‘Dateline’ on Colorado trumpet player addresses domestic violence
Friday’s episode of NBC’s “Dateline” uncovers the case of Colorado trumpet player Scott Sessions, whose murder raised questions about domestic violence and the systems that are supposed to protect us.
Sessions was brutally murdered in 2020. An investigation found he was at the center of a love triangle between a woman he had been dating, Heather Frank, and her former partner, Kevin Eastman, whom she had accused of multiple instances of domestic violence. Eastman was never arrested for his alleged assault, and prosecutors argue his freedom came at the cost of Sessions and Frank’s own lives.
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Who was Scott Sessions?
Scott Sessions was a 53-year-old trumpet player from Colorado and considered one of the best trumpeters in the state, according to NBC. His family and friends remember him as an upbeat, spirited and friendly person, per The Coloradoan.
On Feb. 10, 2020, Sessions did not appear for a scheduled performance with his band at a local playhouse, per ABC. Sessions was reportedly very punctual, so his absence raised concern, and his bandmates grew worried.
Sessions’ father reported him missing the next day, and police soon located his nearly decapitated body near a local canyon, wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
“(It’s an) absolute horror that somebody could be treated that way and then disposed of that way. No one deserves that,” Larimer County investigator Justin Atwood told ABC.
Who killed Scott Sessions?
Investigators were able to access Sessions’ Facebook Messenger account and found messages indicating he had been dating a local woman named Heather Frank.
ABC “20/20” previously covered the case from Frank’s perspective. According to ABC, Frank had been involved with a man named Kevin Eastman for several years prior to Sessions’ death, and she had reported Eastman for abuse several times.
One altercation in 2019 left Frank in the hospital. In footage obtained by ABC, Frank states Eastman had hit her several times in the past and claimed he had never been duly prosecuted. A warrant was issued for Eastman’s arrest after that incident, but the warrant was never actually assigned.
Cellphone records showed Sessions was at Frank’s apartment in the hours before his death. According to ABC, Frank and Eastman’s cell phone records tracked them both going to the canyon where Sessions’ body was later found. Based on this information, police issued warrants for the arrests of both Frank and Eastman.
However, after police arrested Eastman, they discovered Frank’s body in a burn pit at the home of Eastman’s former employer. Eastman was charged with the murders of both Scott Sessions and Heather Frank, and in 2022, he was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to life in prison, per ABC.
Weld County Deputy District Attorney Yvette Guthrie was interviewed for the “20/20” episode on the case, and she spoke about the effect domestic violence had on Sessions and Frank’s lives.
“This case was about domestic violence, and we wanted to make sure that the jury understood that power and control ultimately was what killed Heather Frank and Scott Sessions,” Guthrie said.
Where to watch tonight’s ‘Dateline’
“The Last Weekend” premieres Friday on NBC at 8 p.m. MST and will be available for streaming on Peacock.
