A plea deal has been accepted in a deeply disturbing Pennsylvania case involving a couple accused of living for months with a dead relative’s body in order to continue collecting his Social Security checks.
Debbie Bebout, 64, has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of theft after authorities say she and her husband continued living in the same home as her brother-in-law’s remains. Her husband, James Edmond Bebout, 69, is still facing trial.
Police say the couple never reported the death of James’ 64-year-old brother, Michael Bebout, who is believed to have died from natural causes around Labor Day 2024. His death was not reported until Jan. 16, 2025, when James called police to the two-bedroom home the three of them had shared.
Officers discovered Michael’s skeletal remains in his bed and believe the body had been left there for more than four months. Investigators described the home, which was owned by Michael, as unlivable, citing extreme hoarding conditions and dog feces covering the floors. The odor inside was described as overwhelming.
Court records show Debbie and James were charged with felony theft by unlawful taking, felony criminal conspiracy, and misdemeanor abuse of a corpse. The couple was arrested on Dec. 11, 2025, with prosecutors tying the alleged crimes to the day the remains were discovered.
Local reports now say Debbie will plead guilty during a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 30. Under the plea deal, she will receive a sentence of time served, be required to repay more than $6,000 in Social Security benefits, and cover her own court costs. She is also expected to testify against her husband at trial.
James has denied knowing his brother had died, telling police he only discovered the body when he went to bring Michael breakfast that morning. He claimed Debbie had pretended to care for Michael even after his death. Investigators allege the couple cashed at least six Social Security checks worth roughly $1,200 each.
Prosecutors strongly dispute James’ account.
Assistant District Attorney Robert West argued during a hearing that James could not have been unaware of the body, noting that only a sheet separated Michael’s bedroom from the living room where the couple slept every night.
“Inaction is action when it comes to the desecration of a body,” West said, according to the Herald-Standard.
James is scheduled to stand trial in 2026 on one felony count of conspiracy to commit theft and a misdemeanor charge of abuse of a corpse. He is currently being held at the Washington County Jail on $6,000 cash bond while awaiting formal arraignment on Jan. 27, 2026.
Debbie remains jailed on $25,000 bond but is expected to testify against her husband under the terms of her plea agreement.
Sick A-holes!