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Kenneth Samard, a military veteran and married father-of-three, died of a fatal gunshot wound to the neck on the morning of November 16, 2015. The incident was reported to authorities by his wife, Roberta Samard, who claimed she accidentally shot him while attempting suicide. Medical examiners later claimed that the victim's wound did not appear to be accidental.
More incriminating evidence surfaced in the form of notes written by Kenneth in which he alleged that Roberta controlled the household's finances. This led authorities to believe that she murdered him to hide the financial inconsistencies after they learned that their house had been sold due to mortgage foreclosure.
In April 2017, Roberta was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ID's American Monster is scheduled to further delve into Kenneth Samard's shooting death in an episode titled He Wasn't Supposed to Be Here. The official synopsis of the episode reads:
"After three divorces between them, Roberta and Ken Samard seem to have finally found a lasting marriage; 15 years on, they appear to be living their dream life in Oregon, until an early morning call to 911 exposes the ugly truth."
The upcoming episode will air on the channel this Sunday, July 9, at 9 pm ET.
A detailed examination of Kenneth Samard's bullet wound contradicted his wife's claims that the shooting was accidental
Roberta, Kenneth Samard's wife of 15 years, reportedly made a 911 sometime around 6:10 am on November 16, 2015, claiming that she accidentally shot him. She alleged that Kenenth had left for work at 6 am and that she took out the gun. Feeling depressed, she walked around holding the weapon in her hand.
Kenneth returned home shortly and saw her with the gun, as per Roberta's claims. She had been trying to muster up the courage to shoot herself but ended up shooting her 57-year-old husband instead as she hastily attempted to take her own life upon seeing him.
A medical examiner claimed that Kenneth, who was shot in the neck, had a contact wound that meant that the gun muzzle was pressed to his skin before the trigger was pulled. The coroner added that the wound contradicted Roberta's claims of the shooting being accidental because the bullet would have had a vertical trajectory instead of a horizontal one in case of an accident.
Authorities theorized that it was nearly impossible for the weapon's firm trigger to go off accidentally. They further alleged that Kenneth was likely shot during a struggle with Roberta over the gun - a critical piece of information she failed to mention in any of her statements.
Further investigation revealed notes written by the victim, in which he claimed that Roberta had taken control of his and the household's finances. Surprisingly, their house had already been sold due to mortgage foreclosure, so the couple was due to move out the same day the shooting occurred.
Sixty-two-year-old Roberta was arrested on manslaughter charges after authorities used the financial angle as a murder motive, alleging that she killed Kenneth Samard after he found out about the financial inconsistencies. Prosecutors soon changed the manslaughter charge to a murder charge. In April 2017, Roberta was found guilty of Kenneth's murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Learn more about Kenneth Samard's case on ID's American Monster this Sunday at 9 pm ET.
