The Watcher

Summary

Dateline NBC: The Watcher – Detailed Summary

Episode Title: The Watcher
Host: NBC News
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Description: This episode delves into the mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder of Lauren Giddings, a vibrant law student in Macon, Georgia. Through in-depth investigations, testimonies from friends and family, and expert analysis, "The Watcher" uncovers the chilling details of a brutal crime and the pursuit of justice against a seemingly unassuming suspect.

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1. Introduction to Lauren Giddings

The episode opens by painting a vivid picture of Lauren Giddings, an outgoing and passionate law student at Mercer Law School in Macon, Georgia. Lauren was beloved by her family and friends, known for her infectious personality and dedication to becoming a public defender.

Notable Quote:
“She always wanted to help people. Always.” — Lauren's Friend (04:33)

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2. The Final Days and Disappearance

Lauren's life took a dark turn in June 2011. After a graduation celebration and a family wedding, Lauren returned to Macon to prepare for her bar exam. On June 24, 2011, after a night out studying with friends, Lauren stayed overnight at her ex-boyfriend Joe's place. The following morning, Lauren failed to show up for her studies, raising immediate concerns.

Notable Quote:
“I immediately was like, this isn't right.” — Lauren's Friend (08:17)

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3. Initial Investigation and Alarm Bells

As days passed with no word from Lauren, her friends and family grew increasingly anxious. A concerning email surfaced, indicating Lauren felt someone was trying to break into her home—a sign that she might have been under threat.

Notable Quote:
“Lauren was almost sleeping, I guess, and trying to reach someone with her email.” — Narrator (26:58)

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4. Discovery of the Body

The Macon Police, overwhelmed by the missing person case, brought in Detective Steve Gatlin for specialized assistance. On a hot summer morning, a garbage truck contracted by the police inadvertently found a trash bag containing part of a human torso in Lauren's apartment complex. This horrifying discovery confirmed Lauren had been brutally murdered.

Notable Quote:
“It was like a light switch. I mean, the whole bathroom glowed.” — Detective (19:57)

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5. Identifying Suspects: David and Joe

The investigation initially focused on Lauren’s romantic relationships. David, Lauren’s current boyfriend, and Joe, her ex-boyfriend, quickly became prime suspects. David claimed he was on a golf trip in California during the weekend Lauren disappeared, but his alibi lacked solid evidence. Joe, despite his recent breakup with Lauren, was cooperative but had his own vulnerabilities.

Notable Quote:
“If you look at the email she sent me... she thought someone was trying to break into her house.” — Detective (26:58)

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6. The Breakthrough: Stephen McDaniel

Suspicion shifted towards Stephen McDaniel, Lauren’s quiet law school classmate and neighbor. Despite appearing harmless, inconsistencies in his statements and the discovery of Lauren’s underwear in his apartment raised red flags. Further investigation revealed that Stephen possessed a key to Lauren’s apartment and had access to the maintenance closet where evidence of the murder was found.

Notable Quote:
“He had a certain swagger that he and his team had. I think they felt that they could win it.” — Crime Scene Investigator (37:29)

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7. Digital Evidence and Confession

The pivotal moment in the investigation came when investigators recovered deleted video footage from Stephen’s digital camera. The footage showed Stephen spying on Lauren the night she was murdered, confirming his premeditation and obsession.

Notable Quote:
“The video was him spying on her the last night she was alive.” — Crime Scene Investigator (41:26)

Faced with overwhelming digital evidence and his own disturbing internet history, Stephen eventually pleaded guilty to Lauren’s murder in 2014. He confessed to strangling Lauren and dismembering her body, revealing a heinous obsession with sadistic violence.

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8. Trial and Sentencing

The trial against Stephen McDaniel was a highly publicized event. Despite his claims of innocence, the damning digital evidence and his confession left little room for doubt. Stephen was sentenced to life in prison, set to be eligible for parole in 2041.

Notable Quote:
“His dream was to commit murder and to get away with it.” — Crime Scene Investigator (39:00)

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9. Reflections from Loved Ones

The episode concludes with heartfelt reflections from Lauren’s family and friends. They share their grief, memories, and the lasting impact Lauren had on their lives. Lauren’s sister, Caitlyn, expresses how Lauren continues to inspire her even in her absence.

Notable Quote:
“I would tell her how much I miss her and that I love her and that she's the reason why I am who I am today.” — Lauren's Friend (44:32)

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10. Conclusion

"The Watcher" serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the depths of human depravity. It highlights the relentless pursuit of justice by law enforcement and the profound loss felt by those left behind. Lauren Giddings’ story is one of a promising life cut short by senseless violence, and her memory lives on through the efforts to ensure such tragedies are never forgotten.

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Additional Insights

• Forensic Techniques: The use of luminol in detecting blood traces and the importance of digital evidence in modern investigations were emphasized.

• Psychological Profiling: The episode explored the psychological aspects of both the victim and the perpetrator, delving into motives rooted in obsession and control.

