Murder of Lori Roberts by Jeff Silvernail spotlighted on American Monster

American Monster is investigating the murder of Lori Roberts by her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Silvernail at her home in Doran, Minnesota.

In the fall of 2009, Roberts and Silvernail were living together at Roberts’s home when the latter learned she had begun dating another man. This brought their relationship to an end, and Silvernail began preparations to move out.

On October 1, Silvernail packed up his belongings while Roberts was at work. Roberts got home from work at about 3 a.m., and neighbors later reported seeing Silvernail’s car in the drive between 6 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. The police believe Silvernail murdered Roberts around this time.

The following morning, Silvernail left work to allegedly retrieve something from Roberts’ house. He then telephoned 911, claiming to have found her dead body.

Roberts’s body was found in the bedroom; she was shot twice, once in the chest and a second time in the neck, as she lay on the floor. The murder weapon was a Hi-Point Compact 9mm pistol, a type of gun Silvernail later admitted to having owned but claimed had been stolen.

The cops found DNA on Roberts’ bloody shirt that was a match to Silvernail. The investigators also found numerous text messages sent from Silvernail to the victim, where he displayed an emotional and volatile mental state.

Jeff Silvernail allegedly admitted to killing Lori Roberts

Silvernail was arrested and charged with murder. The killer allegedly confessed to his cellmate that he had killed Roberts. Silvernail told him he had shot her after they “got into a p***ing match” on the morning of the murder.

The pair had argued, and Silvernail left only to return a short time later to shoot her. The cellmate testified that Silvernail told him he had “moved stuff” around the house to make it look like a robbery.

He also said he was surprised to have been arrested because the police hadn’t found the murder weapon, which he’d thrown into the Hudson River.

Jeff Silvernail sentenced to life in prison for Lori Roberts murder

Two years after the murder, Silvernail was convicted of both first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree intentional murder. Minnesota law imposed a mandatory life sentence on the killer.

After the sentencing, Roberts’s daughter, Stephanie Holding Eagle, paid tribute to her mother, “It’s really frustrating that everybody sees her as a murder victim. Even though bad things would come her way, she always found a way to turn them around and find the positive in everything. She was just very, very special to a lot of people. She touched a lot of people’s lives just based on how she saw the world.”

American Monster airs Sundays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.