Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Left For Dead’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline’ provides a detailed account of the horrific rape incident that a 20-year-old single mother named Amber Smith faced in August 2013. During her healing phase, she took the support of her friends, unaware of the fact that her attacker was one of her housemates — Stefan “Sam” Moon. For several years, he managed to avoid any suspicion until an unrelated charge led the police straight to him.
Stefan “Sam” Moon Pretended to be Amber Smith’s Friend
In 2015, Stefan A. “Sam” Moon was formally introduced to Amber Smith, a single mother who had survived a brutal sexual assault in 2013. At the time, he was one of the housemates she shared an apartment with, trying to heal from the traumatic experience. In fact, Sam had also lent her his ears and shoulder as she opened up about the rape and was in a vulnerable state. On the evening of August 30, 2013, Amber was out at Rossborough Park, drinking vodka with her friend Aric Vanagunas. She ended up consuming so much alcohol that she blacked out, after which Aric tried to wake her up. When she would not come back to consciousness, he left her on the park bench.
The next thing Amber remembered was that she was allegedly in someone’s house, where she was knocked out as soon as she started regaining consciousness. A few hours later, in the early morning hours of August 31, she was found screaming and bound by red duct tape in Cottonwood Glen Park. Reportedly, not only was she physically and sexually assaulted, but there were also signs of strangulation around her neck. Since she was in a critical condition, she was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Initially, the police suspected her friend, Aric, to be involved in the crime, but when they couldn’t find anything incriminating against him, they cleared him.
Stefan “Sam” Moon’s DNA Was Linked to the Forensic Evidence Found on Amber Smith’s Body
Despite their best efforts, the investigators could not uncover the mystery behind the rape. Thus, the case went cold for a few years. Four years after the incident, in July 2017, Sam was arrested for stealing and pawning a bike. Following his arrest, his DNA was lodged into the database. About a month later, it turned out that the DNA found on the duct tape, Amber’s neck, and other parts of her body matched Sam’s DNA. Thus, in August 2017, he was charged with five different felonies — attempted first-degree murder after deliberation, second-degree kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, and first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
During the interrogation, Sam Moon denied any involvement in the case, but later, he admitted to having sex with Amber Smith on the evening of August 30, 2013. According to him, he responded to a Craigslist ad she had allegedly posted regarding free sexual favors and met with her in Rossborough Park. He then tried to shift the blame to his childhood friend, Bryce Bailey, and claimed that when Bryce learned about the ad, he brought Amber back to his apartment. As per Sam’s claims, he heard his friend beating her and saw him carry her over his shoulder out of the house. However, upon questioning Bryce, it became clearer to the police that he had nothing to do with it, and that Sam was trying to frame him.
Stefan “Sam” Moon is Incarcerated at a Colorado Prison Facility
In 2019, Stefan “Sam” Moon’s trial for the attempted murder of Amber Smith commenced. During the trial, the prosecution presented a series of incriminating evidence in front of the jury, while the defense’s main objective was to help the defendant avoid the death penalty. After six days of trial, on August 14, 2015, the jury deliberated for less than a day and returned with a not-guilty verdict for the attempted murder charge against him.
However, Stefan was convicted of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault, first-degree assault, and other charges against him in relation to the rape of Amber Smith in 2013. In light of his heinous crimes, he was sentenced to 128 years to the remainder of his life in prison. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado.
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