Samantha Rabon: SC woman sentenced to life in prison after killing father and half-brother for inheritance

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA: A 39-year-old woman from South Carolina has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering her father and half-brother.

She committed the crime in an attempt to inherit assets and money valued at over $1 million as per Law&Crime.

Samantha Ford Roban, the main perpetrator, along with her accomplice, 56-year-old Randy Dean Grainger, was also sentenced to two consecutive life terms in a state correctional facility.

What happened in courtroom?

This week, Judge Benjamin Culbertson from the Fifteenth Circuit Court ordered Samantha Ford Rabon to spend two life terms in prison without the chance of getting out, and an extra 30 years. 

These sentences will happen one after the other for killing 59-year-old Robert Marion Ford Jr and his son, 25-year-old Robbie Stetson Ford in 2018.

Before she was officially sentenced, a jury found Rabon guilty of two murders, planning two murders, and asking someone to carry out two murders. For each murder, she got a life sentence. 

She got 10 years for each request to commit murder and 5 years for planning to commit murder.

Randy Dean Grainger, her partner in the crime, was found guilty last year of two murders, planning two murders, setting fire to a building, and having a weapon during a violent crime. He also got two life sentences in jail.

Solicitor’s office explained the crime scene

A news release from the solicitor’s office explained that Horry County Police Department officers were called on August 18, 2018, about a burned vehicle in a field in Conway, South Carolina. 

They found out the car belonged to the older Ford and went to his home. 

First responders found the older Ford and his son in the backyard. They seemed to have been shot and were declared dead at the scene. 

The older Ford was shot twice in the head at close range, while his son was shot once in the side and once in the back of the head. 

Police said it took a long time to investigate the case, but they eventually found leads using forensic genetic genealogy.

DNA from cigarette butts and a skull cap near the car led them to Randy Grainger. 

This connected Grainger to Teresa Ann Martin, a cousin of Rabon.

Martin told police that Rabon asked her to bring Grainger to her and asked if he would kill her father and half brother so she could inherit all her father’s money. 

Martin agreed to help prosecutors and testified against Grainger and Rabon in court.

Financial institution witnesses testified about the money Rabon inherited after the murders, totaling over $1 million. 

Prosecutors also showed evidence from Rabon's online searches, including one for “can you clean up a double homicide in four hours.” 

Rabon's defense attorney argued that Rabon’s mother was the one who planned to have the two men killed.