• Community Impact: The case had a significant effect on the local community in Macon, fostering a sense of vulnerability and the critical role of neighborly vigilance.

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Key Takeaways

• The Importance of Digital Evidence: Stephen's downfall was significantly aided by the recovery of his deleted video footage, underscoring the role of technology in solving modern crimes.

• Navigating False Alibis: The investigation highlighted the challenges law enforcement faces when suspects provide unreliable alibis.

• Community and Support Systems: The unwavering support from Lauren’s family and friends played a crucial role in keeping the investigation alive and motivated justice.

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"The Watcher" by Dateline NBC offers a comprehensive examination of a tragic true-crime case, blending factual reporting with emotional narratives to provide listeners with a profound understanding of the events and their aftermath.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Joe Kovac]

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[Lauren's Friend 1]

I would tell her how much I miss her and that I love her and that she's the reason why I am who I am today.

[Lauren's Sister]

She was the first one in our family to go to college.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

Fiercely intelligent and fierce with her opinion. Her phone was off. I immediately was like, this isn't right.

[Lauren's Sister]

Didn't take her car. Didn't take her purse. We realized there was something.

[Detective]

First thing you look at who's closest to her, romantically or geographically.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I said, are you ready for whatever we're gonna see when we walk in there?

[Crime Scene Investigator]

He had a thumb drive of Lauren's. He had all of her pictures.

[Police Chief]

We had a sick individual we had to find.

[Joe Kovac]

There's another level of evil here.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I didn't know who to trust. This happened to Lauren. Who's next?

[Joe Kovac]

It was a summer morning in the heart of Georgia. Heat rose thick and damp among Macon's grand old antebellum mansions as the sweaty morning traffic crawled by. Something in the air that morning. Something off. Maybe just the trash truck. This was a 90 degree day toward the end of June. There was a hot wind blowing that day. Joe Kovak was down at the local paper, crime reporter there. And all of a sudden I can remember the buzz in the newsroom. Oh, this would be big. Big and disturbing. Like sometimes things can be in the south, said Joe. It was a shock. A shock to the system. Yeah, but there's something else about the South. Something sweet, magnetic. It draws people in. And Macon, with its storied history and its cherry blossoms, is its very heart.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

It's slow, relaxing. Everyone here is welcoming, even for a.

[Joe Kovac]

New Yorker named Ashley Mueller, who signed up at the Mercer Law School here.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

You never meet a stranger. I guess in the south, that's what makes it so wonderful and comforting.

[Joe Kovac]

It's where she met Lauren Giddings.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

When we found out we both were from the north, we just instantly connected on that.

[Joe Kovac]

But then why wouldn't she want to connect with Lauren? She was bigger than life.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

She was infectious. I mean, you couldn't be around her for more than five minutes and not already be having a good time.

[Joe Kovac]

She was the adored eldest of three sisters. Youngest Sarah.

[Lauren's Sister]

We would always go on runs together. Caitlin in the middle, she was more like a bookworm. She loved to read academics.

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren grew up in Maryland, halfway between Baltimore and D.C. with her friend Katie O'Hare.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

She was a riot. The things that would come out of her mouth sometimes didn't have a filter.

[Joe Kovac]

Why did she go south to go to school?

[Lauren's Friend 2]

She loved the South. She was a country girl at heart. And when she got there, she loved it. She didn't want to come back up here.

[Joe Kovac]

And Lauren certainly knew what she wanted. Wanted to be a lawyer, but not one of those corporate types or even a crusading prosecutor. Lauren wanted to be a public defender, a voice for the poor and the accused. Why did she want to do that?

[Lauren's Friend 1]

She always wanted to help people. Always.

[Joe Kovac]

And Mercer Law School, perched on its hillside in one of Macon's sweet spots, seemed just right for her.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

She was a fan of Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace graduated from there.

[Joe Kovac]

Oh, well. Lauren found a great apartment right across the street from the law school. It was full of aspiring lawyers. Her next door neighbor was a classmate. Even the maintenance man was a student. And soon she was everywhere. Running in the park, active in her church, eventually president of her law school's Federalist Society. She was hard to miss.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

She showed up in her pink outfit, always pink, always pink, or even seersucker.

[Joe Kovac]

And always with her dog, Butterbean.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Fluffy blonde haired, just like she was.

[Joe Kovac]

And she carried it around all the time.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Always. She basically was Elle woods and Legally Blonde. So we always kind of jibed her for that.

[Joe Kovac]

It was no surprise she attracted a lot of men.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

She always had people kind of infatuated with her. That's how she was.

[Joe Kovac]

Like David. She interned at his law firm in Atlanta. He was 20 years older, but their relationship seemed pretty serious until apparently it wasn't.

[Lauren's Sister]

Being in school is hard, and they weren't living in the same city or anything.

[Joe Kovac]

And besides, Lauren was a flirt.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I mean, she liked attention.

