3 key details about the case
First responders found military veteran and father-of-three Kenneth Samard shot to death in his home in Albany, Oregon, upon responding to a 911 call made by his wife, Roberta. She claimed to have accidentally shot the 57-year-old while attempting to commit suicide.
Later discoveries made by a medical examiner contradicted the accidental shooting claim made by Roberta. Authorities then used this information to build a case against her, alleging that a financial situation may have motivated her to murder her husband. She was later convicted of Kenneth's murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
An all-new episode of American Monster on ID will look into Kenneth Samard's puzzling shooting death this Sunday. The episode, titled He Wasn't Supposed to Be Here, airs on the channel at 9 pm ET on July 9, 2023.
Here's the official synopsis of the upcoming episode:
"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."Kenneth Samard's murder: Three key details about the military veteran's shooting death at the hand of his wife
1) Kenneth Samard died of one fatal gunshot wound to the neck
Kenneth, 57, was found dead of a single gunshot wound to the neck on the deck of his Albany home sometime around 6:10 am on November 16, 2015. His wife, Roberta, told authorities that she was depressed and had been having suicidal thoughts that morning.
Right after Kenneth left for work at 6 am, she was walking around with the gun in her hand, trying to muster up the courage to shoot herself. That's when he returned, and she accidentally shot him instead of killing herself.
2) The gunshot wound contradicted Roberta's accidental shooting claims
According to a medical examiner, a detailed examination of Kenneth Samard's fatal gunshot wound proved that it was a contact wound, which only could have been possible if the gun muzzle had been pressed to his skin before it was fired. Roberta Samard initially claimed that Kenneth stepped back when he saw the gun in her hand. However, authorities claimed that the contact wound made little sense if he was stepping away from her.
It was further revealed that the wound's trajectory was horizontal instead of vertical, given that it should have been the latter in case of an accident, which further contradicted Roberta's claims. Authorities also alleged that the trigger was too firm to go off automatically and believed that there was a possibility the gun was fired during a struggle between the two. However, Roberta never mentioned a struggle in her statements.
3) Prosectors were able to charge the suspect with murder after proving intent
During the murder investigation, authorities found incriminating notes written by Kenneth Samard in his study. Here, he claimed that his wife of 15 years, Roberta, exercised complete control over him and the household's finances. But there were financial inconsistencies, and their house had been sold due to mortgage foreclosure. In fact, they were expected to move out of the house on the same day the shooting occurred.
Authorities believed Roberta either wanted to conceal these inconsistencies from Kenneth or he knew about it and was giving her a hard time for blowing things up. Therefore, she had to take him out of her way. This proved to be a solid murder motive and was used to bring her to justice in court.
Prosecutors initially charged her with manslaughter before changing it to murder. She was found guilty in April 2017, although her defense tried to portray her as a depressed individual who tried to take her life but ended up killing her military veteran husband instead. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ID's American Monster will further delve into Kenneth Samard's shooting death this Sunday at 9 pm ET.
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