Talking Dateline: Deadly Omission

Summary

Dateline NBC Podcast Summary: "Talking Dateline: Deadly Omission"

Podcast Information

• Title: Dateline NBC
• Host/Author: NBC News
• Description: Current and classic episodes featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries, and in-depth investigations.

Episode Information

• Episode Title: Talking Dateline: Deadly Omission
• Hosts: Blaine Alexander and Andrea Canning
• Focus: A deep dive into the "Deadly Omission" episode, which explores the case of John Peake, a serial killer who murdered multiple women, including his wives.

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Introduction

In this episode of "Talking Dateline," hosts Blaine Alexander and Andrea Canning dissect the "Deadly Omission" episode from the Dateline NBC podcast series. They delve into the intricate details of the John Peake case, exploring the investigative process, the perpetrator's manipulative tactics, and the profound impact on the victims and the detectives involved.

Episode Overview

Context of "Deadly Omission": The episode "Deadly Omission" centers around the discovery of Casey Peak's body in 2005, leading investigators to revisit a double homicide from nearly a decade earlier. This connection ultimately unveils John Peake as a serial killer responsible for the deaths of three women, including his wives Carol and Maggie.

Recap by Blaine Alexander: Blaine provides a succinct recap, highlighting how Casey Peak’s death in 2005 redirected the investigation towards uncovering John Peake’s dark history.

Blaine Alexander [01:12]: "If you haven't seen it, it's the episode right below this one on your DATELINE podcast feed. So go over there, listen to it or stream it on Peacock and then come right back here."

Key Discussions

1. The Significance of the Title: "Deadly Omission"

Andrea Canning’s Insight: Andrea explains that the title refers to critical information omitted by John Peake during his interactions with law enforcement.

Andrea Canning [02:10]: "We find out pretty quickly what the omission was when investigators say you didn't think of mentioning that sooner."

Key Omissions Identified:

• The murder of his first wife, Carol Mar.
• An incident involving Barry Webb, a friend of the first wife, which John claimed never to have visited.

Andrea Canning [02:17]: "The biggest one was my first wife was murdered along with her friend."

Blaine Alexander [02:18]: "Huge."

2. John Peake’s Pattern and Behavioral Traits

Repeated Offenses: John Peake demonstrated a pattern of manipulation and control, successfully evading capture multiple times due to his charismatic demeanor and strategic misrepresentations.

Andrea Canning [04:49]: "John Peak, he was not some creepy loner."

Technological Limitations: Andrea points out that the lack of advanced technology in the late '90s hindered the investigation, allowing Peake to continue his crimes undetected longer than would be possible today.

Andrea Canning [03:50]: "Between cameras everywhere and text messages and your cyber footprint, cell towers, it's hard to do things now without leaving some trace."

3. Investigative Challenges and Detective Perspectives

Detectives’ Frustration and Guilt: The detectives involved expressed deep frustration and a sense of personal guilt over not apprehending Peake sooner, especially after hearing about Casey’s murder.

Andrea Canning [07:33]: "Imagine the guilt. Not that it's his fault in any way. But, like, you would think, oh, my gosh, if I had just solved it, you know, Casey would be alive."

Relationship Between Investigating Teams: Blaine and Andrea highlight the collaboration between different police departments and the personal struggles of the detectives.

Andrea Canning [07:47]: "He worked the case really hard. He just couldn't get that arrest."

4. Victims’ Profiles and Their Relationships with John Peake

Profiles of the Victims: The three victims—Carol, Maggie, and Casey—were primarily women seeking love and companionship, which made them vulnerable to Peake’s manipulative tactics.

Andrea Canning [12:09]: "Every woman wants friends like that to have that tight-knit group that's got your back."

Impact on Friends and Family: The friends and family of the victims provided emotional insights into their lives and the devastating loss they experienced.

Blaine Alexander [11:26]: "I loved hearing the two of them. They were a talker together. They were fun."

5. John Peake’s Manipulative Tactics: Love Bombing

Definition and Application: Andrea introduces the concept of "love bombing," where Peake showered his partners with excessive affection and gifts to manipulate and control them.

