The Dateline Correspondents' Year in Review: Year of The Cold Case

Summary

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Dateline: True Crime Weekly

The Dateline Correspondents' Year in Review: Year of The Cold Case

Air date: December 25, 2025
Host: Andrea Canning
Guests: Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison, Lester Holt, Lux Lester

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Episode Overview

This festive year-end special brings together Dateline’s all-star correspondents for a look back at the biggest stories of 2025—declared "The Year of The Cold Case." Andrea Canning leads a lively panel discussion on the year’s most memorable true crime cases, focusing on how breakthroughs in technology, persistent families, and sheer investigative resolve led to long-awaited resolutions in previously unsolved cases. The group swaps road stories, analyzes trends, shares standout interviews, and chronicles what was learned—offering both behind-the-scenes insights and heartfelt reflections on justice and loss.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Thematic Overview: 2025 as "The Year of the Cold Case"

• The correspondents reflect on how a remarkable number of old, unresolved cases saw breakthroughs this year.
• Advances in forensic technology and determined family advocacy emerged as crucial factors.

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What Makes a Cold Case Warm Up? (02:29–06:50)

• Emotional Toll on Families: Families don’t see their loved ones’ cases as ‘cold’, and "never give up," as Lux Lester notes.
• Law Enforcement’s Personal Investment: Police often carry cold cases for years and treat them personally (Keith Morrison, 03:43).
• Technology, Timing & Resources: "Two things solve cold cases," Lester Holt remarks: "changes in circumstance... and technology" (05:42). DNA and forensic innovations now enable evidence testing that was previously impossible.
• Funding: Sometimes solutions hinge on "good old fashioned resources," Josh Mankiewicz points out, recalling the Haunted House DNA phenotyping (06:10).

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Spotlight on Major Cases

The Crystal Rogers Case (02:30, 06:50–07:56)

• A decade after her disappearance, her boyfriend is finally tried and convicted.
• "It was more of... a big puzzle and you just start putting more and more of the pieces together." – Andrea Canning (06:50)
• "The answer's in the box... It's always somebody that you already interviewed and discarded," Lester Holt on the tendency for answers to hide in plain sight (07:23).

Haunted House Confessions & DNA Breakthroughs (02:49, 06:10–06:50)

• DNA phenotyping allowed investigators to create a suspect’s image. When published, it was so accurate the suspect fled—and later confessed during a church service (Josh Mankiewicz, 06:12).

Wisconsin 'Raising the Dead' Case (03:57–05:42)

• After decades, police exhumed a body to compare DNA but ultimately acquitted the primary suspect—who remains living in the community, with doubts still lingering (Keith Morrison).
• Police efforts and community speculation form a central narrative.

Missing in America: Nancy Snow (08:04–10:10)

• Daughter’s heartfelt memories of missing mom Nancy Snow delivered in moving clip (09:18–10:10).
• "I want justice to be served. I want to know the truth. I will never stop looking for our mom." – Nancy Snow’s daughter (10:00).
• Panel discusses how disappearances “split the lives of people in that situation into two.” – Lester Holt (10:12).

The Importance of Closure & Bringing Them Home (11:08–12:05)

• Investigators feel their job “isn’t done unless I can say that I’ve been able to bring your loved one home so that you can say a proper goodbye.” – (Josh Mankiewicz, 11:08).
• The pain of not knowing is often greater than finality—“this uncertainty…cannot get it out of their heads.” – Keith Morrison (11:08).

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Behind the Scenes: Memorable Moments & Trivia

Most Datelines by State (15:02–15:52)

• Top states in 2025: New York and California—a tie, with Florida next (Andrea Canning, 15:39).

Overseas & On the Road (16:00–18:36)

• Albania: Josh traveled for the Dr. Schwartz case, spending more time getting there than on the ground (16:00).
• Texas Death Row: Lux Lester interviews Robert Roberson, whose execution is stayed due to new science on shaken baby syndrome (18:02).
  • "How are you preparing for your own death...?" "I'm at peace if it happens, but I'm not ready because I don't think I should be executed when I'm innocent." – Robert Roberson (18:44).

The Lori Vallow Prison Interview (19:38–21:48)

• Keith Morrison recalls: "She wanted to sabotage at every turn. It was quite an experience." (20:06)
• Audience and host reaction: "You cannot be rude to Keith like that, or you will suffer our wrath." – Lester Holt (20:50).
• Lori: "I thought we were gonna be friends, Keith."
  Keith: "Did you watch your children die?"
  Lori: "I was not there."
  Keith: "You did not kill a soul. ... You didn't do any of those things you've been convicted of doing?"
  Lori: "Correct." (21:26–21:48)

Wheel of Fortune Connection (22:03–22:22)

• Both Lori Vallow and Donna Adelson were contestants.
  • "Puzzle was mischief maker, right?" – Josh Mankiewicz (22:17).

