September 17, 2025 • 13 mins
When 80-year-old Donald Finch was found dead in his Montana motor home, it looked at first like an elderly man had simply died in his sleep. But an autopsy told a different story—and soon, investigators uncovered texts, forged checks, and a trail of money that pointed to betrayal from the very people he trusted most.
Today my co-hosts tell you the case of Donald Finch—a grandfather who lost his savings to scams, moved closer to family for safety, and instead found himself trapped in a web of greed that ended in homicide.
**************************************
Do you have thoughts about this case, or is there a specific true crime case you’d like to hear about? Let me know with an email or a voice message: https://murderandlove.com/contact
Find the sources used in this episode and learn more about how to support Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide and gain access to even more cases, including bonus episodes, ad-free and intro-free cases, case files and more at: https://murderandlove.com
Music:
℗ lesfreemusic
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbreak-to-homicide--4348896/support.
Today my co-hosts tell you the case of Donald Finch—a grandfather who lost his savings to scams, moved closer to family for safety, and instead found himself trapped in a web of greed that ended in homicide.
**************************************
Do you have thoughts about this case, or is there a specific true crime case you’d like to hear about? Let me know with an email or a voice message: https://murderandlove.com/contact
Find the sources used in this episode and learn more about how to support Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide and gain access to even more cases, including bonus episodes, ad-free and intro-free cases, case files and more at: https://murderandlove.com
Music:
℗ lesfreemusic
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbreak-to-homicide--4348896/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
On November tenth, twenty twenty four, Yellowstone County deputies in Huntley, Montana,
received a nine to one one call from a family
member who had just found Donald Finch dead in his
motor home on Robson Lane. The caller told dispatchers that
the death looked quote suspicious. When police got there, they
(00:22):
found Donald lying in his trailer with no obvious signs
of injuries. Dean Webb Frost, Donald's granddaughter's boyfriend, was standing nearby.
Deputies questioned Dean and Donald's granddaughter, Samantha Finch, who told
them that Donald had planned to leave and instead probably
died in his sleep. They said that they had been
(00:43):
taking care of him and that he was frail and
fell a lot. Dean told investigators that on the night
in question, he left to buy cigarettes, and because of
that he had no idea what happened. Officers saw that
there was no forced entry, no obvious trauma, and for
the moment, no crime scene beyond an elderly man's body.
(01:05):
They secured the area and began preliminary documentation photographing the
scene and position of Donald's body.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Welcome to love and murder, heartbreak to homicide. We're Kai's
ai co hosts Jessica Jensen and Jane here to bring
you another midweek mini case written by Kai. So sit
back and listen all the way to the end. And
if you like our retelling, don't forget to subscribe. You
can also subscribe for free on our Patreon Patreon dot
(01:35):
com Slash Love and Murder and Don't Forget This podcast
is listener funded. Even as a free subscriber, you won't
miss an episode and you'll get a few extra perks.
But if you want the full experience, you'll want to
sign up for one of our bonus tears. That's where
you'll find bonus cases, intro free episodes, you get to
be the voice of the victim, and more. Patreon dot
(01:57):
com Slash Love and Murder. The last bonus Kai just
dropped was part of our serial Killer Corner series, The
Case of David Brian Pierce. He posed as a Hollywood
producer to lure women into his orbit promising parties, fame
and opportunity, but what they got instead was manipulation, danger,
and for some death. If you want the full story,
(02:21):
join us on Patreon at Patreon dot com Slash Love
and Murder. Now let's get into today's midweek mini case.
Before we begin, I want to say that this case
is still ongoing, so everything said here is alleged.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Donald Finch was a retired eighty year old from Boise, Idaho.
According to family members, he lived alone in Idaho until
he became a victim to a publisher's clearing house scam,
sending money to scammers and losing significant savings. After this,
his concerned relatives suggested that he move closer to family.
(02:57):
In October twenty twenty, four weeks before this incident, he
moved to Huntley, Montana, to live with his granddaughter, thirty
four year old Samantha Marie Finch and her longtime boyfriend
forty one year old Dean web Frost. He decided to
move with his daughter mainly because he thought that she
had a job with a credit union in Billings, so
(03:18):
he felt that he wouldn't have been a financial burden
on her. Donald had bought himself a motor home and
parked it on his granddaughter's property. At first, everything went smoothly,
but this is love and murder, so we know that
something went awry. Donald told family members that Samantha and
Dean were controlling his money. He said, Samantha asked him
(03:39):
to give her access to his bank accounts, and she
even tried to get him declared incompetent. Doing this would
have given her complete control over his remaining assets. He
complained that despite his steady income from his savings, his pension,
and his Social Security benefits, she gave him a very
limited allowance and kept his bank cards. He worried she
(04:01):
had stolen as much as thirty eight thousand dollars. In
late October twenty twenty four, he moved most of his
money from the local bank and removed Samantha's name from
his accounts. He told relatives he planned to go back
to Boise because of his living conditions at the trailer
and his fears about Samantha's financial abuse. The living conditions
(04:23):
that he referred to was because he said that they
kept the motor home unheated and cold, and that he
was being forced to stay in his trailer. Samantha and
Dean denied his accusations and insisted they did nothing wrong.
