Latest / Least of These / 220. “The Only Son” - The Case of Debra Fink - Kernersville, North Carolina

Transcript

220. “The Only Son” - The Case of Debra Fink - Kernersville, North Carolina · Least of These

• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to least of these where I cover the cases that need it most because every life matters and everyone deserves justice.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host Leah Dee and before we get started today, I want to bring you some news about a case I've been following and when I've covered here on the podcast.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure y'all will remember the case of Erin Spencer, the combat veteran and father, who rescued his daughter from 67-year-old Michael Fossler, the alleged predator who abducted Spencer's 14-year-old daughter from her home in Loanoke County, Arkansas, an October of 2024.
• 0:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: The alleged predator who was facing over 40 charges involving the sexual abuse of children, many of those charges stemming from the assaults on Spencer's daughter, allegedly of course.
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I only have to say allegedly because Michael Fausler is dead and will never have to face those charges in a courtroom.
• 0:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Michael Fossler is dead because during the course of rescuing his daughter and in the defense of both her life and his, Erin Spencer, shot and killed Fossler and Spencer was charged with murder.
• 1:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're unfamiliar with the story, I'll drop links to the episode in the show notes.
• 1:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Erin's story is one that everyone should know, especially parents.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now on to the good news, while I wish I were here to tell you that those charges have been dropped, they have not been.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And Aaron Spencer is still facing a second-degree murder charge.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But despite this, Aaron Spencer has announced his candidacy for Sheriff of Loanoke County.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yep, he's running for Sheriff.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll let you hear the words from Aaron himself posted in a video on Facebook.
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hello, low note.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: My name is Aaron Spencer.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Many of you know my story.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm also a husband, a combat veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, a contractor and a farmer.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures and law enforcement and in our circuit court.
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's why I'm announcing my candidacy to run for low-note county sheriff.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: This campaign isn't about me.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's about every parent, every neighbor, every family who deserves to feel safe in their homes and safe in their community.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's about restoring trust where neighbors know law enforcement is on their side and families know that they will not be left alone in a moment of need.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Erin Spencer, and I'm running for Sheriff of low-note county.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's clear by the fact that Erin Spencer was ever charged with a crime in the first place that low-note county needs a change.
• 3:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you or someone you know is living in low-note county, or you just want to support Erin, be sure to head to Erin Spencer for low-note county sheriff on Facebook.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'm not one to get too much into politics and I certainly don't reside or vote in Arkansas.
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if I did, I'd vote Spencer for Sheriff faster than Greengrass through a goose.
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Of course, this is just me talking to you.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: This message has not been endorsed by any political campaign nor has anyone asked me for an endorsement.
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just heard the news and couldn't be more excited to share it with all of you.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: So here we are.
• 3:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And with that announcement out of the way, let's get into days' case.
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's the case of Deborah Fink and Kernersville, North Carolina.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get right to it.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nestled in the heart of North Carolina's Piedmont triad, Carnersville is a quiet town that sits between the larger cities of Winston's Salem and Greensboro.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Known for its small town charm, historic landmarks and tight knit community, it's the kind of place where life moves at a slower pace.
• 4:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Deborah Fink, who went by Debbie, lived in a modest two-story home and the 500-block of club road on the west side of Kernersville.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: And in June of 2023, due to some life circumstances, Debbie was there at her home, probably more often than she would have liked.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see, according to a press release, by the force of district attorney's office, 65-year-old Debbie was recovering from a major knee surgery.
• 5:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: And as many of you probably know, recovering from a knee surgery can be excruciating.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Debbie was unable to get up or walk without assistance.
• 5:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So on June 12, 2023, her only son Donald was at the home on club drive as well.
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sometime that day he placed a frantic call to 911.
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Debbie needed help, and she needed it quickly.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: With Debbie recovering from a major knee surgery, you'd assume there was some complication from the operation, and she needed medical assistance.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that is not what 25-year-old Donald Fink was calling to report at all.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Donald told dispatchers that someone had broken into his mother's home, and she had been shot.
