Episode 51: The Dingman Brothers
Robert Dingman at a 2018 hearing
Jeffrey Dingman at a 2014 hearing
The Dingman family appeared to be a normal household in their town of Rochester, New Hampshire. Parents Vance and Eve, were hard workers who appeared to be devoted to their sons, Robert and Jeffrey. The Dingmans stuck to strict rules and curfews, which, to the rebellious teenage boys, seemed unfair. In an attempt to fix this issue, the boys took matters into their own hands.
In the afternoon of February 9th, 1996, Jeffrey, 14, and Robert, 17, decided to ambush their parents as they came home from work.
Vance was the first to arrive- he was met with a gunshot from Jeffrey. Robert quickly took over, taunting his father as he shot him multiple times. The brothers then wrapped his body in garbage bags and hid him in the attic. Not long after, their mother arrived home from work and was immediately met with a similar fate. She was shot two to three times by Jeffrey, before receiving a fatal shot to the head by Robert. Like he did with his father, Robert mocked his mother and seemed delighted with the follow-through of their plan.
The day of the murders was a Friday, and now having a parent-free home, the brothers went on to party and lived their lives. On the following Monday, a concerned coworker of the parents called the police, who ended up at the Dingman home. The murdered bodies were discovered, and the young boys were immediately arrested.
In exchange for a plea deal, Jeffrey testified against his older brother, and received a sentence of 30 years with the possibility of parole. Jeffrey was paroled in 2014. Robert was initially sentenced to life without parole, but in 2018, had the sentence revised and he was given 40 years.
Image sources:
dailymail.co.uk - “Man who helped brother kill their parents when he was 14 is released”