[Joe Kovac]

And she got it from a classmate named Joe.

[Lauren's Sister]

He was more like goofier side and, you know, her age.

[Joe Kovac]

So they became an item. But there was something about David, some chemistry that drew her back. And she gave Joe the bad news.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

Lauren was up front and told Joe and that was that. A little bit brokenhearted on Joe's part, I think so. He really liked her. Yeah, it wouldn't.

[Joe Kovac]

Anyway, at graduation time, May 2011, David was there to cheer her on. It was a big event for the whole family.

[Lauren's Sister]

We went out after her graduation with her friends and got to know everybody.

[Joe Kovac]

And just a month later, another celebration up north, her sister's wedding.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

I did want to say how special this wedding is. Obviously not.

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren was maid of honor. And then back to Macon for the final hurdle, the bar exam. A busy and scary time for a young lawyer to be.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Absolutely. But first, it was everybody's kind of last hurrah.

[Joe Kovac]

It was Friday night, end of June 2011. The graduates gathered at a local bar for one last blowout before hunkering down to study. They closed the bar, went to Ashley's boyfriend's place, Lawrence Ex Joe was his roommate.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Eventually, we just all kind of decide we're going to go to sleep now. I mean, yeah, mind you, there was alcohol involved, so surprise, surprise, right?

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren stayed the night in Joe's room. And the next day, everybody was moving a bit slowly.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I did not see Lauren that morning. I didn't see Joe that morning either. But we just kind of assumed they were in the room together.

[Joe Kovac]

And then it was time to buckle down. All of the friends, Joe included, went off to cram.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Really, you kind of just go into this hole and study constantly and don't really have any contact with anybody.

[Joe Kovac]

So it took a few days to realize no one had heard from Lauren.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

I immediately was like, this isn't right.

[Joe Kovac]

Alarm bells for one friend while another steels herself to enter Lauren's apartment.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I said, are you ready for whatever we're gonna see when we walk in there? Because at that point in time, you just have this almost sort of dread.

[Joe Kovac]

It was photo. It was from that wedding trip up north that set off the alarm. The selfies, Cadio hair snapped. And then nine days later, texted to her friend down in Macon, Lauren Giddings.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

They were kind of, like, funny. So I know she's going to respond to me and be like, oh, my gosh, if you post that online, yeah, I'm going to get you.

[Joe Kovac]

But no response. Was she studying too hard to look at a few photos? Katie tried again the next day and the day after that, and again, no response.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

That's not normal for her and I. We would talk a lot.

[Joe Kovac]

Katie called Lauren's cell phone and her phone was off.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

And I immediately was like, this isn't right. So I called her sister Caitlyn and I said, lauren's phone's off. She has been answering me for days. Have you heard from her?

[Joe Kovac]

No, she had not. So Caitlin reached out to Lauren's law school friend, Ashley.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Her sister contacted me over a message on Facebook.

[Lauren's Sister]

Hey, like, trying to get in touch with Lauren. Have you seen her? Like, let her, can you let her know we're trying to get in touch with her? Like, we haven't heard from her.

[Joe Kovac]

This was Wednesday. And now thinking back, Ashley hadn't seen Lauren since that pre study party. Friday night. Ashley went to Lauren's apartment. Her car was there. She knocked at the door.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

When she didn't answer, I didn't think anything of it. I assumed she was running. I assumed she was studying somewhere.

[Joe Kovac]

So she let it go. But then a few hours later, her.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Sister contacted me again and said, hey, this is an emergency. We've been trying to call her and she still is not answering.

[Joe Kovac]

Now Ashley began to worry. So she and her boyfriend returned to Lauren's place and used a spare key to go inside first. She warned her boyfriend.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I said, are you ready for whatever we're going to see when we walk in there? Because at that point in time, you just have this almost sort of dread.

[Joe Kovac]

It was dark by then.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

We had to walk pretty far back into the apartment to find a light to turn on. Searched her bedroom. She's not in there.

[Joe Kovac]

What they did find was quite puzzling.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Her purse, her keys, her cell phone, her ID all on the couch. Her laptop on her bed.

[Joe Kovac]

As if she'd just gone out for a run or something.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Exactly like that.

[Joe Kovac]

But no, her, no.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Her and Butterbean, her dog, had been at home with her parents in Maryland. So the fact that Butterbean wasn't even there wasn't concerning to us the fact that she wasn't there hours later, you know, that's when it became real.

[Joe Kovac]

Something else occurred to them. Lauren was due to move out the.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Next day, June 30, but nothing was packed in boxes. But it definitely looked like she was getting her stuff together to be able to pack it.

[Joe Kovac]

She'd already told her friends her plan was to move to her boyfriend David's place in Atlanta, an hour and a half up the highway.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I mean, that was supposed to be the plan. That was Lauren's plan.