The Phantom—A Detective’s Admission (22:22–24:30)

• Detective Martinez felt like “a puppet” after realizing he was misled by the real stalker (23:26).
• Family now advocates for Kristiel’s Law, to expedite digital evidence in active threats (24:21).

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Persistence of Families: Jazzy Pace Case & Beyond (25:59–28:54)

• The Pace family’s proactivity unlocked the key evidence police missed; "It was a risk that they took and it paid off for them." (Josh Mankiewicz, 26:18).
• Andrea shares the story of Ashley Schwam in her Ontario hometown, emphasizing the visceral force of familial instinct ("her sister was screaming at her from her gut," 27:04–28:54).

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Rapid-Fire News: Big Trials & Notable Cases

Heist at the Louvre (30:13–30:41)

• The panel jokes about the French approach to work-life—robbery happened in broad daylight.

Sean Combs’ Trial & Karen Reed Acquittal (30:43–31:44)

• Case details shocked those who long knew him (Sean Combs) and Karen Reed's verdict drew thunderous court applause.
  • “Outside of O.J., that was maybe the biggest trial I’ve seen.” – Andrea Canning (31:25).

Idaho Student Murders—Bryan Kohberger Plea (32:11–33:34)

• Series of admissions in court recounted.
  • “Let me ask you, did you kill and murder Madison Mogan?...” “Yes.” – Keith Morrison & Lux Lester (32:28).
• Strength of the prosecution’s evidence drove the plea.

The Menendez Brothers Parole Denial (33:34–34:47)

• The brothers denied parole, despite surging public advocacy after a Netflix documentary. Clemency seen as unlikely given the current political climate.

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Lighter Moments & Holiday Traditions (35:06–35:56)

• Banter about hosts’ holiday traditions, including watching A Christmas Story and A Muppet Christmas Carol (35:14–35:41).
• Lester quips about “buffing Keith’s car" as a tradition (35:14).
• Andrea: “We just hope that all of our viewers have a safe and happy holiday. One thing you can do is you can listen to Keith reading the Snow Queen. Just search for Morrison Mysteries..."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (by Timestamp)

• On families’ role in cold cases:
  "These are not cold cases to them." – Lux Lester (03:29)
• On the tenacity of police:
  "They carry them around with them. They take it very personally." – Keith Morrison (03:43)
• On DNA-driven breakthroughs:
  "They took the DNA and essentially made a picture of what they thought the suspect looked like. And it turned out to be a dead ringer..." – Josh Mankiewicz (06:12)
• On closure and loss:
  "The idea that you move on from this or that there's something called closure is nonsense. It change[s] you forever." – Lester Holt (10:12)
• On the importance of answers:
  "Part of that getting answers for the family is bringing their loved one home in whatever way that looks like." – Josh Mankiewicz (11:08)
• On the pain of not knowing:
  "The uncertainty is the thing that gnaws away day after day." – Keith Morrison (11:08)
• On journalist vulnerability:
  "It was just kind of like an earth shattering moment of like the realization that I was on the wrong path." – Detective Andrew Martinez (23:17)
• On community reactions to court cases:
  "The thunderous applause and screams from outside... was like nothing I’d ever seen before." – Andrea Canning (31:25)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Theme Introduction/The Year of the Cold Case: 02:21–02:49
• Wisconsin ‘Raising the Dead’ Story: 03:55–05:42
• Haunted House and Use of DNA Phenotyping: 06:10–06:50
• Crystal Rogers Case: 06:50–07:56
• Nancy Snow Segment: 08:20–10:10
  Heartfelt family interviews, grief and hope
• Jazzy Pace Case & Role of Family: 25:59–28:54
• Quick Trivia (States with Most Datelines, Wheel of Fortune convicts): 15:02–15:52, 22:03–22:22
• Memorable Reporter Road Stories: 16:00–21:48
• Rapid-Fire News Section: 30:13–34:49
• Closing Holiday Traditions: 35:06–35:56

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Conclusion

The correspondents conclude with warmth and solidarity for families impacted by loss, underscoring the power of justice (and journalism) when institutions, new technology, and persistent families come together. From DNA surprises to court confessions, the episode offers a compelling blend of heartfelt storytelling, sharp humor, and dedication to truth—making it both a celebration of the year’s reporting and a powerful meditation on the cost and value of justice.