Andrea Canning [08:38]: "Love bombing is where, like, John Peak showered, you know, all the women in his life with cards and flowers and, like, jewelry and. Too much."

Consequences of Manipulation: This tactic created a false sense of security and love, making it difficult for victims to recognize the danger until it was too late.

Blaine Alexander [09:23]: "It's somebody who texts like, good morning, good morning, good morning every morning, or just like, is doing a lot."

6. Social Media Reactions and Public Perception

Viewer Engagement: The hosts discuss various social media comments, showcasing how listeners relate to and interpret the case.

Misha Hackman [20:34]: "I thought this exact same thing when I watched another Dirty John."

Nancy Sorbo [21:28]: "I'm not buying his John's fake crying on the 911 call."

Debate Over Credibility: Some listeners questioned the authenticity of Peake’s emotions during critical moments, reflecting the complex nature of his manipulative behavior.

Andrea Canning [22:00]: "It's so hard when you just don't know the person."

Insights and Analysis

1. The Role of Technology in Modern Investigations

Andrea emphasizes how advancements in technology, such as DNA profiling and digital footprints, have significantly improved the ability to detect and apprehend criminals like John Peake more swiftly today.

Andrea Canning [04:49]: "Between cameras everywhere and text messages and your cyber footprint, cell towers, it's hard to do things now without leaving some trace."

2. Psychological Manipulation: Love Bombing

The discussion delves into how Peake’s excessive displays of love were strategic maneuvers to gain trust and control over his victims, a tactic commonly observed in manipulative relationships.

Andrea Canning [08:38]: "Love bombing is where, like, John Peak showered... too much."

3. The Human Element: Detectives’ Emotional Burden

The emotional toll on detectives working long-term, unresolved cases is highlighted, showcasing the personal struggles and guilt associated with unsolved crimes.

Andrea Canning [07:33]: "Imagine the guilt. Not that it's his fault in any way. But, like, you would think, oh, my gosh, if I had just solved it, you know, Casey would be alive."

Conclusion

"Talking Dateline: Deadly Omission" offers a comprehensive exploration of John Peake’s heinous crimes, the investigative hurdles faced by law enforcement, and the profound impacts on the victims and their loved ones. The hosts effectively unravel the complexities of the case, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of the manipulative behaviors that enabled Peake to evade justice for so long.

Notable Quotes

• Blaine Alexander [01:12]: "If you haven't seen it, it's the episode right below this one on your DATELINE podcast feed."

• Andrea Canning [02:10]: "We find out pretty quickly what the omission was when investigators say you didn't think of mentioning that sooner."

• Andrea Canning [08:38]: "Love bombing is where, like, John Peak showered... too much."

• Andrea Canning [07:33]: "Imagine the guilt. Not that it's his fault in any way. But, like, you would think, oh, my gosh, if I had just solved it, you know, Casey would be alive."

• Andrea Canning [04:49]: "Between cameras everywhere and text messages and your cyber footprint, cell towers, it's hard to do things now without leaving some trace."

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Transcript

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[Blaine Alexander]

Hi everyone. I'm Blaine Alexander and we are talking DATELINE today. I'm here with Andrea Canning. Hi, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

Hey, Blaine.

[Blaine Alexander]

Hey. This episode is called Deadly Omission. If you haven't seen it, it's the episode right below this one on your DATELINE podcast feed. So go over there, listen to it or stream it on Peacock and then come right back here. For this talking dateline, we have an extra clip from John Peaks interview with police after they learned his previous wife, Carol Mar, had been murdered. But to recap, when Casey Peak was found dead in her bed in 2005, investigators turned their attention to a double homicide that had happened nearly a decade earlier to start unraveling what had happened to her. They ultimately learned that Casey's husband, John Peak, had killed not one, not two, but three women before finally being put away for good. Okay, Andrea, let's talk dateline.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's do it.

[Blaine Alexander]

You know, one of the fun things about watching a DATELINE episode is, okay, where does the title come in? And of course, deadly Omission. We find out pretty quickly what the omission was when investigators say you didn't think of mentioning that sooner.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And there were actually two big omissions in this one. Of course, the biggest one was my first wife was murdered along with her friend.

