Scott Sessions and Heather Frank: How Did They Die? Who Killed Them?

In early 2020, the sudden disappearance of a popular trumpet player named Scott Sessions and the discovery of his remains caught the entire community by surprise. This tragedy was followed by Heather Frank’s death. As the investigators found connections between the two murders, they zeroed in on the killer. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Last Weekend’ explores both the killings and the complicated investigation that ensued. The documentary also features exclusive and insightful interviews with the loved ones of Scott and Heather, providing us with more intricate details.

Scott Sessions’ Life Revolved Around Music

Stanley Sessions was a beloved member of the community of Greeley in Weld County, Colorado, and was particularly revered for his soulful trumpet playing in the local music scene. Born on March 25, 1966, in Ogden, Utah, the gifted musician emerged from humble beginnings and worked tirelessly for years before he could transform his passion into a career. Stan and Linda Sessions adopted him as an infant and showered him with all their love and care. Lovingly referred to as Scott, he was raised in a supportive household that added another member — a brother, Steve — in the later years. Scott obtained his early education from Greeley West High School. He knew pretty early on that music was his true calling, so to follow that, he pursued a music degree from Brigham Young University.

While at the university, Scott’s skills gained him a spot in the BYU premier Jazz Band Synthesis, with whom he showcased his talents in several spots across the US as well as Europe. Following his graduation, he realized music is his one true love and that he would dedicate his life to it. He was a bright and warmhearted individual who always extended a helping hand to those in need. His leadership abilities earned him a Boy Scouts honor — the Eagle Scout award. His kind and generous nature was also reflected when the devout Christian served the community for two years at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brisbane, Australia.

At 25, Scott embarked on a mission to discover his biological origins. His search eventually led him to learn about his half-sister, Allison Weldon, a resident of Kansas. As years passed, he worked hard and eventually became a talented musician in his own right. As an additional professional avenue, the longtime Greeley resident also ran a painting business. At 50, Scott had made huge strides in his musical career. He was a regular at local groups across Colorado and would enthrall the audience with his performance with popular bands such as The Movers & Shakers and George Gray and the Elvis Experience Band. In fact, he had recently traveled to Memphis with the former to participate in an international blues festival competition.

Scott Sessions’ Remains Were Found a Few Days After His Disappearance

When Scott wasn’t mesmerizing people with his trumpet playing, he enjoyed spending time in nature, hiking with his furry pal — a Springer Spaniel named Molly. He was also a doting parent to an adorable cat named Munchkin. He had not gotten married and had no kids of his own, but he had no regrets, for he was devoted to his love for music and the company of his close ones. Scott’s jovial and affable personality earned him many friends. He always took time out of his busy schedule to spend quality time with his friends and family. On the personal front, he had recently gotten out of a relationship, but was open to exploring the dating pool. Fate intervened, and his paths crossed with a cheerful server named Heather Frank at Doug’s Diner in Loveland, Colorado, where he turned up for one of his late-night gigs with a band sometime in 2020.

Sparks flew between Scott and Heather, and the more time they spent together, the more it seemed they were meant to be. While Scott was seemingly looking forward to a future with Heather, a tragedy struck. On February 10, 2020, the 53-year-old was supposed to meet his bandmates at a local bar for a music gig. When he didn’t turn up and they couldn’t reach him, they alerted his father, Stanley, who filed a missing persons report with the authorities the following day. With each passing hour, his friends and family grew concerned for his safety. Their nightmares turned true on February 11 when they learnt that a snowplow driver discovered his remains a few miles away from Scott’s residence, on Poudre Canyon. He was found burned and wrapped up in plastic, with a knife wound on his neck. It was later learned that the perpetrator slit his throat and killed him on February 8, 2020.