[Joe Kovac]

Even though some of Lauren's friends thought they weren't right for each other.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

I don't know if I want to use the word flaky, but her relationship with David was flaky.

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren's family called David. He said he hadn't talked to her in days.

[Lauren's Sister]

I remember specifically him like hanging up and then calling back like a couple minutes later like wait, like what's going, you know, like what is going on?

[Joe Kovac]

Back at the apartment, Ashley rounded up Lauren's law school friends, including that ex boyfriend Joe with whom she'd spent the night. Last time any of the friends saw her.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Joe immediately went to the law school to search the law school for her.

[Joe Kovac]

Well, the other friends took a careful look around the apartment. They found some food wrappers and in her car, a receipt from a Zaxby's restaurant drive through. It was timestamped Saturday, 6:08pm the evening after that pre study party. But now it was Wednesday night.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

The Zaxby's was at that point in time four days old.

[Joe Kovac]

So where did she go for a run? Did she have some sort of accident or was it something even worse? Lauren's friends knew she spent time visiting prisoners when she was an intern at the public defender's office. That would make you wonder about some of the people she encountered.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

She encountered all sorts of people. You know, she would visit the jail often.

[Joe Kovac]

Maybe someone took an unhealthy sort of liking to her. And then they remembered something. Lawrence said the night of that last.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Free study party she had thought someone had been stalking her. But we didn't really pay much attention to it because of who Lauren was.

[Joe Kovac]

She was a girl who always had admirers who stood out. Just about everybody who lived in the apartment complex knew Lauren, including of course her fellow student and next door neighbor. And he wanted to help search for her. He asked about window locks. Somebody check her windows to see if they're open or locked.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I think one might have been unlocked.

[Joe Kovac]

Friends also checked Lauren's computer and discovered that her last online activity was an email sent Saturday night. This was disturbing.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

It was an email to David. It was eerie.

[Joe Kovac]

What did it say?

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Essentially that she thought someone was trying to break into her house a night prior. I think she referred to the person being a hoodlum, making hoodlum the ultimate.

[Joe Kovac]

Fear that some evil stranger had taken their friend Lauren Giddings.

[Detective]

We started systematically taking each room and trying to find any evidence that we could using all the techniques and science that was available to us at the time.

[Joe Kovac]

Investigators search Lauren's apartment with a forensic tool that reveals a critical clue hiding in plain sight.

[Detective]

It was like a light switch.

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[Joe Kovac]

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[Joe Kovac]

There is a special torture to being far away when a loved one is missing. Go to sleep that night?

[Lauren's Sister]

No. I basically had the laptop in front of me and my cell phone and kept going back and forth.

[Joe Kovac]

Around 2am Thursday, Lauren's sister woke up their dad.

[Lauren's Sister]

He has 100 questions and I didn't have an answer to any of them. I didn't know anything, you know. Her apartment was empty. Her stuff was there.

[Joe Kovac]

Unable to sit and wait for answers, Lauren's dad packed up his car and started the 11 hour drive to Georgia. Macon Police, now part of the Sheriff's department, looked around Lauren's apartment the night before. But by morning, with still no sign of her, detectives were called in and with them crime scene investigator Steve Gatlin. Do crime scene techs go work on missing persons cases?

[Detective]

Normally, not normally, but this was something that was a little different.

[Joe Kovac]

She was a social animal and she would, you know, they don't just vanish, Right?

[Detective]

Exactly. To just disappear with no trace of not talking to anyone. It was unlike her.

[Joe Kovac]

So gatlin looked up at Lauren's front door. Second floor, left side. Nothing seemed amiss. Out front, a garbage truck lumbered up, but blocked by the police cars, was unable to empty the complex's trash bins. The truck moved on. By then, lieutenant gatlin was in the apartment looking around.

[Detective]

It just looked like somebody walked out and shut the door.

[Joe Kovac]

Puzzling. The day was hot already. A humid breeze scudded across the yard.

[Detective]

When we start coming down the stairs here, that's when the wind kind of hit you in the face. And you could smell something. You could smell a foul odor, a recognizable foul odor.

[Joe Kovac]

Pretty much that was a smell Lt. Gatlin was all too familiar with. He followed his nose to one of the trash bins outside the apartment.

[Detective]

We opened it up, looked in there, and I saw two trash bags.

[Joe Kovac]

He pulled out the bag on top, ripped it open. Typical household trash.

[Detective]

And then I went to the bigger one, which is a large size package. It was a trash bag that as soon as I felt down and reached down and touched it and felt it, I felt like it had had some human remains in it.

[Joe Kovac]

And then, to his growing horror, he realized it was just part of a body, a woman's torso, nothing else.

[Detective]

We started cording everything off with crime scene tape. Even used sheets to put up barriers on the other side of the fence so the news media and the general public couldn't see what we were doing. Because at that time, with this investigation, they didn't need to know yet.

[Joe Kovac]

No.

[Detective]

Just in case, we didn't want to mess anything up if it got out too quick what we had found.

