Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
An American Monster episode titled “Safe at Home” revolves around the murder of 43-year-old Doris Hoskins, who was found dead in 2016. Her husband, Mark Andrews, was a professional gambler and was convicted of her murder.
Doris Hoskins was found dead on January 8, 2016, by the police, who arrived after receiving a 911 call at around 4:30 a.m. Mark Andrews was still at the crime scene and claimed he found her dead and attempted CPR on her. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Hoskins in 2018 and was sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole only 30 years into his sentence, according to AP News.
Hoskins graduated from Mabank High School in 1990. She was a Cedar Creek Lake Community member before she moved to Dallas. She taught at the Keller Independent School District after she received her academic administration degree from Tarleton State University. Doris Hoskins reportedly wished to become a principal. The couple married in 2010 after they attended the Mabank High School, the Athens Daily Review reported.
She had been teaching medically fragile children at Basswood Elementary School. Doris Hoskins had two daughters from her previous marriage, and the couple adopted a daughter with special needs.
Mark Andrews was reportedly a professional gambler and was in financial trouble when Doris Hoskins was killed. The prosecutors claimed that Andrews killed Hoskins in the hope of cashing in on her life insurance money, which amounted to more than $373,000, according to Fox News.
What did Doris Hoskins’ autopsy reveal?
Doris Hoskins’ autopsy revealed that Hoskins, a mother of three, was killed after she suffered blunt force trauma on the head and body. The killer also reportedly left the couple’s safe open. This was to make it look like an intruder came in for the money and killed her. Mark Andrews alleged he was on his way to the WinStar Casino when he realized he had left his money at home. When he returned home, he allegedly found Hoskins dead.
WFAA reported that prosecutors argued that Mark Andrews attacked Doris Hoskins with a hammer while she was asleep and tried to mislead authorities. He stood by his claim that he didn’t kill her. He even alleged that he was innocent from the time the police arrested him only hours after the murder.
At Mark Andrews’ trial, three of his ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend he used to live with testified that Andrews inflicted emotional and verbal abuse on them. Two of the women also accused him of physical abuse, and all of them called him a pathological liar. Joseph Roy, Andrews’ former pastor, was also at the trial. He said that Andrews lied to him about his military background. Records proved that he served in the Air Force for two years and four months. He was discharged because of a misdemeanor, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“Safe at Home” is an episode of American Monster that was first aired on July 10, 2020. It will be re-aired on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.
