Amanda Plasse's murder: Inside the brutal killing of a young woman and her mother's fight for justice
When Amanda Plasse failed to show up for work in August 2011, her loved ones had no idea it would lead to the discovery of a horrifying crime.
The 20-year-old -- whom friends and family described as a kind and hardworking waitress at a Friendly's restaurant in Chicopee, Massachusetts -- was found brutally murdered in her own home.
A new "20/20" episode, "What the Killer Left Behind" airing Friday, Jan. 30, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, examines the case.
You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.
On Aug. 26, 2011, Plasse was found dead after she failed to show up for a shift at Friendly's. She was in her work clothes on her kitchen floor, surrounded by a pool of blood from stab wounds from her chest and throat, according to authorities.
In an exclusive new interview with "20/20," Seth Green, Plasse's boyfriend who discovered her body, described the scene.
"I knelt down right next to her. I wanted to imagine or think that she was breathing or something, and I literally, I tried to give her CPR, like blow into her mouth and it literally blew out of her" Green told "20/20." "It was just horrible."
Searching Plasse's apartment for clues, authorities said they found a broken window with an unknown palm print on it alongside a bloody footprint of a Nike Air Max shoe. It was sized seven and a half, according to officials.
Retired Massachusetts State Police Detective Lt. Ronald Gibbons, who investigated the case, told "20/20" that there was likely a violent struggle at the home.
"In this particular case, there's droplets of blood all around the room, and that's indicative that this was a very, very brutal and harsh fight," he said.
While investigators interviewed hundreds of people connected to Plasse without finding her killer, the Chicopee Police Department became embroiled in scandal.
Plasse's mother Michelle sued the police for $10 million for emotional abuse, after it was revealed that two officers at the crime scene took personal photos of Plasse's body and shared them with others.
An internal affairs investigation called the behavior an affront to the professionalism otherwise demonstrated by the Chicopee and state police investigators in the case. The officers responsible were disciplined by the police department and the mayor of Chicopee released a written apology.
"It wasn't about the money. It was about proving the point," she told "20/20." "They were there to protect the scene and at my daughter's most vulnerable moment, you disrespect her in the worst way ever and think that's OK? Oh, I was mad."
The case was ultimately settled for $110,000 in 2015.
Nearly a year and a half after Plasse's death, investigators said they had a breakthrough in her case while reviewing photos of the crime scene. They noticed a whiteboard in a photo of her bedroom with a message saying "Dennis waz [sic] here 8/11/11."
Police checked Plasse's phone records, discovering a man named Dennis Rosa-Roman had phone calls with Plasse nine times -- five of which were a month before her death.
Police went to Rosa-Roman's house to interview him, where he told them he used to sell Plasse marijuana. Shockingly, they said, he was wearing Nike Air Max shoes -- sized seven and a half, the size matching the shot prints found at the murder scene.
Investigators also determined his DNA matched the sample collected from underneath Plasse's fingernails, and his palm print matched the one authorities found on the scene. Police charged Rosa-Roman with first-degree murder.
Rosa-Roman pleaded not guilty to Plasse's murder, but he was convicted of first-degree murder in 2016, despite his defense maintaining his innocence. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, and his appeal for a new trial was denied in 2020.
Even though Rosa-Roman was sentenced to life without parole, there is still a chance he could walk free as early as 2028. A Massachusetts court in 2024 ruled that it is unconstitutional to sentence offenders under the age of 21 to life without parole.
Rosa-Roman was 20 at the time of Plasse's murder. Her family told "20/20" that they plan to fight this new ruling.
Plasse's mother Michelle has continued to advocate for murder victims, helping to pass Amanda's Law in Massachusetts in 2022. It bars first responders from taking unauthorized photographs at crime scenes.
She told "20/20" she aims to live in accordance with one of her daughter's mantras.
"Keep your face to the sun. Never look back at your shadows," she said.