[Joe Kovac]

And meanwhile, better take a closer look at that apartment.

[Detective]

We started systematically taking each room and trying to find any evidence that we could using all the techniques and science that was available to us at the time.

[Joe Kovac]

One of those tools was luminol, a spray that turns blue when it comes in contact with blood. Lt. Gatlin sprayed it in Lauren's bathroom.

[Detective]

And it was like a light switch. I mean, the whole bathroom glowed.

[Joe Kovac]

What did you think when you saw that thing light up that way, that tub?

[Detective]

I probably can't say on camera. I'll clean it up. I was thinking, oh, crap. Because the whole tub, all the way up to almost 2 inches from the top, had the same glow.

[Joe Kovac]

But this was strange. When they dusted for fingerprints and checked for hairs and fibers, they didn't find much at all.

[Detective]

Did somebody wipe everything down? Because you would think you would find other people's fingerprints and things like that.

[Joe Kovac]

This wasn't going to be easy. Police had already rounded up Lauren's friends, and her neighbor didn't want them to know about the discovery. Took them all downtown to record their statements, and, well, they were there. There was a call to our newsroom. Reporter Joe Kovac covered the story for the Macon Telegraph. There had been a body found outside an apartment upon Coleman Hill. Police had tried to keep their discovery quiet, but didn't take long before the news was online. And back in Maryland, where Lauren's family had gathered.

[Lauren's Sister]

My uncle came in. He asked, you know, have you heard the news? And we're like, no, we haven't. I mean, we're in Maryland. Tell us what you're talking about. And he said, well, they found a body. And at that point, you know, it's just hysterics.

[Joe Kovac]

Was it her? Must be downtown. Investigators resorted to method.

[Detective]

Who's closest to her, romantically or geographically?

[Joe Kovac]

Start close, as they say. Close to the victim. But how close? Oh, they had no idea.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

You're thinking about your friends and you're questioning your friends. You're never asking them, hey, did you do something to Lauren? But you're. You're wondering in your mind, can't stop that wondering. No, I mean, who do you trust? You can't really trust anybody, and that's terrifying.

[Joe Kovac]

Police look at the men in Lauren's life. Her boyfriend David, and her ex, Joe. They wondered, could there have been a love triangle gone wrong? Some people react badly to that sort.

[Police Chief]

Of thing, very badly sometimes.

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren kidding's father was on the road to Macon when he heard the terrible news. It was likely Loren whose body they found. And so he went to police headquarters to meet with now retired chief of police Mike Burns.

[Police Chief]

He wanted to identify his daughter. We told him no. And then he was insistent he wanted to identify his daughter. So I cleared the room, told him that it wasn't chief to father, it was father to father. He didn't want to identify her. I tell him, that's not the last way you want to remember your daughter.

[Joe Kovac]

And then Chief Burns told Lauren's father what they found and that he didn't need to see that.

[Police Chief]

He just sort of stared at me, and he said, I agree. And that was pretty much the end of the conversation. Wow, you give a lot of death notices. But that was tough. I mean, I got a son and three daughters, and it was tough.

[Joe Kovac]

But who. Who would commit such a violent crime, dismember a victim, and uncover his tracks so carefully? Like someone had planned it was Killing to satisfy some sick craving. Did you think that morning maybe we're dealing not only with a sick individual, but potentially a serial killer?

[Police Chief]

That was one of our concerns. That somebody, a serial killer, could have gotten off Interstate, killed her, got back on interstate and was gone.

[Joe Kovac]

Yeah, War could still be lurking around town somewhere.

[Police Chief]

That was another concern.

[Joe Kovac]

Meanwhile, Lauren's friends and neighbors were sitting in separate interview rooms without their cell phones cut off from the news outside, answering questions. Among them, the apartment complex's maintenance man, also a law student, who said he hadn't seen Lauren for a while. Her neighbor said he hadn't seen her either. Steven, the law student right next door who helped try to find her. You've been home all week, right? All weekend.

[Police Chief]

And you stated that you.

[Joe Kovac]

The last time you seen Lauren was either last week or the week before. But it's been a few days. Yeah. Stephen didn't exactly look like a lawyer to be. But he'd been her neighbor for three years, had served with her in the local branch of the Federalist Society, so he certainly knew her. But like everyone else, he said he'd been busy studying with Barcraft.

[Police Chief]

We.

[Joe Kovac]

We just work on it and.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

Work on it.

[Joe Kovac]

There were more friends and cops. Talked to all of them. Even a running buddy who joined the party that Friday night at the bar. You kind of hung out with. With her for a little while. I was there with her for probably 45 minutes that night. But he said he hadn't seen Lauren since. Do you know where Lauren is?

[Narrator]

No.

[Joe Kovac]

Nobody was immune from suspicion, even among that group of friends.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

You're thinking about your friends and you're questioning your friends. You're never asking them, hey, did you do something to Lauren? But you're. You're wondering in your mind.