Even so, the family planned to help Donald move back
to Idaho. Two days after the incident, the Montana State
(04:46):
Crime Laboratory conducted an autopsy the examination revealed subtle but
distinctive indicators consistent with smothering, including facial tissue damage and
specific bruising patterns.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
The upper lip was a sized and routinely processed for
histology sections, showing remarkably good tissue preservation and extensive recent bruising.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Investigators also noted particial hemorrhaging and bruises on his neck.
Doctor Eric Hutchins concluded that had Donald died from homicidal
violence consistent with strangulation or smothering, and the manner of
death was ruled homicide. Now the case turned into a
murder investigation. Family members told detectives about Donald's accusations of
(05:32):
theft and his plans to leave. Police found out that
the day he died, he was supposed to be moving
back to Idaho, and on that same day he told
family that Dean had confronted him about the recently closed
bank accounts. Investigators reviewed Donald's bank accounts and noticed big
withdrawls that lined up with times when Samantha was around.
(05:55):
They also uncovered forged signatures on checks and withdrawal slips,
and that Samantha had taken control of Donald's finances by
forging documents and faking his signature. This all came to
Donald's attention after he'd moved to Montana. Then police found
out that days after Donald's death, Samantha had tried to
(06:15):
prevent the autopsy from happening, even threatening a deputy coroner
with legal action if it was conducted. Y CSO detectives
got a warrant to search Dean's cell phone records. The
text exchanges between Dean and Samantha were damning. In one message,
Dean said.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I killed your efing grandfather. I helped you forge a notary.
I've done more for you than I've ever done for
anybody for free.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Another text said.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I have done everything you asked of me, including what
I did to your grandfather, and it's still not good enough.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Audio recordings caught Samantha's angry response, where she called him
a quote snitch and a quote effing rat, as if
all of this wasn't enough. In Mark wh twenty twenty five,
detectives interviewed one of Dean's relatives, who told them that
he had verbally admitted to smothering Donald to make Samantha happy.
(07:09):
Investigators also found Donald's new will, naming Samantha. As the
sole beneficiary. Even after Donald's death, She'd tried to collect
his money, telling the bank that because she was listed
as the beneficiary and she was supposedly the next of kin,
they should give her the money in his bank. Detectives
learned that Dean had a previous criminal record, and he
(07:30):
had pleaded guilty to theft in Wyoming. During interviews, they
learned that Dean resented the financial restrictions Donald placed on them.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Wait, he hated that Donald put restrictions on his own money.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yes, hard to believe, right. Relatives said Dean barely worked
and saw Donald's money as his means of support. When
Donald cut Samantha's access to his funds and talked about
moving out, Dean threatened him. All of this evidence supported
premeditation and financial miss motive. Investigators believe Donald was killed
(08:03):
sometime late on November ninth or early on November tenth.
They said that on that night, Dean smothered Donald in
his motor home, most likely with his hands or a pillow. Remember,
the autopsy showed no external injuries, but the medical examiner
saw evidence of asphyxiation and particial hemorrhaging consistent with smothering.
(08:26):
So police went to them to ask them about all
of this evidence they'd collected. Both Dean and Samantha denied
any knowledge of Donald's financial issues or the circumstances surrounding
his death. Samantha claimed she had access to his accounts,
but never took money without permission. On June thirtieth, twenty
twenty five, Dean was arrested on an unrelated warrant for
(08:49):
failing to appear in traffic court. Two days later, on
July second, he was charged with deliberate homicide. At his
first court appearance on July third, he pleaded not guilty.
Given the seriousness of the charges and his prior felony record,
Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Tweeto pushed for a high bond.
(09:12):
Judge Bradley Neeland set bail at five hundred thousand dollars
and ordered GPS monitoring if Dean was released. He remains
in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. Then, on August twenty second,
Samantha was hit with her own set of charges, elder exploitation,
elder abuse, fraud, forgery, theft, and solicitation of deliberate homicide.
