URBANDALE – A violent Iowa man is guilty of first-degree murder in the beating death of his wife.
A Polk County jury convicted Dustin Lee Sample (pictured above in jail photo), age 38, previously of Urbandale, of first-degree murder Wednesday in the beating death of his wife, Mary. Mary Sample’s body was found in their home in Urbandale on Dec. 12, 2020, with traumatic head trauma. The prosecution presented evidence of the injuries she sustained, the findings of the medical examiner, and digital evidence that contradicted the statements Defendant made to law enforcement. Murder in the First Degree carries a sentence of mandatory life in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Meggan Guns and Thomas Tolbert, with legal assistance from Lindsay Scott. The investigation was led by Special Agents Mark Ludwick and Special Agent in Charge Adam DeCamp of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and Detective Andy Morlan of the Urbandale Police Department.