[Joe Kovac]

Can't stop that wondering.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

No, I mean, who do you trust? You can't really trust anybody, and that's terrifying.

[Joe Kovac]

Did that include Joe?

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Yes. I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes.

[Joe Kovac]

Joe, the ex. What did you learn about him?

[Police Chief]

They dated for a couple months, and Lauren called it off. That he didn't call it off.

[Joe Kovac]

Joe told detectives Lauren spent the night in his room Friday night, but she left the next morning. Said she was going to the pool at a local country club. But did she make it there? Detectives checked, and we was able to.

[Police Chief]

Trace down her credit card where she had made a purchase at the same pool.

[Joe Kovac]

And that Zaxby's receipt her friends found. That was timestamp 6:08 Saturday. So they pulled the video. Hard to tell which was Lauren's car and if anyone was with her. Joe, for example. Had he rejoined her? Impossible to tell from this, really.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

No one could vouch for him because we were all doing our own thing. We were all studying it.

[Joe Kovac]

Seemed pretty certain Lauren was still alive and well at 10:13pm because that's when she sent that strange email her friends.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Found on her computer, essentially that she thought someone was trying to break into her house on a night prior.

[Joe Kovac]

The recipient of that email was the man she intended to move in with. David. Now, the detectives wondered if they were dealing with a love triangle gone wrong. Had David found out about Lauren's night with Joe? Some people react badly to that sort of thing.

[Police Chief]

Very badly sometimes, yeah.

[Joe Kovac]

So down at the station, detectives question David on tape.

[Police Chief]

We found a body. We don't know if it's her or not. I just heard that there's some coworker.

[Joe Kovac]

Told me on the way down. All right. So I need your help.

[Police Chief]

You've got it.

[Joe Kovac]

Well, somebody knows something. David told the detectives he was far away the weekend Lauren disappeared.

[Police Chief]

He had taken a golf trip to California.

[Joe Kovac]

Said he hadn't talked to her in a while. So you're telling me the whole time you were going to California, you didn't call her, check in with her or nothing? No. Then you land in Atlanta and just go back to your apartment or house and you didn't even call her and tell her you were home or anything?

[Police Chief]

No.

[Joe Kovac]

If you look at the email she sent me, mind you, the detectives had already heard from Lauren's law school friends, people that she goes to school with. Says that y'all had problems we've never had recently. Well, in March, we kind of stopped talking. And then through May, and that's in her graduation, she sent me an email saying, would you at least please come? Just ask them.

[Police Chief]

But they.

[Joe Kovac]

That's what they. No, I understand that, but. No, but it's because it's never been, like, fluid and continuous. Because when I felt the pressure of the commitment, I just kind of backed off. But of course, they couldn't just take his word for it. They asked David for proof. Receipts, documents to show he was away in California when Lauren was murdered. So did he just hand them over or what?

[Police Chief]

He didn't have them with him. All right, come on.

[Joe Kovac]

David was free to leave the police station. They'd follow up with him, of course. And back at the apartment complex, they found something. But what did it mean? One of the men investigators have already interviewed is about to attract their attention all over again.

[Detective]

I thought that's odd. Very odd.

[Joe Kovac]

And then a discovery in a maintenance closet at Lawrence Complex.

[Detective]

It looks like blood.

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[Narrator]

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[Lauren's Sister]

What was that?

[Joe Kovac]

From the director of the Invisible Man. What's wrong with Daddy? He got infected. And Blumhouse producers of the Black Phone.

[Police Chief]

Something's happening to him.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Can you hear me?

[Joe Kovac]

I can't understand you.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

Mommy, we changing. Daddy, is that you? That's not Daddy anymore.

[Joe Kovac]

Wolfman Attracted by Le Bonhel rated R under 7. 17 out of middle without parent only in theaters January 17th. Loren Giddings Friends and neighbors had spent hours at police headquarters answering questions but getting no answers back themselves. So when police dropped them off near the apartment, they were surprised by quite a scene.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

It was completely blocked off. News reporters were there, sheriff's office was there. Crime scene was there.

[Joe Kovac]

The TV people knew a body had been found. That's why they were here. But some of those had been down at police headquarters, weren't quite up to date. Like Stephen, her fellow law student and next door neighbor. He's telling, you know, yeah, we've been trying to look for Lauren. We've been out trying to find her. We don't know where she is. Stephen seemed relaxed and chatty as he talked to reporters. Until the reporter happens to mention, well, you know, while you were downtown with the police giving your statement along with her other friends, she says, oh, and you know, they found a body. And his face goes ashen. I think he. It says body and then he goes to pieces.

[Detective]

The reaction that he gave. That's odd. It's very odd.

[Joe Kovac]

Lt. Gatlin checked on him.

[Detective]

He was sitting on a cooler outside of our command post. Someone was trying to talk to him, and he just stared. Like he was staring off into space.