(09:37):
Investigators said she forged dozens of checks, drained more than
thirty eight thousand dollars from Donald's accounts, and altered his will.
They said that she tried to stop his autopsy by
claiming he had an infectious disease. Samantha was booked into
Yellowstone County Detention Facility, and on August twenty seventh, she
pleaded not guilty to all of her charges. Her attorney
(09:59):
called her quote a gentle soul, but prosecutors argued that
she manipulated Dean and orchestrated her grandfather's murder for money.
Attorney Tweeto requested a high bond for her as well,
explaining that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
This exploitation is beyond the norm as alleged. It's just
a terrible, tragic situation.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Bail was also set at five hundred thousand dollars. As
of this recording dan in September twenty twenty five, Dean
has not yet gone to trial. Prosecutors are expected to
present the autopsy evidence showing Donald died from smothering, the
text messages where Dean admitted to killing him, and testimony
from the relative who said Dean confessed. They will argue
(10:43):
that Dean had motive which was to protect Hiss and
Samantha's access to Donald's money. They will present the means
an opportunity, which will most likely be that Dean was
alone with Donald in the trailer. They will likely portray
Samantha as a co conspirator and argue that Dean killed
Donald at her request. We're guessing that defense attorneys are
going to challenge the reliability of the text messages and confession,
(11:06):
probably arguing they were sent in anger or exaggeration. They
may also claim that Donald's death was an accident or natural,
citing his age and health issues. They will probably push
that fact that there were no eyewitnesses to the killing
and try to introduce doubt about the timeline. Because there
(11:26):
is no physical evidence linking Dean directly to the crime
besides the messages and confession. The defense may argue the
States case relies too heavily on circumstantial evidence and the
testimony of a relative with motives of their own. Samantha's
case is proceeding separately. Her defense will probably claim that
she never asked Dean to kill Donald and that she
(11:49):
did not steal his money. They may argue that any
money she took was for legitimate expenses. If convicted, she
faces decades in prison. The cases are exp afected to
go to trial in late twenty twenty five or early
twenty twenty six. If convicted of deliberate homicide, Dean faces
a minimum of ten years and a maximum of one
(12:11):
hundred years or life in Montana State Prison. Samantha faces
up to life in prison if found guilty. Their eventual
sentences will depend on plea negotiations, trial outcomes, and sentencing hearings.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
That's it for today's Midweek mini. What do you think
of Kai's predictions into how the trials might go? Let
us know your thoughts in the comments below. You can
also let us know your thoughts in the comments or
over in the Patreon community patreon dot com slash Love
and Murder and Remember Love and Murder is completely listener funded.
(12:45):
Your support keeps these stories alive. Head over to patreon
dot com slash Love and Murder to join for free,
or sign up for a bonus tire at three dollars
a month and above that gets you bonus cases, case extras,
add free episodes and exclusive series like serial Killer Corner,
where the latest episode covers the disturbing story of David
(13:07):
Brian Pierce, the so called Hollywood producer who turned out
to be a predator. Thanks for listening, thanks for your support,
and we'll see you in the next episode.
On November tenth, twenty twenty four, Yellowstone County deputies in Huntley, Montana,
received a nine to one one call from a family
member who had just found Donald Finch dead in his
motor home on Robson Lane. The caller told dispatchers that
the death looked quote suspicious. When police got there, they
(00:22):
found Donald lying in his trailer with no obvious signs
of injuries. Dean Webb Frost, Donald's granddaughter's boyfriend, was standing nearby.
Deputies questioned Dean and Donald's granddaughter, Samantha Finch, who told
them that Donald had planned to leave and instead probably
died in his sleep. They said that they had been
(00:43):
taking care of him and that he was frail and
fell a lot. Dean told investigators that on the night
in question, he left to buy cigarettes, and because of
that he had no idea what happened. Officers saw that
there was no forced entry, no obvious trauma, and for
the moment, no crime scene beyond an elderly man's body.
(01:05):
They secured the area and began preliminary documentation photographing the
scene and position of Donald's body.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Welcome to love and murder, heartbreak to homicide. We're Kai's
ai co hosts Jessica Jensen and Jane here to bring
you another midweek mini case written by Kai. So sit
back and listen all the way to the end. And
if you like our retelling, don't forget to subscribe. You
can also subscribe for free on our Patreon Patreon dot
(01:35):
com Slash Love and Murder and Don't Forget This podcast
is listener funded. Even as a free subscriber, you won't
miss an episode and you'll get a few extra perks.
