Could the Love of Your Life Have a Criminal Record?

As they say, love is blind. It’s easy to ignore the warning signs in your significant other when you are planning a dream wedding. However, checking up on your fiancée early on in your relationship might not just save your marriage later, it could also save your life.

A background check could indicate clear warning signs

A U.S. Department of Justice study conducted in 1994 found that as many as 56 percents of family killers had a prior criminal history.

Even in the absence of a criminal history, a background check could indicate clear warning signs that a boyfriend or a girlfriend is not who they claim to be.

Consider the unfortunate case of Linda Curry. At 45, Linda thought she found the love of her life in Paul Curry. Paul would go on to slowly poison Linda over the course of a year, eventually killing her. He collected her life insurance money and bought himself an expensive Cadillac.

Had Linda done a background check on Paul, she would have found out that he didn’t have a degree in nuclear physics as he claimed. She would have learned that Paul lied about his marital history as well.

Here’s what you can do to understand the background of the person you might marry

Look up local criminal record databases

Criminal records are technically public records in the U.S. However, access to these records may differ based on your locality.

Some portions of criminal records can be accessed online. You can Google your partner’s name, state or city, and criminal record to find out what shows up.

But this could, at times, be misleading. Your partner may have changed their name. You may also not be able to find out the state where the crime was committed.

Alternatively, you can go directly to official court websites. You will be able to look up portions of criminal records searching by name. It’s possible to look up other records types too, such as traffic violations.

Perform an online background check

Local court record systems are more often than not incomplete.

Therefore, use an online people search web service to perform a background check on your prospective spouse.

Online background checks can be more thorough than a local public records search. These searches include public records, in addition to others such as lawsuits, phone book listings, and liens.

Are you uncertain where your partner comes from?

You will be able to perform reverse phone book searches on these sites as well. These sites often compile public records. So it’s more convenient to access information than go through different types of courts. 

Hire a PI

You might feel suspicious if your fiancée has changed their name. Or else, he or she could have given you misleading information about where they lived previously. If you harbor such suspicions, the best course of action is to hire a private investigator.

Private investigators are professionals with access to search tools that regular people don’t have. If a public record or an online search gets you nowhere, a PI might be able to help.

Investigators call running a background check on a significant other due diligence.

It’s a term used in business to avoid fraud. Due diligence may not sound like the most romantic thing to do, but it’s essential if you have any doubts regarding your partner. Therefore, try any one of the above methods to find out who your soon-to-be spouse really is.

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