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Amber Hess was murdered in June 2007 before she realized her plans to attend Mesa Community College. The 17-year-old Queen Creek, Arizona, resident went missing from her home while her parents were out of town on a weekend trip, who found a bloody crime scene at home upon returning. Three days later, Hess' charred body was found in the desert.
While questions concerning the teen's mysterious date circulated around town, investigators connected two of Hess' friends, Todd Hoke and Nicolas Castillo, to the gruesome killing after following a trail of critical evidence. One of the suspects eventually confessed, spilling chilling details from the night the 17-year-old was murdered.
On Friday, ID's Grave Mysteries will take a look at Amber Hess' 2007 murder by her friends in an episode titled Ultimate Betrayal at 7.00 pm ET on March 17. Its official synopsis reads as:
"A couple returns home from a trip to find blood everywhere, signs of struggle and their teenage daughter missing; police stumble across her charred remains in the desert; digital clues soon lead police to a shocking secret and a deadly betrayal."
Amber Hess' murder: Five quick facts to know about the killing of the Queen Creek teenager
1) Hess' parents found a brutal crime scene at their Queen Creek home upon returning
While her parents, Mike and Candy Hess, were away on a weekend trip to Mexico in June 2007, Amber Hess, 17, was viciously attacked inside her house. According to reports, when the couple returned home on June 24, they found that the front door was open, and their daughter and her car were missing. Inside, they found dried up blood in the kitchen and other signs of struggle throughout the house.
2) Authorities believed someone had tried to clean up the crime scene
When Amber Hess' parents called 911, authorities arrived at the scene and found a garden hose coming out of the house, believing that whoever attacked the 17-year-old also tried to clean up the crime scene. Moreover, there were multiple other signs of struggle. Reports state that the door to Hess' room was taken off its hinges and that her bedding was also missing along with a gun from the house.
3) The young victim's badly burned body along with other evidence was found in the desert
A burnt body was discovered in the desert three days after authorities began investigating Hess' disappearance. The body was wrapped in bedding, and along with it were a few photos found with the name "Amber" inscribed on the back. Moreover, there were tire tracks that resembled that of the victim's car tires along with two sets of shoe prints from Vans and All-Star Converse shoes.
Dental records were used to confirm if the body was of Amber Hess. An autopsy was also conducted, which proved that she was stabbed to death before her body was set on fire. Authorities later found her car and sent blood evidence, including a bloody handprint, found in the vehicle for DNA testing.
4) Two of Amber Hess' friends were arrested and charged with murder
In June 2007, Todd Hoke and Nicolas Castillo, Hess' teenager friends, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death mere days after the incident occurred. Both the 16-year-old boys said specific things that detectives used in addition to digital and DNA evidence to link them to the murder of Hess.
Multiple calls were made from the victim's phone after she was killed, and phone records traced them back to Todd Hoke's sister, who subsequently admitted that her brother had called from a blocked number. She also revealed that he was searching the house for cleaning supplies. Moreover, both Hoke's and Castillo's fingerprints were found inside Hess' car.
5) Todd Hoke and Nicolas Castillo pleaded guilty to Amber Hess' murder
Since Hoke and Castillo were each other's alibis at the time, authorities interrogated both and tricked the latter into confessing, telling him that Hoke tried to pin the murder on him. He then confessed, admitting his involvement and claiming that his friend had been planning the murder for a while and wanted to execute it while the victim's parents were out of town.
Both pleaded guilty to the murder -- Hoke pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison while Castillo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a 24-year prison sentence. Reports state that Hoke committed suicide in 2013 while in prison.