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, huge.

[Andrea Canning]

Your second wife has now been murdered, but also the friend Barry Webb. That's another thing that the police are like, hey, you didn't want to mention that you'd gone over to Barry Webb's house and, you know, broken. Like that's maybe important maybe a little bit.

[Blaine Alexander]

I, you know, I found myself as I was watching this episode, I was just so shocked that he kept being able to slip through the cracks so many times. Right. Like, or at least for the first one, he just didn't really do a good job making a lot of stuff make sense.

[Andrea Canning]

No, I mean, you get caught breaking into, as we said, Barry Webb's house, and then you're saying that you've never been to Maggie Ginn's house, but yet everyone in her world knows that you've been there because you helped fix the vcr. He certainly did make a lot of mistakes in that first one.

[Blaine Alexander]

I have to say, I was fascinated that he didn't move further away. I'm here in Atlanta, so Marietta and Smyrna are literally right next to each other. Like, it's 20 minutes to get from one town to the other. So the fact that after the first murder in 96, he didn't go to Texas or kind of skip town was unbelievable to me that he stayed so close by.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And I think he was brazen and bold and, you know, had a huge ego. I think he was like, he got away with it. And he's like, I can do whatever I want.

[Blaine Alexander]

You slipped through the cracks in 96. But 30 years ago, almost 30 years ago, the technology then wasn't what it is today. There were a lot of kind of bits of the investigation that, had it happened today, he probably would have gotten caught a lot sooner.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. The technology. I mean, for one, it was so weird to hear the detective say that he couldn't find Maggie Ginn's phone number or address.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's right.

[Andrea Canning]

I mean, can you imagine today a police officer saying, well, I have no way of finding her address. I mean, what. This wasn't in the show either. And I said, well, was she in the phone book? And he's like, no, unlisted. So, you know, because then you would go to the phone book. Right. Or you'd call 411. You know, back in the old days, of course, people did things. So it was odd, right, to see that that was an obstacle. But, yeah, I mean, everything has changed so much with technology and DNA. It's hard to get away with stuff now. Right. Between cameras everywhere and text messages and your cyber footprint, cell towers, it's. It's hard to do things now without leaving some trace.

[Blaine Alexander]

Let's talk a little bit about John and his fascination with true crime stories. What was it like for you learning that detail?

[Andrea Canning]

It's something that I hear a lot in Datelines, that the person was obsessed with CSI or they watch Dateline or they watch all these true crime shows. In another story that I did, it was actually part of the prosecution that, that the killer went to the CSI crime experience in Vegas.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, wow. That's mighty creepy. It's a little. That's, that's, that's.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. If you're going to take that knowledge and then commit a crime, I mean, most of us watch it because we're fascinated by it, but, like, if you're going to go that next step and actually put it into practice, that's, that is very creepy.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's creepy. You know, I think that a lot of our Dateline fans who were watching this episode could probably say that John, he messed up a lot of things. And one of them would be kind of the staging of the crime scene to try and make it look like a burglary gone wrong. And I think that initially investigators, Right. They were like, oh, could this be the case? But they were pretty quickly able to see that, no, this, this, this wasn't actually a burglary gone wrong.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And I mean, I would say nine times out of 10 on our date lines, the burglary gone bad theory is quickly dismissed.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

It's always a thought. Could have been. But then a lot of times it's weird. Like they, you know, they make it look like it's a burglary, but then, like, nothing's missing. Right, right. So that, that happen.

[Blaine Alexander]

Like, they walk through the house and just kind of throw things around and. That's. Right. It's the burglary.

[Andrea Canning]

I mean. Yeah. Our date lines so often start out, you know, detectives had to wonder, was it a burglary gone bad? And then, and then it's. Yeah, it's usually crossed off. Crossed off their list.

[Blaine Alexander]

So. Yeah, I want to talk about the two police detectives that represented these two different departments that worked together on this. And I, I loved watching their relationship. I even loved the, the original detective being the one to make that arrest and just kind of like what that meant for him personally.