"We just hope that all of our viewers have a safe and happy holiday." – Andrea Canning (35:41)

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For more Dateline stories or to revisit some of these cases, check the Dateline: True Crime Weekly archives or search "Morrison Mysteries" for Keith’s holiday reading.

Transcript

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[Keith Morrison]

You look nice, Andrea. How are you?

[Andrea Canning]

Thank you. How are you?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, I'm fine, but who the hell is that old dude with a weird hat on?

[Lester Holt]

It says as seen on Dateline.

[Andrea Canning]

Love it. There is no DATELINE story meeting today. There are no producers catching up on breaking crime news because it is the holidays. And we wanted to take a look back at some of the biggest dateline stories of 2025. The this year our reporting has taken us from New York to Albania, from Kentucky to the Bahamas, even a haunted house in Texas. It is December 25th. Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly's Year in Review. I want to say hi to everyone. Blaine. Hi. Hello. Coming to us from Oxford, Mississippi Police Department.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yes, the finest conference room we could find here in between interviews.

[Andrea Canning]

Nice.

[Lester Holt]

All right, do not make any statements until we can get an attorney over there.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

No, thank you.

[Andrea Canning]

Josh Mankiewicz from his office at home in California.

[Keith Morrison]

I think it's called a lair, actually, Andrea, the lair.

[Andrea Canning]

And there's the voice, Keith Morrison coming to you from his home office in California. And we have Lester. And Lester has his guitars behind him.

[Lux Lester]

Just reminds me it's time to practice. I haven't practiced in a couple of days.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, well, let's get into it. The big theme that our team noticed in 2025 was appropriate for this time of the year.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

It's cold.

[Andrea Canning]

A good portion of the cases we covered were cold cases. A big one was Crystal Rogers, the case of the Kentucky mom of five who disappeared in 2015. It took 10 years for her boyfriend, Brooks Hauk to be tried and convicted for her Murder. So what do you think, guys? Can we call 20, 25 the year of the cold case?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I actually, I was thinking about this. I had a couple of them. My first of the year actually kicked off with a cold case. And that was, we talked about the haunted house down in Texas. There was also the case of Leslie Preyear and her daughter Lauren, who waited 20 years to bring her mom's killer to justice. I think that with the cold cases there's always this feeling of like hope, but then hope that's snatched away, right? Like time after time thinking, okay, could this be it? Could this be it? And then having kind of, of sit and say, okay, maybe it's never going to happen and trying not to get your hopes up again. So that was something that we kept seeing with Leslie Prier.

[Lux Lester]

I would just say cold case implies that it's something that's no longer active, that gives the impression that someone has given up on it. And you're absolutely 100% right about the families. These are not cold cases to them.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, in many cases the cops don't forget about them either. They carry them around with them. They take it very personally. As was in the case of one of my stories this year, which went on for like 30 years.

[Andrea Canning]

Your Wisconsin story, Keith?

[Keith Morrison]

Yes, the Wopaka story was a perfect example of that. 1992, when the, when the crime occurs, two people are killed. A vicious, vicious attack in the middle of the night. Nobody can figure out why. It was a terrible scene. There was a lot of evidence around the scene, but it was collected in 1992 ways. So for years and years this case went unsolved. They investigated all kinds of possibilities. People who had grudges of one kind or another. People whose character was known to be deficient. The detectives spent years and years and years and years, you know, analyzing every little piece of evidence they could possibly find. And they never gave up on it.

[Andrea Canning]

At one point they even exhumed the body of a potential suspect to compare his DNA with DNA found at the crime scene. That's why the episode was called Raising the Dead. But Keith, police did get a match eventually to someone in town.

[Keith Morrison]

It was a mild mannered, law abiding citizen who lived a couple of miles down the road named Tony Hayes. And Tony Hayes was, you know, they inventively got his DNA by making him handle a big pen when they gave him a traffic ticket. But he was put on trial. He had a very good couple of defense attorneys who questioned the evidence that were, that was brought against him. DNA evidence to show that he must have been the. The person who left the DNA on the body of this young woman and who left a palm print on the door. And the jury came back and found him not guilty. And so he continues to live just a couple of miles away from the other people in the town, many of whom believe in their hearts that he is a guilty party. Quite a story.

[Lester Holt]

The thing cops always say is two things solve cold cases. One is changes in circumstance. People will no longer. They decide, you know, we're not married anymore. So I'm not going to lie for you. I'm no longer going to tell that story. I'm going to call the cops, I'm going to tell them what actually happened. And the other thing that changes is changes in technology. Like now you can test things for DNA that you didn't used to be able to or some kind of forensic technical data off something that wasn't available before.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Sometimes it comes down to money, right?

