A 41-year-old man was charged Wednesday with deliberate homicide in Yellowstone County District Court for the November 2024 death of an 80-year-old man in Huntley.
Prosecutors accused in court documents Dean Webb Frost of smothering to death his girlfriend's grandfather, Donald Finch of Huntley, in his motor home at 1710 Robson Lane on Nov. 10, 2024.
Finch's body was discovered by a relative, who then called police because he thought the death was suspicious, according to charging documents filed by Deputy County Attorney Ed Zink.
Relatives told police that Finch had recently moved to Huntley to live with his granddaughter but wanted to return to his hometown of Boise because of the living conditions, according to charging documents.
Finch also expressed concerns that his granddaughter was stealing money from him, up to $38,000 and he removed her access to his bank accounts, relatives told police. A relative also said she was attempting to have him declared mentally incompetent, according to documents.
The granddaughter and Frost both denied knowing anything about Finch leaving or his concerns about stealing money.
Authorities found no signs of visible trauma on the body and made no initial arrests. An autopsy conducted two days later showed signs of strangulation, and Finch's death was ruled a homicide.
Authorities continued to investigate for the next few months. In March, a detective interviewed a relative who said Frost told him he killed Finch.
The detective obtained cell phone records for the granddaughter and found a message from Frost where he allegedly stated that he had committed the murder.
On June 30, the detective learned that Frost had been arrested on an unrelated warrant and remanded him with a charge of homicide at the Yellowstone County jail.
Frost has not appeared in court.
