Naman Shrestha
Samuel “Sam” Poss was a bright Perry High School graduate with a bright future ahead of him. The computer techie was known for helping others, so it sent shockwaves across the community of Perry, Georgia, when he was found dead. The investigation into the 18-year-old’s murder led the detectives to two unlikely perpetrators and their chilling motive. Investigation Discovery’s ‘A Killer Among Friends: The Murder Pact’ chronicles the detailed account of the entire case and the investigation that ensued, with the help of interviews with Sam’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case.
Samuel “Sam” Poss Was Found Dead a Few Days After His Sudden Disappearance
Born on June 12, 1998, in Cary, North Carolina, Samuel Christian “Sam” Poss was the beloved son of Nicole and Chris Poss. Raised in Perry, Georgia, alongside his brother, Logan Poss, Sam went to Perry Primary School, Tucker Elementary School, Perry Middle School, and Perry High School. He was also close to his beloved dog, Annebelle, whom he considered a part of his family. His hobbies included listening to music and playing games on the computer. By the time he graduated from high school in 2016, Sam had earned a reputation for being computer-savvy, having helped several of his peers fix their computer problems.
Given his passion and talent for music, Sam also played percussion in his senior year of high school as the Captain of the Drum Line. He was also learning to play the piano after his graduation. With a black belt in Taekwondo, he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by joining the US Navy, hoping to serve his country and travel the world. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to realize his dreams and aspirations as the 18-year-old suddenly went missing on October 15, 2016. When he failed to show up for a trip he planned with his father on October 16, he was reported missing.
Over the next few days, his divorced parents organized a search for Sam along the wooded trail between his home and a friend’s home, where he had gone before he vanished. The police also employed the Georgia Search and Rescue teams of firefighters and Georgia State Patrol helicopters to look for the missing teen. Their search for Sam ended in the early hours of October 20, 2016, when his remains were discovered in a wooded area off Branch View Trail. The autopsy revealed that the cause of his death was strangulation, but he also endured multiple stab wounds to the front torso.
Samuel “Sam” Poss’ Killers Had Agreed to a Suicide Pact
The night before Samuel “Sam” Poss’ remains were discovered, on October 19, 2016, the investigation led to the arrest of his friend, Dakota White, whose house he had visited before vanishing. A few hours after they found the remains, the authorities also took Dakota’s friend, Brandon Warren, into custody. As per investigative reports, Dakota and Brandon had a suicide pact in place, but before taking their lives, they wanted to experience the act of killing someone else. That’s when the two hatched a plan against Sam, who was lured by his fellow schoolmate, Dakota, to his house under the pretense of needing help with computer game coding. After Sam went to Dakota’s grandparents’ house at 1102 Tucker Road, he was ambushed by the duo and killed in the late hours of October 15, 2016.
While the police and Sam’s loved ones were in the middle of the search, Dakota confessed that he and his friend, Brandon, had killed Sam before going through with their suicide pact. During his interview, Dakota told the police, “It came down to: might as well see how it feels to kill someone before we (die by suicide) ourselves. We didn’t see no reason not to, we were about to die, what did we care for?” As they dug deeper into the suspects, the detectives found several disturbing posts on Dakota’s social media account. Reports suggested that the 9th-grade dropout had also been hospitalized a few weeks prior to the attack, due to his suicidal ideations.
Dakota and Brandon Are Serving Their Terms in Separate Georgia Prison Facilities
More than a year and a half later, in May 2018, Dakota Lamar White and Brandon Jerard Warren stood trial for killing 18-year-old Perry High School graduate Samuel “Sam” Poss. During the trial, both defendants reportedly testified that they stabbed and strangled him in Dakota’s car on the fateful night in October 2016. The jury deliberated for about 20 minutes before reaching a final verdict. Ultimately, Dakota and Brandon were convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, and tampering with evidence. On May 16, 2018, Brandon was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A few months later, Dakota’s defense counsel tried to get a reduced sentence by arguing that he was only 17 years old when he committed the crime. However, on September 4, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to a consecutive 10-year term. The following year, Dakota filed a motion to get his conviction and sentence overturned, but the Georgia Supreme Court denied his request and upheld the convictions in January 2020. In September 2022, Brandon’s appeal for a new trial was also denied by the Supreme Court. As of today, while 28-year-old Dakota is serving his sentence at Macon State Prison in Macon County, Georgia, 28-year-old Brandon is incarcerated at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Georgia.
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