An Amherst man who killed his fiancée in 2009 to try and collect her life insurance is sentenced to 60 years in federal prison.
Ronald Epps, 47, and Angela Moss lived together when the pair went to State Farm to change Moss' $100,000 life insurance policy so that Epps was the only beneficiary.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marangola, the policy went into effect three weeks before Moss' murder.
Moss was seen getting into the passenger side of a car as she was leaving Absolut Care on Armor Road in Orchard Park at 11 p.m. Her body was found at 6 a.m. the following morning on California Road. She had been shot in the head.
Four days later, Epps filed a claim to collect Moss' life insurance policy, but it was not paid.
Epps continued living in the apartment he previously shared with Moss and bought renter's insurance from State Farm the following year. On October 13, 2010 Epps used Molotov cocktails to set the vacant apartment next to his on fire. He caused minimal damage to his own apartment, but two days later set his own unit on fire.
Epps filed for coverage and was paid $3,769 from State Farm on May 31, 2011.
Epps was not charged with murder, but to find him guilty of fraud prosecutors had to prove that he killed Moss.
Among several charges related to fraud, Epps was also charged with using his apartment to distribute cocaine, pills and marijuana.
Epps was ultimately found guilty of wire fraud, mail fraud, arson, possession of Molotov cocktails, maintaining a premises for drug trafficking, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
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