Woman killed her stepmother then bragged about it in sick Snapchat video

Evil Samantha Bevans put a pillow over the face of the woman who had tried to help her

- GAIL SHORTLAND

Having been given yet another chance, estranged daughter Samantha Bevans moved back in with her dad and stepmother, at their home in Palo, Iowa.

Bevans battled with addiction and had custody issues with her children. She'd been banned from living at the family home, but her dad Mike and stepmum Jodie wanted to help so, in January 2022, they let her return.

Jodie, 58, was a nurse, who was known for her compassion and love of family. She had four children of her own and had embraced Mike's too. Then when Bevans couldn't look after her two young children, Jodie adopted them and raised them as her own. Jodie was described as "forgiving" and having a "naturally calming presence".

Bevans had been dating her boyfriend Tacoa Talley for years, and Mike and Jodie knew they were a bad influence on each other. They believe Talley was encouraging Bevans' addictions, and things started going missing around the house. The couple asked Bevans not to bring Talley home - but she sneaked him in, and they found out. So, once again, Bevans was told to move out.

Jodie and Mike were taking a family camping trip in July 2022, but because of work commitments, Jodie had agreed to join the others a day later on 15 July. But she never appeared.

After concerns were raised, the police went to the house and found Jodie dead. She had died from asphyxiation, as well as suffering blunt force trauma injuries to her face and haemorrhaging to her neck.

Detectives said Jodie had been attacked in her bed, while she slept, so she could not "put up a fight". But who would want to kill her? Investigators determined that the killer knew Jodie would be home alone.

Then they were alerted to a disturbing Snapchat video. In it, Bevans and Talley announced, "We killed her." It had been posted on Bevans' Snapchat account at 9.14am on 16 July.

SMILING KILLER