Montana Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Machete-Wielding Sexual Assault on Ex-Boyfriend

GREAT FALLS, MT – In a chilling case that underscored the volatile intersection of domestic disputes and severe mental health issues, Samantha Ray Mears, then 19, was charged in June 2018 after a harrowing incident involving her former boyfriend. The events, which captured national attention, concluded with Mears being sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) in October 2019, following her conviction for sexual intercourse without consent, commonly referred to as rape in other jurisdictions.

The terrifying ordeal unfolded on Friday, June 22, 2018, when Mears allegedly entered the home of her former boyfriend in Great Falls, Montana, while he was out. According to court documents and police reports from the Great Falls Police Department, Mears then lay in wait. When the man returned to his residence, he discovered Mears inside. From behind his bedroom door, she confronted him, brandishing a machete.

The victim recounted a horrifying sequence of events to law enforcement. Mears allegedly placed the machete to his neck, ordering him to remove his clothes and get on the bed. Fearing for his life and believing he could not escape without being gravely harmed, the man complied. Mears then reportedly removed her own pants, climbed on top of him, and forced him to engage in sexual intercourse while continuing to hold the formidable weapon. During the assault, she bit his arm, and despite his pleas for her to stop, she persisted.

The horrifying encounter did not end there. After the sexual assault, Mears remained on the bed, still armed with the machete, and an argument ensued between the former couple. During this confrontation, Mears reportedly ripped a piece of trim from the wall and intentionally urinated on the bed, further demonstrating erratic and destructive behavior. In a moment of quick thinking, the victim managed to covertly dial 911, pretending to be calling a friend. He and his sister, who arrived home during the ordeal, were able to escape the house as police arrived on the scene.

Upon the arrival of the Great Falls Police, the victim provided compelling evidence, including a bite mark on his arm and disturbing photographs he had managed to take of Mears sitting naked on the bed with the machete. Mears, who initially claimed her ex-boyfriend had kidnapped her and given her the machete for protection, was apprehended. Officers noted her appearance suggested she was experiencing a significant mental health crisis.

This incident was not Mears's first violent encounter with the same victim. Just two months prior, in April 2018, she had been charged with felony strangulation against him, a case from which she had been released on her own recognizance. The couple had reportedly been in a relationship for approximately seven years, beginning when Mears was around 12 years old.

Mears faced a litany of charges, including aggravated burglary, assault with a weapon, unlawful restraint, partner family member assault, and two counts of criminal mischief. During her sentencing in October 2019, when she was 20 years old, District Judge Greg Pinski sentenced her to the maximum allowable penalty under Montana law. The judge cited Mears's mental disease or defect and her inability to consistently take prescribed medications as factors making her a threat to others. She was ordered to be placed in an appropriate mental health facility, such as the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, and was designated a Tier 2 sex offender, requiring her to complete specific treatment and counseling.

The case underscored the complexities of domestic violence, especially when compounded by severe mental health challenges, and brought a measure of justice and protection for the victim who endured a profound violation.