When our reporter Frannie Block first began looking into the life and death of Samantha Woll, it started as a story about one remarkable woman: her faith, her community, and the senseless act of violence that took her from both.
And for a year Frannie has explored the shocking twists in the investigation and trial for Sam’s murder. Through dozens of interviews, hours of trial footage, and Freedom of Information Act requests, Frannie worked to uncover the truth. Could Sam’s murder be a hate crime? Have the police got the right man? Have they investigated all the suspects?
Then, just before the release of this series, I discovered something unexpected: a personal thread that connected me to Sam. In 1993, Sam and I were both at Camp Ramah in Canada, two Jewish kids soaking in the same songs, the same prayers, the same summer air. And later, her sister, Monica, stayed with my family in Pittsburgh for a youth group weekend—a memory I hadn’t thought about in years. It made the story of Sam’s life, and her loss, feel achingly close.
