Naman Shrestha
When a woman named Sandra Duyst, who was battling depression, was found dead in the bedroom of her house in 2000, everything pointed toward suicide. However, when the detectives dug deeper, a dark truth surfaced that led them straight to the killer. The entire case is explored in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘Beyond the Grave’ of Discovery+’s ‘Grave Secrets,’ which also features interviews with the victim’s family and friends, who talk about the case and its aftermath.
Sandra Duyst Was Found Dead in Her Bedroom in 2000
Sandra Anne “Sandy” Bos Duyst was welcomed into the loving household of the Bos family by Eva Dolores Barry Bos and Lawrence D. Bos, Sr. on December 29, 1959, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Growing up with three siblings — Laura, Lawrence, and Mary — Sandra turned out to be a talented and religious woman whose compassionate and caring nature made everyone’s favorite. After graduating from the Grand Rapids Christian High School, where she won many awards in volleyball, she went to Calvin University, where she pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Continuing her impressive sports journey in college, she was named MVP of the women’s volleyball team. Given her undying love for the sport, she also coached volleyball for the girls’ volleyball team at Westside Christian School in Grand Rapids. Sandra also found stability in the matters of her heart quite early on. Since high school, she started dating David Eric Duyst Sr., with whom she tied the knot and began a family of her own. Residing in Alpine Township, Michigan, she trained horses on their land while he was employed as an insurance salesman. Over the course of their marriage, the couple gave birth to three adorable children — David, Erica, and Timothy.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly fine in Sandra’s life until the mother of three was discovered dead in her bedroom on March 29, 2000. As soon as the police arrived at the residence, the 40-year-old woman was taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead a while later. Initially, the detectives believed that it was a case of suicide. However, when the autopsy revealed that there were two gunshot wounds about an inch and a half apart on her head, they were sure that it was a homicide as the first shot would have incapacitated her, and she could not have shot herself the second time.
Sandra Duyst’s Death Was Initially Believed to be a Suicide
Since Sandra Duyst’s husband, David Duyst, had called 911 after finding her wife dead on the floor, the authorities first interviewed him. He told them that she had tried to take her life away on another occasion previously, but she succeeded this time. He claimed that due to some marital problems, the couple had been sleeping in separate rooms. When he heard a gunshot from her bedroom, he rushed into her room and took the gun away from her hand. In order to remove him as a potential suspect, they collected his clothing for tests, which came out negative for bloodstains. He also passed a polygraph test later.
When the police could not find a break in the case, Sandra’s sister came through and guided them to look into her china cabinet. According to her, Sandra had told her to check out a note she had left there in case something happened to her in the future. As the detectives searched the Duyst residence, they recovered a white envelope with a note inside it, which said that they should look into David if anything happened to her. In the note, Sandra mentioned another incident that occurred in her barn on November 19, 1998. She claimed that her husband ambushed her and beat her severely with a hammer axe. After that, she went into depression and had constant mood swings, resulting in the deterioration of their marriage.
Upon confronting him with the letter, David denied the contents of the note to be facts. Instead, he claimed that the barn incident was an accident involving the horse. However, he admitted to having an extra-marital affair with his secretary. As for the two gunshot wounds, he claimed that the gun must have malfunctioned and fired two times instead of one. Deciding to go through the evidence against David thoroughly, the investigators examined his clothing under a high-powered microscope and found traces of blood stains. Moreover, they learned that he had purchased the gun in January 2000, and a few days before her death, he informed her that he was going to file a divorce. With enough evidence against David, he was taken into custody and charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Sandra Duyst.
David Duyst Passed Away While Serving His Sentence
In 2001, David Duyst stood trial for killing his wife at their Alpine Township home, Sandra Duyst. During the trial, the prosecutors argued that the defendant had multiple motives to commit murder — his infidelity, financial problems, and the half-million-dollar life insurance policy on her life. On the other hand, the defense denied any involvement of David and continued arguing that her death was the case of a suicide and that the gun had double-fired by chance.
After almost a month into the trial, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted him of first-degree murder. He was then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Several years later, he appealed his conviction and sentencing, only to be rejected and have his conviction upheld. On April 16, 2018, David Duyst passed away in prison due to an illness while he was serving his life imprisonment sentence in a state prison in Michigan.
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