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to W12 news, when officers arrived at Debbie Fink's home in the 500 block of club road after her son, 25-year-old Donald Fink called to report a break-in and a shooting, they found Debbie Fink gravely injured.
• 6:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: She had been shot in the face.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Paramedics did everything they could to try and save the 65-year-old woman's life, but Debbie think died at the scene.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Investigators got to work.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: They found the murder weapon lying on the floor at the scene.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was a 9-millimeter tourist handgun.
• 6:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: One spent shell casing was also found nearby.
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: And there was evidence that the front door had been kicked in.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Donald Fink told investigators what he had told 911.
• 7:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Someone had broken in and murdered his mother.
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Who exactly?
• 7:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, he just didn't know.
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it seemed at first that nobody else saw anything either.
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Neighbors and witnesses at and around the scene told police that they hadn't seen anyone entering or exiting the home around the time of the shooting.
• 7:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: However, the killer had left a huge piece of evidence behind.
• 7:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: That gun, the tourist nine mil.
• 7:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Investigators began the process of tracing the gun.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to the ATF, which is home to the United States only National Tracing Center for Firearms, tracing a gun back to its last known owner is a pretty simple process.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: The gun is ran through E-Trace, which tracks a weapon from its manufacturer through the distribution chain down to the last known purchaser through the serial number and other distinctive markings are stamped on the firearm.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: That is, if the weapon still has its serial number intact,
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: In this case investigators were able to trace a murder weapon, and the gun, while it had been reported stolen three months prior, and that gun had been reported stolen by none other than the victim herself, Debbie Fink.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: The gun had been legally registered to Debbie Fink, and she was the one who had reported it stolen, who would have had access to Debbie's
• 8:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it didn't take a rocket scientist.
• 8:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Needless to say, all eyes were on her son, Donald faint.
• 8:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's a special group about a mile a minute, especially after investigators spoke to witnesses at and around the scene that day.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to the DA's press release, witnesses had seen her son Donald with a gun earlier in the day, and they told detectives
• 8:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now who this other woman was, or why Donald think was pointing a weapon at her, is a detail police haven't released publicly.
• 9:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And after the shooting, those same witnesses put the gun back in Donald's hand.
• 9:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: In addition to all of that, Donald's story of exactly what happened the day his mother was murdered kept changing.
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: The DA's office reported that faint-made multiple inconsistent statements to police.
• 9:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just three days after the murder on June 15, 2023, Donald Fink was arrested and charged with one count of general murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was transported to the force of county detention center and held with no bond.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: As it turned out, Donald Fink was a convicted felon with a criminal record.
• 9:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to DOC records, he had previously served about a year and a half in a North Carolina prison for charges in 2015.
• 9:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those charges, assault with a deadly weapon, assault in battery, felony breaking and entering, breaking and entering into vehicles, larceny, and resisting an officer.
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anyhow, investigators halt him back in to talk again, and this time he had a whole
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: He admitted that he was the one who had shot his mother, but it was all one big accident.
• 10:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was holding the gun when it went off and when the bullet struck his mother, he panicked and cooked up the story about the break-in in the intruder, right there on the spot, going as far as to kick in the front door to make the story more believable.
• 10:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, the story if you let Donald Fink tell it, was that he was just pointing the loaded gun, he had stolen from his mother three months prior in the direction of her face, when it spontaneously fired.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: And instead of calling 911 immediately to get help for her, in the midst of his panic, he thought, well, better cover up this accidental shooting.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, he went outside, kicked in the door, and then called for help.
• 11:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: guns don't spontaneously fire, innocent people don't cover up non-existent crimes and police weren't buying any of Donald's stories.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And as the forensic evidence came in, they'd be buying it less and less.
• 11:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Donald thinks hands tested positive for gunshot residue, and DNA found on the gun came straight back to him.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: In addition to all of that, those that knew Debbie told investigators that Debbie was afraid of her own son, that he had stolen money from her in the past, and also that he had talked about shooting her.
• 11:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now, he had finally done it, at a time when Debbie was the most vulnerable, recovering from a major surgery, unable to even stand on her own.