[Joe Kovac]

Was it just surprise or what? Stephen had already allowed detectives to bring a cadaver dog into his apartment, and it did show some interest, but it was hard to know if it meant anything. But that, combined with Steven's odd behavior, was enough to take him back downtown to the station for another chat. The question's a little more pointed now. Was you friends with Laura? Yes. Look at me when you talk to me, son. Okay? Was you friends with her? Yes.

[Police Chief]

The every answer was yes. No. Hands on the table. Way to tell them to look at us when you talk to us, Stephen.

[Joe Kovac]

Did you hurt Loren? No. I know this is hard for you to tell it, but it's weighing on you right now, ain't it, Steven? I didn't do it. Stephen didn't budge. He insisted he had nothing to do with the murder and didn't know who did. As he talked, investigators combed through his apartment. No blood, no sign of any trouble. But this was interesting.

[Police Chief]

They found some condoms in his dresser drawer.

[Joe Kovac]

Wouldn't be unusual, of course, for a guy Stephen's age to have condoms. Except Steven had told investigators he was a virgin and saving himself from marriage. Interesting.

[Police Chief]

So the detectives interview him, sort of changed course and says, why do you have condoms? The atmosphere changed a little bit. He got quiet. I guess he was thinking. And then he says, I got him from so and so's apartment.

[Joe Kovac]

An admission that he stole condoms? Yes, he admitted right out of the apartments of two of his neighbors.

[Police Chief]

So we charged him with burglary.

[Joe Kovac]

And, well, they held him. They took a good hard look all around the apartment complex.

[Detective]

This is like a community laundry room for the residents. So it's got washers and dryers in there. And inside, this is the maintenance room.

[Joe Kovac]

They found this other door, a maintenance closet, locked up tight. They used a key, looked inside and found something. A hacksaw with something on it.

[Detective]

It looks like that's blood on each end of the saw blade.

[Joe Kovac]

Where?

[Detective]

Obviously somebody had rinsed it off but didn't do a thorough job.

[Joe Kovac]

But wait a minute. Who had a key to the closet? The maintenance man.

[Police Chief]

He had a master key to all the apartments in the complex. And the door where they kept supplies in the laundry room.

[Joe Kovac]

So did you bring him in for questioning?

[Police Chief]

We brought him back in.

[Joe Kovac]

The maintenance man said he didn't buy that hacksaw and provided an alibi. But by then, the investigators knew the maintenance man wasn't the only one with keys. Because in Stephen's apartment, we found two.

[Police Chief]

Keys on his dresser that stood out. One of them was a brand new key and the other was key with a Georgia bulldog emblem on it.

[Joe Kovac]

They tested the Georgia bulldog key. It was a master key to the complex, including the maintenance closet. And that second key was cut to fit her apartment.

[Detective]

That was a key to her apartment.

[Joe Kovac]

To her apartment.

[Detective]

To her apartment, Yes.

[Joe Kovac]

A key to Lauren's apartment. Why on earth would Stephen have that? They got more search warrants to Steven's place and this time found women's underwear. Test results proved they were Lauren's. And then they found this.

[Detective]

We found packaging for that same type of hacksaw in his apartment.

[Joe Kovac]

It was the same type as the one found in the maintenance.

[Detective]

Same size and brand and everything.

[Joe Kovac]

Now they felt certain they had their man. They cleared Lauren's boyfriend, David and ex boyfriend Joe. No surprise at all to Lauren's friend.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

I never thought it was David. I never thought it was Joe.

[Joe Kovac]

They eventually cleared the maintenance, and on August 2nd, five weeks after Lauren disappeared, Stephen McDaniel, the quiet young law school grad, was charged with murder. He maintained his innocence, pleaded not guilty. And really a crime so awful, a dismembered victim. Stephen had seemed so harmless, had no criminal record. The evidence against him was circumstantial. The district attorney wasn't confident.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

I was worried that unless we had more, that this would be a case where everybody knew that he did it, but nobody could prove it.

[Joe Kovac]

So time to take a harder look at the evidence. A defendant who seems quite confident.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

There was a certain swagger that he and his team had. I think they felt that they could win it.

[Joe Kovac]

But investigators are about to discover something. A certain piece of deleted video. What was it like to see that?

[Crime Scene Investigator]

I knew we had it.

[Joe Kovac]

Do they though? Lauren, Ginny's law school friends couldn't make sense of it. How was it possible their odd nerdy classmate Stephen McDaniel, could do such a horrible thing?

[Lauren's Friend 1]

He was trying to make it seem like he was this innocent bystander and a friend of Lauren.

[Joe Kovac]

When David Cook, who was then the Bibb county da, had taken over, it was already a death penalty case. But he wasn't so sure it should be. After all, they had no evidence to prove the cause of death. And this was a gruesome crime. Yet none of Stephen's DNA was found in Lauren's apartment. And aside from the underwear, none of Lauren's DNA was found in Stephen's place. And the circumstantial evidence they did have. A good defense attorney could raise reasonable doubt, perhaps claim Stephen had been framed.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

He could reasonably argue that the crime scene, particularly his apartment, wasn't adequately secure.