[Andrea Canning]

He really was affected by this because he couldn't get that arrest. And also that fear, you know, that, well, what will happen in the future? Because I wasn't able to close this case. And you heard him talk about, like, how he would run into him jogging and just kind of pop up and visit him out of nowhere just to see if he could get him off his game. And nothing worked. And so then to find out that Casey was murdered, I mean, imagine the guilt. Not that it's his fault in any way. But, like, you would think, oh, my gosh, if I had just solved it, you know, Casey would be alive.

[Blaine Alexander]

Did you feel that guilt when you talked to him?

[Andrea Canning]

I did. I did. It was one of those things he said that just haunted him. And these detectives carry this stuff around with them, you know, for years. It's sad because it's not their fault.

[Blaine Alexander]

Right.

[Andrea Canning]

He worked the case really hard. He just couldn't get that arrest. And somehow, somehow John Peake got away with it for a while there. For a good while.

[Blaine Alexander]

A good while. I think the hardest part for so many viewers and certainly watching this, it was so frustrating to see that he really did move on with his Life. He got $700,000 life insurance. He married again.

[Andrea Canning]

The thing that, for me, that really stood out about John Peake was he looks like the guy who could be barbecuing next door and, like, you know, waving to you as you're leaving to go to work in the morning. And we, you know, obviously killers look different, but John Peak, he was not some creepy loner. Like, he.

[Blaine Alexander]

He seemed very considerate. Right.

[Andrea Canning]

Like, when getting. Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm going to confess. I had never heard this before. So Liz Cole, our executive producer, wanted this in the show. I always say you learn something new every dateline that you do.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

And for me, this one was love bombing, So I had not heard that term. I guess love bombing is where, like, John Peak showered, you know, all the women in his life with cards and flowers and, like, jewelry and. Too much.

[Blaine Alexander]

Doing too much.

[Andrea Canning]

Yes. And then turns out he turns out to be evil. So, anyway, so I was like, oh, I'd never heard of love bombing. I mean, I feel like I'm up on pop culture, but I guess not. Not on that one.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, you had the phrase, you knew if you want to find a man, you got to get off the couch. Like, you had that one. You had that one on lock in the episode. But love bombing, I feel like, typically, is it somebody who texts like, good morning, good morning, good morning every morning, or just, like, is doing a lot. Right. It's just kind of like maybe that's.

[Andrea Canning]

I don't want that much. You know, you want the person to care about you and show you they care, but not in an obsessive, like, way that's over the top, you know, smothering. At least for me, anyway. That's not my thing.

[Blaine Alexander]

When we get back, John Peake married a total of four times. Two of his wives were brutally murdered. But what about the other two?

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[Blaine Alexander]

Let's talk about the ladies in this episode. I think that, you know, we've talked about them kind of piece by piece, but women really were the backbone of this episode. And just to say their names, we're talking about Carol, Maggie, and Casey, the three victims of John. One thing that I really loved was when you interviewed Casey's friends. I loved hearing the two of them.

[Andrea Canning]

They were a talker together. They were fun.

[Blaine Alexander]

They were. They were. And they really gave you this kind of sense, almost kind of an inside look into what their friendship was like. I could feel that just hearing from them.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And Blaine, I'm sure you living in Atlanta, you're a member of the Atlanta Ski Club, right?

[Blaine Alexander]

That was new to me.

[Andrea Canning]

I said, oh, I've never heard of that.

[Blaine Alexander]

I was like, the Atlanta Ski Club. Where do we ski? I don't know.

[Andrea Canning]

I know I don't know either. Like I, because I'm a skier, I grew up in Canada, so on a ski hill. So when I heard Atlanta Ski Club, then they quickly cleared it up for me that it's much more about the partying than the skiing. Yeah, we'll have to look into them. I mean, you could tell how close they were. Every woman wants friends like that to have that tight knit group that's got your back. Right. And those women, we've all had that, that time where a good friend is with a guy, you know, they shouldn't be with that guy. You maybe try to say a thing or two but they, your friend can't see it. Right. Because as they say, love is blind. But it's not blind for friends. Right.