[Andrea Canning]

Just.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Just good old fashioned resources. So what made the difference in the Haunted House confessions case was DNA phenotyping. And so when I spoke with the investigator, he kind of made the point that he had to convince his bosses, his department to fork up the money to actually go through with that. And it turned out to be the key in solving it. They took the DNA and essentially made a picture of what they thought the suspect looked like. And it turned out to be a dead ringer for this guy. So much so that when the picture was circulated in the media, he went on the run and ultimately resurfaced and came back and confessed in the middle of a Wednesday night church service. Wow.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's talk about the Crystal Rogers case, which is the case that I covered in Kentucky. That was a case where there wasn't necessarily, you know, there wasn't a smoking gun, there wasn't a ton of physical evidence or anything like that. It was more of the kind of case that I feel like we see a lot on Dateline, which is where it's just a big puzzle and you just start putting more and more of the pieces together. I think that's a, that's a very common thread with the cases that we cover, is that they don't always have all the pieces that they want, but when you put them all together, you know, it's enough to say, let's go for it.

[Lester Holt]

You know, there's a saying among cold case detectives that the answer's in the box. You know, it's that when you find out who it is, it's always Somebody that you already interviewed and discarded for one reason or another, or you made a mistake ruling them out and you shouldn't have. And you see these wonderful stories in which, you know, these, these investigators end up retiring, but they're still working on the case. They take the file with them, they copy it there, they're reading it when they're, you know, actually retired and at home and still sort of making calls.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I also think that like determined family members, they're the ones who keep calling, who keep pressing, keep pushing for answers. And ultimately that's oftentimes what makes the difference.

[Andrea Canning]

Josh, you deal with that with your Missing in America podcast, you know, all the time with the stories that you cover. You had a unique Missing in America this year where you went in the time machine Back to your D.C. days.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, she, Nancy Snow went missing in 1980 and she has never been seen or heard from since. But the thing that made this an interesting story for me was that I had this weird feeling that I had met the victim in this case, Nancy Snow. She worked for the Republican national committee in 1980 on their, in their Senate races. And in 1988, 80, I was at ABC News. I was an off camera reporter and I was covering the Senate races. And I had this very strong feeling that Nancy Snow and I had been in the same room at one time or another, at the same briefings or at the same events. Not that we were friends or that I knew her, but that maybe I had met her. Nancy Snow still missing. There was only one suspect. He has never been arrested or charged and, and he's not talking with police.

[Andrea Canning]

Josh, you had a chance to inter her daughters for this story. Let's take a listen.

[Lester Holt]

Your mom wouldn't have wanted this to take over your life?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

No, I don't think so.

[Andrea Canning]

That's why I tried to change and become the mother that she was to me for my kids and pour my love and my heart and my time into them and make mold them to be like my mom because she was so amazing.

[Lester Holt]

She just believed that I was extraordinary.

[Andrea Canning]

And that I was capable of anything. So I think of all the things.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

That she taught me, I think the.

[Andrea Canning]

Most powerful is how to believe in myself and how to love myself and.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

How to be present in the moment and to soak in the life around me.

[Andrea Canning]

I want justice to be served. I want to know the truth. I will never stop looking for our mom.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

It's so sad.

[Lester Holt]

You know, that tells you and I don't think any of us need to have this underlined but that that does show how these kind of events, the death of someone or the abrupt disappearance of someone and then later, it's pretty much assumed that they are no longer alive. How this splits the lives of people in that situation into two because there's the part before and there's the part after. And the idea that you move on from this or that there's something called closure is nonsense. It change you forever. And there is no pretending otherwise.

[Keith Morrison]

And we hear over and over again that actually the situation those young women were in is in some ways more difficult than if they knew what happened to them, knew their mother was killed by somebody. Because this uncertainty is the thing that gnaws away day after day, hour after hour, all the time on the mind, and they can't get it out of their heads.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

One of the interviews that I'm doing right now actually deals with that very thing, this notion of police departments, investigators, yes, working to bring someone to justice and working to get answers. But part of that getting answers for the family is bringing their loved one home in whatever way that looks like. Right. Like bringing their body home, helping them be able to have a proper funeral, a proper burial. And I just spoke with an investigator who truly got emotional. I mean, tears came to his eyes speaking about how important that was for him to essentially put a fine point, finish the investigation, finish the job. He said, my job isn't done unless I can say that I've been able to bring your loved one home so that you can say a proper goodbye.

