In the winter of 1998, in the quiet area of Three Points, Arizona, the lives of 22-year-old Farrah RaeDawn Armstrong and her fiancé, Frank Williams, were brought to a violent and tragic end. The person responsible for this heinous act was Farrah's own brother, Shad Daniel Armstrong, who worked with his friend, David Doogan, to carry out the killings on February 19, 1998.
The roots of this tragedy trace back to a burglary in Texas in 1996, an act committed by Farrah, her brother Shad, and another individual. By early 1998, the relationship between the siblings had soured, and Farrah was considering confessing her role in the burglary to the authorities.
Fearful of the legal repercussions he would face if his sister went to the police, Shad Armstrong decided to silence her permanently. He and his friend David Doogan began to plot the murders of both Farrah and her fiancé. In preparation, they dug a grave on Doogan's property in early February. On the evening of February 19th, Shad lured Farrah and Frank to Doogan's home with the false promise of settling a financial issue. Once they were inside, Shad retrieved a shotgun and shot Frank in the midsection. As Farrah reacted in horror, she too was shot, first in the midsection and then in the head. Shad then delivered a final, fatal shot to Frank's head.
Following the brutal murders, Shad and Doogan disposed of the bodies in the grave they had prepared earlier. They also robbed the deceased, taking money and jewelry from Farrah. For nearly a year, Shad Armstrong remained a fugitive, but his run from the law came to an end with his arrest in January 1999. He faced two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. His trial, which began on January 24, 2000, and spanned 33 days, concluded with a jury finding him guilty on all charges. The court identified aggravating factors, including the financial gain from the crime and the fact that there were multiple victims. Consequently, Shad Armstrong was sentenced to death for each murder and received an additional sentence of 25 years to life for the conspiracy charge. His accomplice, David Doogan, who cooperated with the investigation, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his part in the crimes.