[Blaine Alexander]

Of course I could tell how just they just seem like such good friends. And then when one of the friends said during the funeral how she looked back at John and said, we're going to find whoever did this and just stared him down, I said, oh, that's, that is a girlfriend right there. Like that is a good friend.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, that was really brave. Yeah, Yeah. I feel like that's something I would do.

[Blaine Alexander]

Exactly. You do it for your friends, right?

[Andrea Canning]

I would, I would stare them down and then I'd probably be scared after that, oh my gosh, she's going to come after me.

[Blaine Alexander]

So I think when we talk about this, I mean this human nature of everybody wants to find love. These are women who are just looking for love. But unfortunately they came across John Peak. I want to talk about that aspect of just, you know, how this kind of desire for love led them to this very dangerous person. Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

I think Carol, I don't know as much about, I mean, I know she'd been married before and did, didn't want to marry again. That's why they were common, considered common law. Casey was more obvious because we were able to talk to her friends. So we really got more into her head. She just seemed like she really wanted a partner. You know, at that point she really wanted to get married. So you can see like John Peak comes along, you know, he's, I mean she thought he was good looking, he had a good job for her. It seemed like Prince Charming had come along and he, remember he came over to a party at her house and so someone brought him as a friend. Right. And so when, when that happens too, you're like, oh well, if he's friends with that person and you meet him, I think for women we always think that's the best way to meet someone. Right.

[Blaine Alexander]

Through someone.

[Andrea Canning]

Through someone. Right. Because then someone can vouch for that person. And so I think she probably was lulled into this false sense of security that a friend had brought him over. And why would you think that there's anything wrong with. Except for when he did tell her, he did fess up that his wife had been murdered. That would be a little strange for me not to say that I wouldn't believe the person, but I would be like. I'd have to sort of wonder, like, is there anything more to this?

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah. I'm curious, as you get some insight from talking to her friends, why she was still able to move forward with him, that she was able to kind of brush that under the rug.

[Andrea Canning]

I wasn't in her head. I didn't know her, but she probably, you know, was like, if he's being honest with me about this, why shouldn't I believe him? I mean, people do have murdered people in their life, you know, it. Unfortunately, it happens. And so I'm guessing that she probably saw him as someone who was going through something really hard, like a little bit of truth.

[Blaine Alexander]

Right. Like she got some of the truth. So it's like, why would I doubt that that was the full truth?

[Andrea Canning]

Right. I don't know. That's just a thought.

[Blaine Alexander]

So we know about his two relationships, unfortunately, that ended in murder. John P. Though, had been married and divorced twice before he met Carol. So what do we know about those two women?

[Andrea Canning]

We didn't find out too much about those first wives. We do have an extra clip from John Peak's interview with police that did not make the show. That gives a little bit of insight into that.

[John Peak]

How many different women have you lived with? 5. How many of you married? Let's see. Mary, when I was real young. That lasted about two years. Then Colleen. Okay, Mary, Colleen, Carol and Casey.

[Andrea Canning]

So four.

[John Peak]

Four, yes. And then semi. Elisa. It's just we're not really living without living together. Besides Casey and this other lady, are all the others living? Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

What a question to have to ask somebody. Are the others living? Right.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, yeah. And his answer? Yes, definitely.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, gosh. They're maybe the lucky ones then. I guess.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah. That whole. The whole section is scary. I think it also just underscores just how creepily manipulative he could be. I mean, Right. Just deceptive to the fact that so many women were trusting him to the point of sharing their lives with him.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Blaine Alexander]

So let's talk about Liza, John's latest girlfriend. I was fascinated hearing from her because she could have very well been John's next victim.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. She was set to inherit some money. I believe it was Coca Cola shares that her grandmother had. So he love bombed her.

[Blaine Alexander]

Right?

[Andrea Canning]

He did the classic John Peak, acting like the perfect gentleman.

[Blaine Alexander]

I'm curious how she reacted when she was talking to investigators and they'd started telling her some of this.

[Andrea Canning]

She was just surprised by so much of it. You know, she was surprised to hear that he really hadn't fully broken it off with Casey, that they were still seeing each other, they were dating. And also, let's not forget that he threw her under the bus, like, as if she was the one who might have killed Casey.

