The murder of Angela Samota in 1984 will be the subject of the next episode of Murdered by Morning, which will show on Saturday, July 16, 2022. The episode, titled Game Over, would detail Angela’s unexpected and brutal murder at the hands of a serial r*pist one fateful night. Angela Samota was a 20-year-old student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, majoring in computer science and electrical engineering. In October 1984, Samota attended a state fair with her pals one evening. Later that night, when she went home, a stranger raped and killed her, leaving her bloodied corpse for her partner to find.
You need to know five facts regarding the Angela Samota murder case before watching the program.
Angela Samota is remembered by her friends and family as a lovely and honest young woman. It is unfortunate that an innocent person like her died in such a horrible manner. Here are five basic facts concerning Samota’s murder prior to the airing of the Murdered by Morning episode.
Angela Samota is remembered by her friends and family as a lovely and honest young woman. It is unfortunate that an innocent person like her died in such a horrible manner. Here are five basic facts concerning Samota’s murder prior to the airing of the Murdered by Morning episode.
1) The lover of Samota was a suspect in her murder.
Ben McCall, Angela’s lover, was one of the leading suspects in her murder. According to reports, he was the last person she spoke with before becoming quiet. Ben contacted the police after discovering her brutally slain dead at her off-campus house. Her chest had sustained 18 stab wounds. During Angela’s autopsy, however, medical authorities determined that her assailant was not a secret agent. This eliminated Ben from the suspect list.
2) The murder of Angela Samota inspired her closest friend to become a private investigator.
Sheila Wysocki was Angela’s closest college friend, and it was she that prompted officials to reexamine the case 20 years later. She conducted research and printed out paperwork detailing all rape incidences and those convicted at the time. Unfortunately, cops refused to comply. Therefore, she decided to become her own private investigator. She gained knowledge of Tennessee statutes as well as cyberbullying and copyright regulations. She even took a test to become a private detective. However, despite her investigator’s license, the police declined to work with her on the murder of Angela, which had become a cold case by that time.
3) In 2008, Sheila compelled the police to reopen Angela’s case.
The Dallas Homicide Division revived the Angela Samota investigation and gave it to a female investigator who was eager to work with Sheila in response to Sheila’s persistent prodding. DNA evidence from Angela’s crime site was only then discovered. Sheila had previously been informed that the evidence had been lost in a flood, so the fresh information stunned her. The DNA evidence found a match that may lead to the identity of Angela’s murderer.
4) The DNA match was with a serial sexual offender.
A match was discovered when Angela’s case was reopened and the DNA evidence was compared to existing criminal records. Donald Andrew Bess Jr.’s DNA data matched those of the killer. Donald was on parole while serving a 25-year term for s*xual assault and abduction at the time of Angela’s murder. In 2008, when the match was discovered, Donald Bess was serving a life term for an unrelated assault conviction.
Angela Samota was murdered in 1984. No one was convicted of her murder until 2010. This conviction wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless effort of her best friend. I’ll be uploading a YouTube video on this case later today 💜 #truecrime #truecrimeyoutube #angelasamota pic.twitter.com/JTAsE20oCd
— Dana Grace (@dananagrace3) June 29, 2020
5) Angela’s killer, Donald Bess, was sentenced to death.
It was discovered that Bess was a serial r*pist who served many jail sentences for assaulting multiple women. During his trial for Angela’s murder, other women, including his ex-wife, testified against him. The jury found him guilty based on the overwhelming evidence against him, and they condemned him to death. Bess submitted a number of appeals based on his poor health, drunkenness, and tragic background, but all were denied. He remains on execution row at Texas’s Hospital Galveston Unit. No date of execution has been established.
