URBANDALE, Iowa — An Urbandale man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 murder of his wife, according to the Polk County Attorney's Office.
Police charged Dustin Sample just days after his wife, 29-year-old Mary Sample, was found at her home on 90th Street with a traumatic head injury. She died on the scene, and officers identified Dustin as the suspect soon after.
The criminal complaint against Dustin says he "willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation (killed) Mary Sample".
The prosecution argued that the couple's relationship showed signs of violence from the beginning, with threats escalating in the weeks leading up to her her death.
He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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