ID Go: When Joshua Hudnall went off to war, he felt more at home in combat than he ever did around his mother. But just when Joshua thought he had escaped her torment, she set her sights on someone else, and destroyed their family from within. -Let Her Rot, Evil Lives Here (S5,E1)

Evil Lives Here is by far one of the best shows on Investigation Discovery. “Evil Lives Here tells the true stories of people who lived with a killer. How well do you really know your family? Would you recognize the warning signs?” The season 5 episode Joshua Hudnall was featured in ‘Let Her Rot’ was by far one of the most powerful episodes to date. Today we not only share this particular episode with you because it’s educational but we pause to honor Army veteran Joshua Hudnall because we learned from Investigation Discovery that he passed. We learned shortly after this episode premiered in January 2019 that Joshua Hudnall had passed away in 2018 and never saw the Evil Lives Here episode he was featured in. After the episode premiered, I wanted to reach out to him to let him know how much I appreciated that he shared his very personal story with us.

Joshua experienced violence in the home and suffered in silence because he didn’t know how to escape it. His father’s love was his beacon of hope. He believes strongly his deployment overseas contributed to his Post Traumatic Stress, BUT it started with his mother’s abuse. He said on the outside she appeared to be the world’s best mom but really she was manipulative, greedy, and violent. One of Joshua’s most profound thoughts was when he admitted a deployment to Iraq was easier than what he grew up with because at least he could defend himself. It was while Joshua was in Iraq that he learned his mother Stephanie Hudnall and his sister Guenevere Lynn murdered his father William Hudnall with a pick axe, one of the most violent tools one could use. Joshua went through a lot in his short life including serving our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. But he left us with his story, a story we can use to help other abused children. Rest easy Joshua.

“I loved being in the Army, I really did. In Iraq, and I know everybody watching this is gonna say some crap about what I’m about to say, but Iraq was the EASIEST and best time of my life. Swear to God. My base was the hardest hit. We were the ones who were attacked the most out of all of our bases in the Middle East. You got bombs going off everywhere. There’s always someone trying to kill you. And even with all of that, all of that craziness, all that confusion, still a thousand times better than what I grew up with. If someone shot at me, I could shoot back. Growing up, I couldn’t grab a knife and chase her with it. No matter how bad Iraq got, I knew I had someone watching my back.” -Joshua Hudnall, U.S. Army Veteran (Evil Lives Here)

Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. Download the ID Go app and binge away. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.

Related Links:
Let Her Rot | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (website)
Let Her Rot | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (S5,E1)
Let Her Rot | Evil Lives Here | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
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Video: When Joshua Hudnall went off to war, he felt more at home in combat than he ever did around his mother. (ID Facebook)
Joshua Hudnall death: ID pays tribute to tormented son featured on Evil Lives Here after 2018 passing (February 11, 2019)

We were sad to learn that Joshua Hudnall, who told his emotional, heartfelt story on last Sunday’s #EvilLivesHere, passed away in 2018. Our thoughts are with Joshua’s loved ones. pic.twitter.com/o9O0ctSqnd

— DiscoveryID (@DiscoveryID) January 9, 2019