ROYAL OAK, MI- In a disturbing case straight out of a bad Lifetime movie, a 36-year-old nanny stands accused of stabbing a grandfather to death when he came to check on his grandchild, Law & Crime reported.
Samantha Rae Booth was arrested for first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of resisting or obstructing police in connection with the October 2025 murder of David Ong, 83, court records show. A medical examiner testifying at her preliminary hearing said Booth inflicted over 40 stab wounds to Ong’s head and face in what is described as a “prolonged attack.”
Law & Crime previously reported that according to Royal Oak police, Ong went to his daughter’s home on Oct. 24, 2025 in response to a phone call from his wife asking him to check in on her three-year-old daughter while she was out of town and Booth was caring for the child. When her father didn’t answer her phone calls, the child’s uncle went to the home and found Booth in the basement “in a manic state covered in blood,” while Ong lay on the floor with mortal wounds.
After the uncle grabbed the child and attempted to leave, Booth allegedly attacked him, chasing him and the child with a screwdriver. They were able to escape to a neighbor’s home where they called 911. Investigators said that Booth then discarded the screwdriver, removed all her clothing and fled the scene.
Under testimony, Oakland County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic testified that Ong suffered more than 40 penetrating wounds to his head and face, as well as injuries to his chest, back, hands and forearms, NBC affiliate WDIV reported.
Dragovic said the wounds were consistent with a screwdriver or similar tool.
“There was evidence of active bleeding,” Dragovic testified, and described the injuries that fractured facial bones and caused bleeding into the mouth and nasal cavity.
Dragovic also testified that the wounds were reflective of both sharp-force and blunt-force trauma with some injuries overlapping, meaning the total number of wounds could be in excess of those documented in his report.
The wounds on Ong’s hands, Dragovic told the court, are indicative of defensive wounds, indicating Ong likely tried to protect himself during the attack.
Despite a defense objection, the judge overruled it, saying the medical examiner’s decades of experience made him qualified to give that opinion.
“It was a process where the victim was able to inhale, to breath, and also to try to fend off,” Dragovic testified, emphasizing that the injuries were not immediately fatal.
Dragovic ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple sharp-force injuries and their complications.
Under cross examination, the defense attorney asked if some injuries could have been caused by other means, including a fall or CPR performed by first responders. Dragovic said certain injuries could possibly have alternate explanations “in isolation,” but that the overall pattern of trauma supported his conclusions.
“If you insist on only one mechanism, it doesn’t meet the actual findings,” Dragovic said. He also testified that Ong’s blood alcohol level was 0.06% at the time of his death, however prosecutors objected when the defense asked if such a level could have affected Ong’s behavior. The judge sustained the objection.
Royal Oak police officer Austin Pelitz testified that responding officers found the home’s front door ajar and discovered Ong at the bottom of the basement stairs. He said someone had placed a bag over Ong’s head and officers also recovered three screwdrivers near the body.
Prosecutors had previously alleged that Booth was under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms during the attack. The preliminary examination is scheduled to continue later this week before a judge decides if the case will proceed to trial.
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