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Donald Fink saw his opportunity and he took it when his mother had zero chance to fight back.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to the Office for Victims of Crime, though elder adults are less likely to be victims of violent crime than young people.
• 12:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Older adults are often more vulnerable when you take into account their help, access to financial resources and isolation.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Researchers estimate that 10% of adults over the age of 60 experience some form of abuse every year.
• 12:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: That number is likely grossly inaccurate since abuse or violence against the elderly is wildly under-reported.
• 12:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: And when it comes to homicide, according to Biomed Central, and 2018, nearly 1800 homicides were reported among individuals aged 60 years or older living in the U.S.
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: While the data is limited, what we do know is that recent trends indicate the rate of older adult homicides are increasing.
• 12:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2001, the CDC reported that of the total homicides in the U.S.
• 12:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: 6.5% of the victims were over the age of 60.
• 13:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2018, older adults accounted for 9.3% of the victims.
• 13:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why is it trending upward?
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: No one seems to know, but it's a disturbing trend nonetheless.
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: A little over two years after Debbie Finke had been murdered in her own home by her son, 25-year-old Donald Finke, a play agreement was reached between force of county prosecutors and Finke.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: On October 7, 2025, Donald Finke pled guilty to second-degree murder.
• 13:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was sentenced to between 28 and 35 years in prison.
• 13:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Debbie surviving sisters were in the courtroom that day.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were relieved that the case had reached a conclusion and grateful for the detectives and prosecutors who had worked on Debbie's case.
• 14:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: while we don't know all too much about Debbie.
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: According to her obituary, Deborah Susan Vink was born on September 24, 1957, and Bozier Parish, Louisiana, to Donald and Dorothy Vink.
• 14:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: She had three sisters, two of them still living at the time of her murder, and a whole bunch of nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Her son Donald was not listed in her obituary, and from what I can tell he was her only son, named after her father.
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: property record showed Donald with the address on Club Road.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: His mother's address, there are no other addresses listed for him.
• 14:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that, in and of itself, tells a story.
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: It appears despite his big age of 25, Donald Vink had never left home.
• 14:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And at least in some capacity was still relying on his mother.
• 15:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: The mother, he had allegedly stolen from and threatened.
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yet despite her fears and Donald's criminal record, Debbie still loved her son and tried to help him, and he returned her kindness with evil.
• 15:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even if Donald thinks serves the maximum time, 35 years, he will be roughly 60 years old when periled from prison.
• 15:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And let's be real.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: He probably won't serve a full 35 years in prison.
• 15:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: They never actually do.
• 15:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But even if that were the case, he will still be younger than his mother was when he shot her in the face.
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: He likely still have plenty of life to live, even after taking the life of the woman who gave him his.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that my friends is all I've got for this week.
• 15:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to join me next Thursday for an all new episode.
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram at least under score of these, or my Facebook at least of these podcasts.
• 16:01
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• 16:05
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• 16:10
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• 16:17
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• 16:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening.
• 16:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for caring.
• 16:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you know something, say something.
• 16:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And until next time, be good to each other.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, hey there, I am so glad y'all stuck around.
• 17:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anybody else feel like second degree murder in this case is crap, because he stole the gun a whole three months prior.
• 17:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: why did he steal the gun, had he been planning this all along?
• 17:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he did say he was going to shoot his mother at least according to the witnesses.
• 17:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: So second degree, kind of feels like a cop out, and I'm sure it's because they made a plea deal.
• 17:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, they're real good at making plea deals out there in North Carolina.
• 17:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: which is absolutely frustrating because there are several cases I've covered where a plea deal wasn't necessary but it was made Mary Collins is one I can think of.
• 17:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Just off the top of my head, there in North Carolina.
• 18:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think stealing a gun three months prior and then shooting your mother in the face and lying to the cops about it is worthy of a plea deal.
• 18:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: They had his DNA.
• 18:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: They had the gunshot residue.
