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A respected Howland, Ohio, resident, Robert Fingerhut was a proud owner of two bus stations until December 2001, when he was found shot to death at the home he shared with his divorced wife, Donna Roberts.
The incident initially seemed like a botched robbery until authorities took a closer look at Roberts' life and found a complicated love triangle involving a convicted felon. Reports stated that Fingerhut's life insurance policies worth thousands of dollars served as the perfect motive for murder.
An upcoming episode of Calls From the Inside on ID will revisit the case this Tuesday. The episode, titled Death by Prima Donna, airs on the channel at 9 pm ET on March 7, 2023.
The synopsis states:
"In December 2001, the brutal murder of Robert Fingerhut, the respected owner of two bus stations, spurs an investigation that reveals a sordid relationship of lust, lies and murder; jail calls hold the killer's secrets."
Robert Fingerhut was shot multiple times at his Howland home and died of a gunshot wound to the head
In December 2001, Robert Fingerhut was found shot to death in the kitchen of the Howland home he shared with Donna Roberts, his divorced wife, who was the first to find the scene.
The couple met in 1980 and married shortly after, but their marriage was brief. They remained together regardless and were allegedly in an open relationship at the time of the incident.
Roberts made a 911 call to the Trumbull County authorities right after midnight on December 12. She was hysterical during the call and told authorities that something was wrong with her husband.
As mentioned above, first responders found Robert Fingerhut's body in the kitchen near the garage door upon arrival. An autopsy later confirmed that the victim was shot several times in the head, chest, and back. He also suffered lacerations and abrasions on his left hand and head. The cause of death was officially determined to be a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
In the hours after the incident, authorities noticed Roberts' strange demeanor and considered it suspicious. They subsequently found out about her relationship with a man named Nathaniel "Nate" Jackson.
Evidence implicated Robert Fingerhut's divorced wife Donna Roberts and her then-boyfriend Nate Jackson
![Nate Jack [to the left] and Donna Roberts [to the right] (Image via Oxygen)](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/03/3b85d-16782043125474-1920.jpg)
Donna Roberts claimed that she was dating Nate Jackson for two years and that he used to call and write to her from prison. She told authorities that she last saw him on December 9 while picking him up from the Lorain Correctional Institution and dropping him off at a house in Youngstown. She further revealed that she last spoke to him on the morning of December 11.
However, phone records and other evidence discovered during the investigation implicated Roberts and her then-boyfriend, Jackson. Authorities also discovered Robert Fingerhut's abandoned car close by to the area where Roberts claimed she dropped Jackson off after picking him up from prison a few days before the shooting incident occurred.
Moreover, authorities found letters shared between Roberts and Jackson while the latter was in prison, which suggested that they were planning on killing Fingerhut after Jackson was released from prison.
According to The Cinemaholic, in one of the letters, Jackson said,
"Don’t ever have to worry about excuse to him, because he will no longer be with us after 12-10-01."
Authorities suspected that Donna Roberts bought Nate Jackson gloves and a mask and later let him into the house so he could execute the plan. Reports also stated that the former attempted to lead the police astray by hinting that Fingerhut's murder might have been committed by one of his male partners.
Based on the evidence found, both Roberts and Jackson were arrested. She was convicted of complicity in aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and aggravated robbery and sentenced to death.
Meanwhile, Jackson was found guilty of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary and was also sentenced to death.
Calls From the Inside airs on ID this Tuesday with a new episode.
