Naman Shrestha
When Samuel Boob met his untimely and sudden demise in August 2009, the entire community of Tusseyville, Pennsylvania, was shaken to its core, while grief took over his loved ones. The detectives followed a trail of evidence that uncovered a twisted murder-for-hire plot, leading them to the perpetrator/s. The episode titled ‘Some Like it Dead’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fatal Vows’ chronicles the homicide case and the investigation that ensued with the help of interviews with Samuel’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Samuel Boob Was Found Dead in His Driveway
Born on December 13, 1979, in Coburn, Pennsylvania, Samuel Sherman “Sammy” Boob was the beloved son of Sam and Eva Boob. Raised in a seemingly loving and supportive household, Samuel shared a special bond with his parents and his sister, Christy Cort. Described as a kind and compassionate person, he had the ability to light up even the dullest of rooms with his mere presence. He had plenty of hobbies he was passionate about, including hunting, nature walking, fishing, driving around the valleys, and spending quality time with his loved ones. Around 2003, he tied the knot with a woman named Mirinda Sue Heintzelman Boob, with whom he raised four children — Emily, Chloe, Hunter, and Landon.
Chloe and Emily were seemingly his children from his previous relationships. Samuel was a family man who doted on his children whenever he got the chance. Unfortunately, an unforeseen tragedy struck the family when the 29-year-old man was ambushed and killed at his home in Tusseyville, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 2009. Panic-stricken, his wife called the authorities to report the incident. As the authorities rushed to the crime scene, they found him dead in the driveway of the property. The autopsy revealed that he had died of gunshot wounds. The detectives inspected the scene and collected evidence and clues to get to the bottom of the case.
Someone Close to Samuel Boob Orchestrated His Murder With the Help of an Accomplice
As part of the investigation, the detectives interviewed Samuel Boob’s wife, Mirinda Boob, who had called the authorities. She claimed that she found her bleeding husband in the driveway after the shooting and had no clue who the shooter was. Not convinced by her account, the investigators decided to delve deeper into Mirinda’s life. Not long after, they learned that she had reportedly gotten into a couple of extra-marital affairs in 2008 and 2009. She had allegedly asked both men to get rid of her husband, Samuel, for her. They also learned that just a few weeks prior to the murder, she had met with a man named Ronald Heichel at Snappy’s in Centre Hall.
After the two got into an affair, they began conspiring to kill Samuel. On the fateful day of August 23, 2009, Mirinda lured her husband out to their residence’s garage, where Ronald was hiding. Ronald then ambushed the husband and shot him with a shotgun that Samuel owned twice at close range before fleeing the scene in a truck with one of his colleagues. Upon reviewing the cell phone records of Mirinda, the detectives found compromising text messages between her and her lover, talking about their plot to kill Samuel in the garage. Armed with enough evidence against them, the authorities arrested both Mirinda and Ronald for the murder.
Mirinda and Ronald Are Currently Incarcerated at Separate Pennsylvania Prisons
On March 16, 2011, the trial of Mirinda Boob and Ronald Hiechel got underway. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Mirinda had been looking for ways to get out of her marriage and reached out to multiple men to kill Samuel Boob. The prosecutor stated, “She grew up spoiled, got what she wanted. Mirinda Boob just wanted a different life. One positive thing about Mirinda Boob: she’s not a quitter because she kept trying to find a man who would help her kill her husband.” It was alleged that she wanted to start her life over, funded by the money from her husband’s life insurance policy.
The two men whom Mirinda dated before Ronald also testified against her and alleged that she had asked them to get rid of her husband. While Ronald argued that Mirinda had killed her husband herself or had hired someone else, Mirinda claimed that Ronald was the shooter and that she had no idea about his murderous plan. After about a week of testimony, on March 22, 2011, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching a final verdict. In the end, both Mirinda and Ronald were convicted of all four charges against them — first-and third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
Consequently, they were sentenced to life in prison for the murder conviction and an additional 20 to 40 years for the conspiracy conviction. In the following years, both killers tried to get their convictions overturned through multiple appeals. However, their motions were rejected by the Court of Appeals each time. As of today, 43-year-old Mirinda Sue Heintzelman Boob is serving her sentence at SCI Muncy in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, while 46-year-old Ronald Lee Heichel is incarcerated at SCI Mahanoy in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
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