A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty in the beating death of a Vietnam veteran who was found with strangulation marks inside his Gilbert home.

Jacob Samia’s sentence comes with the possibility of release after 25 years, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

A jury last month found Samia guilty of five counts, including one felony count of first-degree murder, one felony count of burglary, one felony count of kidnapping, one felony count of burglary in the third degree and one misdemeanor count of criminal damage. 

Frank Bernal, a Vietnam War veteran, was sleeping in his Gilbert home in October 2020 when he was attacked and killed.

“I saw the strangulation marks on his neck, and it was really hard to see my brother that way. Frank survived the attacks in the jungles of Vietnam, but he did not survive the brutal attack in the sanctity of his own home,” Andy Bernal, his brother, said.

“My brother was my hero growing up. Our brother was a role model for our entire family. He was always there for all of us,” Conrad Bernal said in a victim impact statement.

“Frank Bernal was the definition of an American hero. He was attacked in the peace of his home where he was brutally beaten, strangled and killed,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.

“The crime perpetrated on Mr. Bernal has left a lasting impact on his immediate family, friends, the neighborhood where Mr. Bernal lived and the community of Gilbert.”