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: They had him admitting to the crime after he changed his story
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I understand that plea deals are necessary, I guess, because the courts would be backlogged or there's probably some excuse for why, but it sure doesn't make sense, especially in the case where an elderly woman was murdered when she was literally so vulnerable.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: She couldn't even get up on her own, and I'm sure either some of you have been the position where you're recovering from a surgery like that, or you're taking care of someone.
• 18:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And man, that stuff is rough, and she could barely stand on her own, and for weeks, it took weeks for her to walk, and I can just remember staying there and taking care of her, and yeah, she was pretty helpless.
• 19:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: We got a little bell that's your ring.
• 19:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And even now, you know, she's 90 years old.
• 19:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: and she relies on us for everything.
• 19:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just can't imagine that someone raises you your whole life.
• 19:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: You make it to 65 and then that person shoots you in the face and your own home, a home that obviously she let him live in.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or stay and I don't know if there wasn't that much as far as the relationship that I could find publicly, but he was her only son.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: She raised him
• 19:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: And is it just me or is anybody else sick of the whole sentencing of 35 years?
• 19:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because like, yeah, that sounds dramatic, but how much time is he actually going to do?
• 19:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, there are cases where they're like, yeah, you got 40 years in prison and they're out and eight, good behavior.
• 19:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't even tell you why.
• 20:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't even think the people who let them out know why.
• 20:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's so frustrating to me when violent crime is on the rise.
• 20:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: And we're just out here letting people out like, oh, yeah, I know that the judge said you had 60 years in prison, but 30 sounds good enough.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like 35 years should mean 35 years, not a day more, not a day less.
• 20:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: What is this good behavior bullshit?
• 20:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anybody can be on good behavior when they're locked in a cage.
• 20:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, kind of easy to fake it, right?
• 20:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just tired of that whole system.
• 20:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Something's got to be done about that because it should be a year for a year.
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: A year should be 365 days.
• 20:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was, you know, they've been teaching us that since we were small children.
• 20:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: And a year should still mean that.
• 20:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, that's about all I got to say about that.
• 20:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: But let's leave tonight on a good note, y'all, when I heard the news that Erin Spencer was running for sheriff, I think I literally screamed out loud, like it just popped up on my feed and I absolutely could not believe it.
• 21:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: We talk all the time about.
• 21:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: What people, you know, you see someone in a situation like Aaron's situation with his daughter and we say, well, that was my kid.
• 21:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is what I would do.
• 21:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would chase him down and I, you know, I would protect my kid and he does that.
• 21:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he gets charged and then you're like, well, you know, we need change and things have to change.
• 21:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: And especially people from low note county.
• 21:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: We need change and air and Spencer was like, Oh, I raise you one.
• 21:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be the change.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: But you know.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he's out there still trying to make real change.
• 21:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll just tell you this, reading the comments, there's a lot of people in low-note county that completely support M. And that is such a cool thing to see.
• 21:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: We talk all the time about being the change and being better and doing better.
• 22:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's just awesome to see someone follow that all the way through.
• 22:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have so much respect for Aaron and his family.
• 22:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's unimaginable what his family has been through.
• 22:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, they could just tuck away and hide.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He could just wait for his trial date.
• 22:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know he's got a good defense team, but they haven't done that.
• 22:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've made sure that the world knows exactly what's happening in that case, and they've exposed the corruption in their district, and I don't really think there's anything more admirable than that.
• 22:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, if I could vote in low note county, I would early vote.
• 22:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: do the mail-in ballot early vote, whatever I had to do as quick as I had to do it.
• 22:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't even look y'all.
• 22:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know when the election is.
• 22:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: I have no idea y'all have to go over there.
• 22:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're in Arkansas, especially, of course, if you're in low note county, because unfortunately, the rest of us can vote for their sheriff.
• 22:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if you're in low note county and I know there are several of y'all, make sure you're following that page.
• 23:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure you're, you know, keeping up with what's going on.
• 23:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if I could vote, I would.
• 23:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just saying, all right, y'all.
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I love you more than my luggage and I can't wait to talk at you next week, but until then, bye-bye-bye-bye-bye.