But if you want the full experience, you'll want to
sign up for one of our bonus tears. That's where
you'll find bonus cases, intro free episodes, you get to
be the voice of the victim, and more. Patreon dot
(01:57):
com Slash Love and Murder. The last bonus Kai just
dropped was part of our serial Killer Corner series, The
Case of David Brian Pierce. He posed as a Hollywood
producer to lure women into his orbit promising parties, fame
and opportunity, but what they got instead was manipulation, danger,
and for some death. If you want the full story,
(02:21):
join us on Patreon at Patreon dot com Slash Love
and Murder. Now let's get into today's midweek mini case.
Before we begin, I want to say that this case
is still ongoing, so everything said here is alleged.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Donald Finch was a retired eighty year old from Boise, Idaho.
According to family members, he lived alone in Idaho until
he became a victim to a publisher's clearing house scam,
sending money to scammers and losing significant savings. After this,
his concerned relatives suggested that he move closer to family.
(02:57):
In October twenty twenty, four weeks before this incident, he
moved to Huntley, Montana, to live with his granddaughter, thirty
four year old Samantha Marie Finch and her longtime boyfriend
forty one year old Dean web Frost. He decided to
move with his daughter mainly because he thought that she
had a job with a credit union in Billings, so
(03:18):
he felt that he wouldn't have been a financial burden
on her. Donald had bought himself a motor home and
parked it on his granddaughter's property. At first, everything went smoothly,
but this is love and murder, so we know that
something went awry. Donald told family members that Samantha and
Dean were controlling his money. He said, Samantha asked him
(03:39):
to give her access to his bank accounts, and she
even tried to get him declared incompetent. Doing this would
have given her complete control over his remaining assets. He
complained that despite his steady income from his savings, his pension,
and his Social Security benefits, she gave him a very
limited allowance and kept his bank cards. He worried she
(04:01):
had stolen as much as thirty eight thousand dollars. In
late October twenty twenty four, he moved most of his
money from the local bank and removed Samantha's name from
his accounts. He told relatives he planned to go back
to Boise because of his living conditions at the trailer
and his fears about Samantha's financial abuse. The living conditions
(04:23):
that he referred to was because he said that they
kept the motor home unheated and cold, and that he
was being forced to stay in his trailer. Samantha and
Dean denied his accusations and insisted they did nothing wrong.
Even so, the family planned to help Donald move back
to Idaho. Two days after the incident, the Montana State
(04:46):
Crime Laboratory conducted an autopsy the examination revealed subtle but
distinctive indicators consistent with smothering, including facial tissue damage and
specific bruising patterns.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
The upper lip was a sized and routinely processed for
histology sections, showing remarkably good tissue preservation and extensive recent bruising.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Investigators also noted particial hemorrhaging and bruises on his neck.
Doctor Eric Hutchins concluded that had Donald died from homicidal
violence consistent with strangulation or smothering, and the manner of
death was ruled homicide. Now the case turned into a
murder investigation. Family members told detectives about Donald's accusations of
(05:32):
theft and his plans to leave. Police found out that
the day he died, he was supposed to be moving
back to Idaho, and on that same day he told
family that Dean had confronted him about the recently closed
bank accounts. Investigators reviewed Donald's bank accounts and noticed big
withdrawls that lined up with times when Samantha was around.
(05:55):
They also uncovered forged signatures on checks and withdrawal slips,
and that Samantha had taken control of Donald's finances by
forging documents and faking his signature. This all came to
Donald's attention after he'd moved to Montana. Then police found
out that days after Donald's death, Samantha had tried to
(06:15):
prevent the autopsy from happening, even threatening a deputy coroner
with legal action if it was conducted. Y CSO detectives
got a warrant to search Dean's cell phone records. The
text exchanges between Dean and Samantha were damning. In one message,
Dean said.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I killed your efing grandfather. I helped you forge a notary.
I've done more for you than I've ever done for
anybody for free.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Another text said.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I have done everything you asked of me, including what
I did to your grandfather, and it's still not good enough.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Audio recordings caught Samantha's angry response, where she called him
a quote snitch and a quote effing rat, as if
all of this wasn't enough. In Mark wh twenty twenty five,
detectives interviewed one of Dean's relatives, who told them that
he had verbally admitted to smothering Donald to make Samantha happy.
(07:09):
Investigators also found Donald's new will, naming Samantha. As the
sole beneficiary. Even after Donald's death, She'd tried to collect
his money, telling the bank that because she was listed
as the beneficiary and she was supposedly the next of kin,
they should give her the money in his bank. Detectives
learned that Dean had a previous criminal record, and he
(07:30):
had pleaded guilty to theft in Wyoming. During interviews, they
learned that Dean resented the financial restrictions Donald placed on them.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Wait, he hated that Donald put restrictions on his own money.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yes, hard to believe, right. Relatives said Dean barely worked
and saw Donald's money as his means of support. When
Donald cut Samantha's access to his funds and talked about
moving out, Dean threatened him. All of this evidence supported
premeditation and financial miss motive. Investigators believe Donald was killed
(08:03):
sometime late on November ninth or early on November tenth.
