Reporting on Diane Borchardt
wisconsinexaminer.com
Reported coverage offers a concise introduction.
1994 · Wisconsin
Diane Borchardt
Partners & family
Diane Borchardt recruited teenagers, including students she knew through school, to kill her husband Ruben in Wisconsin in 1994. The promised reward and the teenagers’ accounts helped reveal the plot. The case became the basis of the television drama Seduced by Madness.
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The Story
When1994
WhereWisconsin
In this collection21 resources
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Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story (1996)
TV Guide · title listing
A dramatized interpretation; compare it with the reporting.
Ladies & Tangents — The Death of Ruben Borchardt
Apple Podcasts
An audio option for exploring this case while listening.
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Nicknames & media names
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
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Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
DeLani R. Bartlette · Medium
Diane Borchardt: The Murderous Mrs. B
A true-crime essay recounts the Borchardt case. Medium may limit access to the full article.
Outside CommentaryAccess Varies · Check Source
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
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Movies & TV
Movies
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TV & documentaries
4 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
TV Guide · title listing
Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story (1996)
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationAccess Varies · Check Source
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · TV episode
Deadly Women — Eternal Revenge (2012)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Diane Borchardt case. Listed release: 2012. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Screen TitleTitle Details · Not Playback
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Search Amazon · paid linkCredits & title details on IMDb
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · TV episode
American Justice — Murder and Mrs. B. (2004)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Diane Borchardt case. Listed release: 2004. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Screen TitleTitle Details · Not Playback
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Search Amazon · paid linkCredits & title details on IMDb
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Oxygen True Crime · Season 18, Episode 11 · Listed air date 2016-10-23
Snapped — Diane Borchardt
Includes coverage of Diane Borchardt.
Screen TitleAccess Varies · Check Source
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Search Amazon · paid linkEpisode details on TVmaze
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Audiobooks
An audiobook edition has not been confirmed for this case yet. You can check the audiobook catalog or explore the case’s podcasts.
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
TV Guide · title listing
Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story (1996)
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationAccess Varies · Check Source
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
6 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Apple Podcasts
Ladies & Tangents — The Death of Ruben Borchardt
Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.
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The Brothers Commonplace
Diane Borchardt
Podcast coverage of the Diane Borchardt case. Released March 10, 2026. About 61 minutes.
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Talk Murder To Me
154 | Flunking Murder: Diane Borchardt
Podcast coverage of the Diane Borchardt case. Released April 16, 2020. About 63 minutes.
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American Justice
Murder and Mrs. B
Podcast coverage of the Diane Borchardt case. Released August 20, 2025. About 43 minutes.
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Morning Cup of Murder
Convincing Teenagers To Become Murderers - April 3 2024
Podcast coverage of the Diane Borchardt case. Released April 3, 2024. About 14 minutes.
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Midwest Madness
Our First Live Audience
Podcast coverage of the Diane Borchardt case. Released March 18, 2025. About 22 minutes.
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
0 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
No additional case-specific reading source was confirmed in this review. The reporting and original summaries elsewhere on this page remain available.
Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemswisconsinexaminer.com
Reporting on Diane Borchardt
Linked reporting or commentary. Read the source date for its historical context; access may require a subscription.
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Newspaper clippings
2 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
Wisconsin State Journal · 1995-05-21 · Page 1
Jury finds Diane Borchardt guilty
A verdict report and timeline explain the prosecution of Diane Borchardt for arranging Ruben Borchardt's killing with three teenagers.
Opening report and case timeline; the newspaper continues the story on another page.
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Read the original at Newspapers.com. Access and subscription requirements are set by the archive.
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Continue with these dated reports on Newspapers.com.
Wisconsin State Journal · 1995-05-19 · Page 1
Defense rests in Borchardt trial
The defense closed without calling Diane Borchardt to testify. The report describes the competing arguments shortly before jury deliberations.
Pre-verdict coverage, including defense claims; article continues on another page.
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Internet Archive
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court opinionArchive copy
State v. Borchardt — conviction appeal
Wisconsin appellate review of Diane Borchardt’s prosecution for arranging the murder of her husband, Ruben Borchardt.
- Court / agency
- Wisconsin Court of Appeals
- Document date
- 1998
- Case / citation
- 1996AP003616-CR
- Hosted by
- Justia
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
6 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
Dr. Todd Grande
Teacher's Aide Hires Three Teenagers to Kill Husband | Diane Borchardt Case Analysis
Video from Dr. Todd Grande covering the Diane Borchardt case. Length: 17:30.
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Oxygen
Snapped: S18 E11 Bonus Clip - Convicting Diane Borchardt | Oxygen
Video from Oxygen covering the Diane Borchardt case. Length: 5:18.
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Oxygen
Snapped: S18 E11 Preview - Diane Borchardt | Oxygen
Video from Oxygen covering the Diane Borchardt case. Length: 1:19.
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Profiling with Pat Brown
The Murder of Ruben Borchardt: Profile of the Crime #dianeborchardt #rubenborchardt #mikemaldonado
Video from Profiling with Pat Brown covering the Diane Borchardt case. Length: 1:42:08.
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WISN 12 News
Letter claims wrong teen convicted in 1994 Jefferson County murder-for-hire
Video from WISN 12 News covering the Diane Borchardt case. Length: 1:07.
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Facebook · Creator community
Midwest Madness — Facebook group
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Our First Live Audience.” This discussion group covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. Group rules or membership approval may limit access.
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