[Blaine Alexander]

It was unbelievable.

[Andrea Canning]

This is a woman who was really blindsided in that interview.

[Blaine Alexander]

Absolutely.

[Andrea Canning]

But, you know, the police don't know her at this point. Right. So you have to think in that moment when a. When a detective is first on a case, they don't know these people. They barely know anything about their histories. They don't know them personally. You've got to, like, do more digging and get more insight into this person, into that relationship, until you can make that call.

[Blaine Alexander]

I'm curious, what do we know about John's family, his friends, anybody in his circle, Anything?

[Andrea Canning]

That was something that we really had a hard time finding a lot about. I don't know a lot about him, to be honest with you. He's almost a bit of like this mystery man to me.

[Blaine Alexander]

You know, obviously, when we kind of get to the end of this, a very big surprise was that he decided to plead guilty at the end. What do you think happened there?

[Andrea Canning]

I think he saw the writing on the wall and the walls were closing in. It's either I'm going to go through two trials and possibly face the death penalty, or I'm going to plead guilty and not be killed. I think that was probably the motivating factor, if I had to guess after.

[Blaine Alexander]

The break, what did one fan tell her dog while watching this episode? We've got your social media questions and comments when we get back.

[Ashley Flowers]

True crime podcasts. There is no shortage to consume. And if you're like me, you've consumed them all. I'm Ashley Flowers, creator and host of the number one true crime podcast, Crime Junkie. Every Monday, we cover a case in a way that's not like you've heard before, because I have built a one of a kind team of investigative journalists dedicated to conducting original reporting, making sure that you get the inside scoop. Listen to hundreds of Crime Junkie episodes now.

[Blaine Alexander]

Wherever you get your podcasts hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds.

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[Blaine Alexander]

Let'S move to some social media. Misha Hackman on Facebook, I thought this exact same thing when I watched another Dirty John. That's what Misha said. Another Dirty John, right?

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, he is absolutely a Dirty John. I watched both seasons of Dirty John and it was such a good short lived series. But yeah, he would be perfect because he is a Dirty John. He victimizes women. He manipulates, abuses, you know, lies to them, gaslights them. I just think he never met a woman he didn't like or want or want to seduce or want to manipulate.

[Blaine Alexander]

What is it with the name John? You also talked about your story John.

[Andrea Canning]

That you John Smith.

[Blaine Alexander]

John Smith.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, John Smith. I know. And also it goes with the guy next door.

[Blaine Alexander]

Right?

[Andrea Canning]

The most unassuming name, John.

[Blaine Alexander]

Exactly, exactly.

[Andrea Canning]

Just a regular, average name.

[Blaine Alexander]

John feels safe. Feels like a safe name.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay. Nancy Sorbo on Facebook said, I'm not buying his John's fake crying on the 911 call. Let's talk about that 911 call. Because he did just to the untrained eye, untrained ear, he sounded devastated. He sounded upset on it.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And then it's funny because Liz Sonity, another viewer, replied to Nancy's comment and said the minute I heard that, I said to my dog, the husband did it to her dog. You know what, Liz, I can tell you I talk to my cat all the time.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yes, but listening to it did it seem believable or a little over the top?

[Andrea Canning]

It's so hard when you just don't know the person. Right. You just don't know what their mannerisms are, how they talk, but probably over the top.

[Blaine Alexander]

Probably. Colleen Ann Carton on Facebook wrote, wow, Banged on the hotel room door. Bravo. She's talking, of course, about how Casey suspected John was cheating on her and she went to the hotel and took matters into her own hands.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. I mean, John and Lisa did not not answer the door. And then poor Casey was escorted out by security.

[Blaine Alexander]

I was just amazed that at first she got to the hotel reception desk and they said no. And whatever she did, whatever she said convinced them to finally give her that room number. I thought that was a win.

[Andrea Canning]

I don't think that would happen now, do you? I don't think they would give the number.

[Blaine Alexander]

Absolutely not.

