sherri Papini reveals shock truth
"She was definitely taken against her will."
Keith found her cell and earphones as he searched for his missing wife.
FBI investigators didn't identify him as a person of interest after he successfully passed a lie detector test.
However, 22 days later, on Thanksgiving, Papini was found beaten and bound.
After a careful investigation, police revealed that Papini faked her own kidnapping to be with her past lover, James Reyes.
She initially claimed that she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women.
I'm the idiot husband that stayed around the whole time
Keith Papini
This story fell apart when investigators found DNA evidence on a piece of clothing that led back to Reyes.
Sherri was arrested in March 2022 and pleaded guilty to making false statements and mail fraud.
In a two-hour episode of 20/20, which aired in October 2022, Keith told investigators, "I'm the idiot husband that stayed around the whole time."
He added: "Now you are telling me, 'OK, you can go home now,' Well, do you think I want her anywhere around my kids or around me at all at this point?"
What was Papini charged with?
On April 12, 2022, Papini was charged with 34 counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements to police.
She pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of making false statements and was convicted on September 19.
Papini was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $300,000 in restitution to federal, state, and local agencies.
After her sentencing, Papini stood before the court to say: "I stand before you humbled by the court.
"I'm so sorry to the many people who have suffered because of me. I thank you all.
"I am guilty of lying and dishonor. I trust in this court … and I trust in you.
"What was done cannot be undone. I am choosing to humbly accept all responsibility."
Where is Sherri Papini now?
After pleading guilty, Sherri Papini was sentenced to 18 months in jail in September 2022 but was released in August 2023.
On October 23, 2023, Sherri appeared in court to demand a portion of her ex-husband's insurance payout after his California home was impacted by a wildfire in 2021, reported.
She argued that she was entitled to half of the payout, however, Keith revealed the money was gone.
He went on to state that the money was used for living expenses and a $500 monthly allowance paid out to his mother who was housing him and his family.
As his estranged wife cried on the stand demanding her payout, Keith revealed Sherri racked up a significant credit card debt.
According to the , Sherri allegedly made a $3,200 purchase at Best Buy.
When she was asked about her large purchases, she repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment.
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On June 6, 2024, revealed that Sherri was writing books, according to notes kept by a monitor supervising her contact with her children.
According to a supervised visitation report from January 17, 2024, the convicted mother told her children about her work.
She reportedly said, "Do you know what an author is? Mommy’s also an author now. She’s writing two books."
For the first time, Papini will speak out publicly in an Investigation Discovery docuseries.
According to , her interview will be the centerpiece of the currently untitled ID series which is set to premiere in 2025.
Where is Keith Papini now?
Ahead of the premiere of the Hulu documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, Keith broke his silence for the first time since Sherri's arrest.
“She made us all believe that her story was true; every single day she committed to the lie,” Keith said in a June 17, 2024, interview with .
Keith told GMA's Matt Gutman that Sherri never explained herself. However, he has a hunch about what her motive could have been: her desire for him to be "her knight in shining armor."
"I think she wanted to plan a fake kidnapping, but in her version, I was supposed to find her," he said.
Keith explained that Sherri never apologized to him or their children for her actions.
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"She has no remorse that I have ever witnessed or seen."
Keith now lives with their two children in their California home. Sherri has been released from prison and has supervised visits with her kids.
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