[Joe Kovac]

Uh huh, sure.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

And that other people had access.

[Joe Kovac]

Indeed they did.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

And therefore you can't prove I did it.

[Joe Kovac]

Yeah.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

So there was a certain swagger that he and his team had. I think they felt, not unreasonably, that they could win it.

[Joe Kovac]

And sure enough, Stevens highly regarded Macon attorneys had already accused the state of getting evidence from improper search warrants. I think there were eight or nine searches of Stephen's apartment and Lauren's underwear and the apartment keys and the hacksaw packaging. All of that evidence that attorney Frank Hoag should be thrown out. Did you believe that the prosecution was particularly worried about your challenges? Yes, I did think they were. This though defense attorney Hogue had known and admired Lauren. I was her teacher in a transition course from law school into law practice. In fact, Hoag told Stephen before joining his defense team, Stephen was all right with it anyway. That's why Hoag knew Lauren herself was opposed to the death penalty. So he took it as a victory lap when the DA withdrew it. And then technology. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had searched Stevens computers. Didn't find much, but now they had new software. The DA asked them to take another look.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

I thought, there is no way that this guy committed this kind of murder and doesn't have an Internet history that would blow your mind.

[Joe Kovac]

So he asked the experts to look for anything related to Loren Giddings for sex and violence.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

And when they did, it just exploded. It's obvious that he has a fascination with sadistic pornography, murder, torture, dismemberment.

[Joe Kovac]

Vile. And yet still not proof that he murdered Lauren. So spring 2014. Nothing was certain as Lauren's family and friends prepared to go to make it.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

It's like the rest of my life stopped. It was all about Lauren and this trial.

[Joe Kovac]

And as the two sides were ready to face off in court, with Stephen still claiming his innocence, the FBI probed the secrets of Stephen's digital camera and recovered this. Oh, my.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

The video was him spying on her the last night she was alive.

[Joe Kovac]

He was all stealth. Must have taped his camera to a long stick, said the prosecutor, so he could peer through Lauren's window and into her apartment. Chilling here was a predator in the final stage of planning.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

He was spying in there to see if she was home because that is the night I think he planned to kill her.

[Joe Kovac]

Lauren was right. She did have a stalker. Someone was trying to break into her place. What was it like to see that?

[Crime Scene Investigator]

I knew we had him. I just. I knew we had him.

[Joe Kovac]

Attorney Hoag had to agree that would.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

Have been virtually insurmountable evidence at trial.

[Joe Kovac]

And so in late April 2004, in 2014, Steven cried uncle. He'd make a deal, plead guilty and confess to murdering his neighbor, Lauren Giddings.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

He admitted that he came into her apartment in the middle of the night and that he attacked her.

[Joe Kovac]

Stephen said he strangled Lauren to death, then dismembered her body, put her torso in the trash bin at the apartment. The other remains in the lost dumpster. Over the years, police and volunteers searched for countless hours, even dug up a landfill, but never found anything. Lauren's loved ones, including boyfriend David, looked on as Steven was sentenced to life in prison. He'll be parole eligible in 2041. Stephen, the DA believes, had been planning to kill for a long time and took pleasure in what he did to Lauren.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

It was an obsession for him. His dream was to commit murder and to get away with it.

[Joe Kovac]

Had he almost succeeded, had the police not turned up to check out what was then a missing persons case, had their cars not prevented a garbage truck from picking up the bin outside the.

[Crime Scene Investigator]

Apartment, the body would have never been discovered, and we never would have captured Stephen McDaniel and we never would have gotten justice.

[Joe Kovac]

And now, memories of a friend's last party.

[Lauren's Friend 2]

I remember hugging her, saying bye.

[Joe Kovac]

In retrospect, does it matter now that you did that, that you hugged her? Oh, absolutely. Memories for a family of a daughter and sister who love to run.

[Lauren's Sister]

I'm happy when I think about her. When I run, it pushes me to run farther. My daughter is named Lauren Magnolia, after Lauren.

[Joe Kovac]

Memories of a vibrant woman, fully alive. Lauren Giddings.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

I would tell her how much I miss her and that I love her.

[Joe Kovac]

Her.

[Lauren's Friend 1]

And that she's the reason why I am who I am today. I would tell her, thank you.

[Advertiser]

Now is your time to get into a new Dr. Horton home by taking advantage of their national red tag sales event going on right now through January 19th. Stop by any of their participating communities and find select red tag homes at Incredible Pricing. So whether you're buying your first home or looking for an upgrade, you don't want to miss the red tag sales event going on right now. Discover the Dr. Horton [e-mail] that's Dr. Horton.com. Dr. Horton, America's builder and equal housing opportunity builder.