On a hot August day in Conway, South Carolina, the lives of a father and son were brought to a brutal and calculated end. Robbie Stetson Ford, a 25-year-old male, and his father, Robert Marion Ford Jr., 59, were ambushed and shot to death in the yard of their home on August 17, 2018. The initial scene offered few clues to the Horry County Police Department, leaving a community in shock and a case that would remain cold for two years.
The first break in the investigation came from the
discovery of the victims' partially burned Ford Escape in a field miles away. Crime scene investigators processed the vehicle and the surrounding area, finding crucial pieces of evidence: three cigarette butts and a partially burned skull cap. DNA profiles were developed from these items, but with no immediate match in the system, the case stalled. For two years, the question of who killed the Fords and why remained unanswered.
The relentless work of investigators, however, eventually paid off. Utilizing advancements in forensic genetic genealogy, the Horry County Police Department partnered with Othram, a private lab, to re-examine the DNA evidence. This collaboration led them to a suspect: Randy Dean Grainger of Loris, South Carolina. His arrest in August 2020 unraveled a sinister murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by a member of the victims' own family.
The mastermind behind the killings was revealed to be Samantha Ford Rabon, Robert's daughter and Robbie's half-sister. Prosecutors argued that Rabon's motive was pure greed; she stood to inherit over a million dollars from her father's estate and wanted to eliminate her brother, who was the primary beneficiary. Rabon had solicited the help of her cousin, Teresa Ann Martin, who acted as a go-between and connected her with Grainger. Martin testified that Rabon offered Grainger $20,000 to carry out the murders.
In a series of trials, the full story of the conspiracy emerged. Teresa Martin pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and agreed to testify against her co-conspirators. Her testimony, along with Grainger's, detailed the plan. Martin drove Grainger to the Ford home on the day of the murders and picked him up after he had killed the father and son and attempted to burn their vehicle.
In April 2023, Randy Dean Grainger was convicted of two counts of murder, criminal conspiracy, arson, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. Samantha Ford Rabon's trial followed, and despite her defense team's attempt to blame her mother, a jury found her guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and two counts of solicitation to commit murder. In February 2024, she was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 30 years, with no possibility of parole.