They said that on that night, Dean smothered Donald in
his motor home, most likely with his hands or a pillow. Remember,
the autopsy showed no external injuries, but the medical examiner
saw evidence of asphyxiation and particial hemorrhaging consistent with smothering.
(08:26):
So police went to them to ask them about all
of this evidence they'd collected. Both Dean and Samantha denied
any knowledge of Donald's financial issues or the circumstances surrounding
his death. Samantha claimed she had access to his accounts,
but never took money without permission. On June thirtieth, twenty
twenty five, Dean was arrested on an unrelated warrant for
(08:49):
failing to appear in traffic court. Two days later, on
July second, he was charged with deliberate homicide. At his
first court appearance on July third, he pleaded not guilty.
Given the seriousness of the charges and his prior felony record,
Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Tweeto pushed for a high bond.
(09:12):
Judge Bradley Neeland set bail at five hundred thousand dollars
and ordered GPS monitoring if Dean was released. He remains
in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. Then, on August twenty second,
Samantha was hit with her own set of charges, elder exploitation,
elder abuse, fraud, forgery, theft, and solicitation of deliberate homicide.
(09:37):
Investigators said she forged dozens of checks, drained more than
thirty eight thousand dollars from Donald's accounts, and altered his will.
They said that she tried to stop his autopsy by
claiming he had an infectious disease. Samantha was booked into
Yellowstone County Detention Facility, and on August twenty seventh, she
pleaded not guilty to all of her charges. Her attorney
(09:59):
called her quote a gentle soul, but prosecutors argued that
she manipulated Dean and orchestrated her grandfather's murder for money.
Attorney Tweeto requested a high bond for her as well,
explaining that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
This exploitation is beyond the norm as alleged. It's just
a terrible, tragic situation.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Bail was also set at five hundred thousand dollars. As
of this recording dan in September twenty twenty five, Dean
has not yet gone to trial. Prosecutors are expected to
present the autopsy evidence showing Donald died from smothering, the
text messages where Dean admitted to killing him, and testimony
from the relative who said Dean confessed. They will argue
(10:43):
that Dean had motive which was to protect Hiss and
Samantha's access to Donald's money. They will present the means
an opportunity, which will most likely be that Dean was
alone with Donald in the trailer. They will likely portray
Samantha as a co conspirator and argue that Dean killed
Donald at her request. We're guessing that defense attorneys are
going to challenge the reliability of the text messages and confession,
(11:06):
probably arguing they were sent in anger or exaggeration. They
may also claim that Donald's death was an accident or natural,
citing his age and health issues. They will probably push
that fact that there were no eyewitnesses to the killing
and try to introduce doubt about the timeline. Because there
(11:26):
is no physical evidence linking Dean directly to the crime
besides the messages and confession. The defense may argue the
States case relies too heavily on circumstantial evidence and the
testimony of a relative with motives of their own. Samantha's
case is proceeding separately. Her defense will probably claim that
she never asked Dean to kill Donald and that she
(11:49):
did not steal his money. They may argue that any
money she took was for legitimate expenses. If convicted, she
faces decades in prison. The cases are exp afected to
go to trial in late twenty twenty five or early
twenty twenty six. If convicted of deliberate homicide, Dean faces
a minimum of ten years and a maximum of one
(12:11):
hundred years or life in Montana State Prison. Samantha faces
up to life in prison if found guilty. Their eventual
sentences will depend on plea negotiations, trial outcomes, and sentencing hearings.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
That's it for today's Midweek mini. What do you think
of Kai's predictions into how the trials might go? Let
us know your thoughts in the comments below. You can
also let us know your thoughts in the comments or
over in the Patreon community patreon dot com slash Love
and Murder and Remember Love and Murder is completely listener funded.
(12:45):
Your support keeps these stories alive. Head over to patreon
dot com slash Love and Murder to join for free,
or sign up for a bonus tire at three dollars
a month and above that gets you bonus cases, case extras,
add free episodes and exclusive series like serial Killer Corner,
where the latest episode covers the disturbing story of David
(13:07):
Brian Pierce, the so called Hollywood producer who turned out
to be a predator. Thanks for listening, thanks for your support,
and we'll see you in the next episode.
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