Heather Frank’s Remains Were Found in a Similar State to Those of Scott Sessions

Known for her bubbly and friendly nature, Heather Christina Frank was the beloved daughter of Robert Howard and Mary Kathryn Frank. Born on December 8, 1971, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, she was raised in the company of her siblings, Tania and Jason Frank. Spending her formative years in Waterloo and Lake Mills, she graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1990. She started her professional career by working as a waitress, but soon relocated to Loveland, Colorado, and then Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2008, she settled in Greeley, Colorado, where she worked at Academy Bank for about six years before becoming a waitress again.

Later, Heather became a manager at Doug’s Day Diner in Loveland. In between, she got married and gave birth to three sons — Alexander McLaughlin and twins Christian McLaughlin and Blake McLaughlin. However, as her marriage deteriorated, she parted ways with her husband for good. Besides being a doting mother, she also enjoyed cooking, sewing, and doing craftwork. Not long after she casually started seeing Scott Sessions, with whom she connected over a shared love for music, they both met their untimely demise. About a week after Scott’s death, the authorities found her remains on a Weld County farm, under some lumber, on February 16, 2020. Similar to Scott, she was also found wrapped in plastic. The autopsy reports determined that she died of gunshot wounds.

Two Unlikely Suspects Emerged During Scott Sessions’s Murder Investigation

During the investigation of Scott Sessions’ sudden demise, the police initially interviewed his father, Stan Sessions, who revealed that he had talked to his son over the phone on February 8, 2020. Stan told the investigators that Scott claimed to be visiting a friend in Fort Collins. Contrarily, his phone records placed him in Greeley, somewhere near a King Soopers grocery store, on the fateful night. When the detectives looked at the video footage of the area near the grocery store, they saw a mysterious man parking the victim’s car in the King Soopers’ parking lot after he had reportedly died. Upon digging deeper into Scott’s life, they learned about his alleged volatile relationship with a woman named Loretta.

During their relationship, he reportedly threw a coffee mug at her, for which he was charged with domestic violence on July 15, 2018. Although they had broken up after that, they remained friends and stayed in touch. Given her history with him and the fact that she resided near the grocery store where his car was found, she was considered a possible suspect but was later eliminated due to lack of evidence. Upon learning about Scott’s budding romance with Heather Frank, they identified her as a suspect who also resided near the grocery store. She had reportedly recently broken up with her boyfriend, Kevin Eastman, who was also considered a suspect.

Someone From Heather Frank’s Past Was Responsible For the Murders

In order to be sure of their suspicions about them, the investigators installed hidden cameras across the street from Heather’s house and placed GPS trackers on both of their cars. Meanwhile, as they dived deeper into the couple’s history, the history of their alleged domestic abuse surfaced. In 2015, Heather reported an assault charge against Kevin, who pleaded guilty and received a two-year supervised domestic violence probation, $106 in fines, and a one-year jail sentence. Four years later, Heather claimed that he punched her in the ribs thrice and requested the authorities to take action against him. However, he was not arrested for the allegations. While watching over the suspicious couple, the investigators noticed them leaving Heather’s apartment in Kevin’s car on the evening of February 15.

According to the GPS tracker, the couple drove down to a farm in Weld County. Throughout the night, the car reportedly made multiple stops in different parts of the countryside. As the investigators drove down to the farm, they found Kevin burning a mysterious pile. Afraid that he was going to destroy evidence against himself, the authorities arrested him at a gas station and brought him in for questioning. During the interrogation, the suspect maintained his innocence in the murder of Scott Sessions and denied his knowledge of Heather’s whereabouts. As soon as her remains were found, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with Scott and Heather’s deaths.

According to the investigators, on the evening of February 8, 2020, Scott and Heather had plans to meet at her house, but the former was ambushed by Kevin Eastman, who had posed as Heather and lured him into the murderous trap. After allegedly forcing her to help her dispose of the body, he turned on his ex-girlfriend and killed her too. As he pleaded not guilty, the case went to trial in June 2022. In his defense, Kevin claimed that Heather had killed Scott while the farm owner was responsible for her murder. Despite his claims of innocence, on July 20, 2022, the jury found him guilty of the charges against him. Ultimately, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in addition to 27 years for his crimes.