[Andrea Canning]

Where they just easily give out the person's room number. Not good.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay. We had fans on X who talked about what they thought about the invoice that was found in Maggie's hand when police arrived at this scene. And Tom Largo had a good question. He said, how is someone who is getting the life beat out of them able to hold on to a receipt in their hand? It's a sad question, but it's a. It's a good question. Why do you.

[Andrea Canning]

And why are they holding on to a receipt and she's sitting in a chair, like, holding randomly? That whole thing seemed to me to be very far fetched. And I. And I think the detectives thought that as well. And the. What is so sad. And Layla, Maggie's granddaughter, said it so well. Maggie was collateral, Dan.

[Blaine Alexander]

Sure. Can I just say, I'm so glad we heard from Laila, from her granddaughter.

[Andrea Canning]

She was so sweet, wasn't she?

[Blaine Alexander]

She was so sweet. And just hearing about Maggie as a grandmother just broke my heart, too. I just thought that you did such a good job of showing us who she was. And I'm so glad we learned about her.

[Andrea Canning]

Me too.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

And I love this comment on Instagram from Sotomayla. I never watched Dateline alone. I always have wine in my hand. Also saw someone on Facebook who made a cocktail on Friday. That's fun. How do you watch. How do you watch Andrea?

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, do you really want to know? It's so sad.

[Blaine Alexander]

No, I want to know.

[Andrea Canning]

Usually we like by then because it's on late later, my husband and I are like, we got into bed, we start watching it, and then we, like, fall asleep.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

But like, I've already seen it. So for me, I have an excuse. He does not. And then he tries to finish it the next morning when he's eating breakfast.

[Blaine Alexander]

I love it. A two part watching experience.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

I have to DVR it. I'll DVR it. And then we usually, sometimes we'll watch on Sundays and my husband Jay and I will watch. It's very fun to watch it with him for the first time because he then kind of has these reactions or sees different things. I didn't see, like, oh, my God, that's interesting insight.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

So does Tony, my husband. He's like, whoa, I didn't see that coming. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. She's like, you know, he gets really into it. But Jay, your husband's so sweet. He had the. Didn't he have, like a party for you?

[Blaine Alexander]

He did.

[Andrea Canning]

He did. Fun. And he came to New York when you were like, when we were announcing you were on the show. And I feel like Jay, I'm like, does Jay want to be on Dateline too? Low key.

[Blaine Alexander]

He would do a great job.

[Andrea Canning]

He was so funny because he was like, he was, I felt like he was part of the team everywhere we went, you know, and then they brought him in on the Today show and, and he had the shirt on that he had made with your name at the bottom and orange and like, can I tell you he's a good cheerleader?

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, he. Can I tell you how much he loved meeting all of you guys? He loved meeting you all. He's like, this, this is such a great group, but he had so much fun. And I think that jumping into the Dateline world, like, it's a, it's, it's kind of a family thing, right? I mean, like, you know, Tony knows these things, he knows these stories. So for Jay to be there and just know the team, but also see how things are put together was, was perfect.

[Andrea Canning]

And, well, we're so, again, so happy you're part of the team. And it's been really fun talking Dateline with you.

[Blaine Alexander]

It has been the best. Andrea, thank you for the warm welcome and thank you for talking Dateline with me today. And that's it for talking Dateline for this week. Remember, if you have any questions for us about stories or about Dateline, you can reach us, tw24seven on social media @datelinenbc. And be sure to check out Keith's newest Dateline original podcast, the man in the Black Mask. It's the story of a rising young director shooting a film about a serial killer in a hockey mask, but when a man goes missing near the set, a real life horror story unfolds. All six episodes are available now. Wherever you get your podcasts, Dateline Premium subscribers can binge the entire series ad free. And of course, we'll see you Fridays on Dateline on NBC. Thanks for listening.

[Ashley Flowers]

True Crime Podcasts There is no shortage to consume, and if you're like me, you've consumed them all. I'm Ashley Flowers, creator and host of the number one true crime podcast, Crime Junkie. Every Monday, we cover a case in a way that's not like you've heard before, because I have built a one of a kind team of investigative journalists dedicated to conducting original reporting, making sure that you get the inside scoop. Listen to hundreds of Crime Junkie episodes now. Wherever you get your podcasts.