In the small town of Orofino, Idaho, the life of a young, 23-year-old Caucasian woman named Samantha Shea Fignani was tragically cut short on the evening of May 22, 2017. That night, police and emergency services were called to a residence on Laqa Avenue around 7:23 p.m. following reports of gunshots. Upon arrival, they discovered Samantha with a gunshot wound.
She was rushed to a local hospital, but her injuries proved fatal, and she was pronounced dead.
The investigation into her death quickly pointed to a suspect, leading to the arrest of 31-year-old Jessica L. Colpitts just two days later. The motive behind the violent act was revealed to be a love triangle. Shortly before the shooting, Colpitts had been in a phone conversation with her boyfriend, Joseph Walker, who was incarcerated on drug charges. During this call, he admitted to being in a new relationship with Fignani. Fueled by jealousy, Colpitts enlisted the help of a friend, Cassie Madsen, who drove her to Fignani's home.
According to trial testimony, Madsen stated that she drove Colpitts to the residence where Colpitts then approached the front door. When Samantha Fignani opened it, Colpitts shot her in the abdomen with a shotgun. Madsen then drove Colpitts away from the scene. The investigation that followed was extensive, involving multiple search warrants. At one point, authorities received a tip that the murder weapon may have been discarded in a nearby pond, prompting the Orofino Police to bring in an FBI underwater evidence recovery team to search for it.
In April 2019, a jury found Jessica Colpitts guilty of first-degree murder. Evidence presented against her included the testimony of Cassie Madsen and recorded jailhouse phone calls between Colpitts and her boyfriend. DNA evidence recovered from clothing matching what Colpitts was seen wearing on the day of the murder also linked her to the crime. Colpitts was sentenced for the murder, and her subsequent appeal of the conviction was denied.