[Lux Lester]

You know, people certainly want their loved ones brought home, but they also have this desire to know why? Because, you know, we use the term senseless murder and, you know, they are senseless murders. And it's so amazing to know that this story, this ordeal was not forgotten.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

Up next, we're going to talk about some of our favorite interviews from 2025. Also, we have some trivia for you. Two killers featured on DATELINE also were on the show Wheel of Fortune as contestants. Who were those killers? Which Datelines. And also, where did DATELINE visit the most as far as which states had the most dateline episodes in 2025. Think about that. And we'll be right back.

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[Lester Holt]

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[Keith Morrison]

Okay.

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[Keith Morrison]

Hmm.

[Lester Holt]

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[Andrea Canning]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. Common side effects include runny nose, sore.

[Andrea Canning]

Throat, common cold symptoms, flu or flu.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar.

[Andrea Canning]

And redness pain or bruising at the injection site.

[Keith Morrison]

Listen to your heart.

[Lester Holt]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Andrea Canning]

Welcome back and I want to hear what you think. Where were the most datelines shot in 2025? Which states?

[Lester Holt]

Well, historically I always thought that it would be Florida because crazy things happen in Florida, as we all know. But then it turned out over the years like the state that that led the league for us was California. Just because there were so many people in it like we did, you know, the Michael Jackson story so many times. So each of those was a California story. And so like, you know, the, the OJ simp, which we did again and again and Again, so those. Those all sort of counted as stories from California. So I'm gonna say California because it has the most people.

[Andrea Canning]

Any other guesses?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

My money's still on Florida. My money's still on Florida.

[Lux Lester]

I'm going with you. I'm going with you, Blaine.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, here's the answer. I'm here in New York, you guys are in California. It's a tie. New York had four, California had four, and Florida trailed. It was next on the list at number three.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Interesting.

[Lester Holt]

Get it together, Florida.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, so I want to hear any favorite memories, any favorite moments from all of you from the road.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Well, I'd say I went my farthest. I went to Albania for an interview for the death of Dr. Schwartz. We spent more time getting there and getting back than we actually did on the ground in Albania.

[Lester Holt]

That was a great story.

[Keith Morrison]

It was a terrific story. Thank you.

[Andrea Canning]

Any not so favorite moments from the road?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I had to get on a boat. I mean, Andrea, if you are our adventure girl on Dateline, I'm probably the opposite of you, right? I like to have my feet on solid, dry ground and preferably not moving. So, yes, I did an interview on a boat. I cannot swim. But I think that being able to really kind of channel in focus on what we were doing, I didn't feel crazy on the boat. It was the getting on, the getting off that maybe gave me a little pause. But the cameras weren't rolling then, so it's all good. So nobody knows.

[Andrea Canning]

Josh, we have a fun moment of you in Palm Springs driving around in an Impala with the person you were interviewing for the story. The prince, the whiz kid, and the millionaire.

[Lester Holt]

Hi, Barbara. Welcome to Palm Springs.

[Lux Lester]

Thank you.

[Lester Holt]

I'm starting to figure out what my problem is here, which is I'm not LaRue enough, and I don't. And I don't have enough Doraeme. Step on it, Jeeves. Yeah. There's a crazy story happened in the desert outside of Los Angeles. It was a giant con that ended up being a murder. Everything about it was turned out to be lies. I mean, the people were lying to the victim. He was lying to them. He sort of bragged himself into an early grave by talking about how much money he had and how valuable his art was turned out. None of that was true. And so we went out there, and part of the story was the environment of Palm Springs that the guy at the center of this story, Cliff Lambert, lived in. So I went for a drive with a woman who'd been a society columnist in Palm Springs, who talked to us about sort of the life that Cliff led and how that ended up placing him in danger for living.

[Andrea Canning]

So, Lux Lester, you had a road trip of your own down to Palestine, Texas, to interview death row inmate Robert Roberson. Tell me about that.

[Lux Lester]

Well, he's a Texas man sentenced to death in 2003 for the death of his daughter Nikki. Prosecutors say Roberson shook his daughter to death. Subsequently, there's been a lot of research and new science about shaken baby syndrome, and it has caused a lot of courts to pause on some of the prosecutions. Not, however, in the case of Robert Roberson. So I interviewed him a year ago and then again this past year.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's take a listen to a clip from your interview with Robert Roberson.

[Keith Morrison]

Good morning to you, Mr. Hope.

[Lux Lester]

How are you?

[Keith Morrison]

I'm blessed.

[Lester Holt]

I'm blessed.

[Lux Lester]

How are you preparing for your own death, own execution?

[Lester Holt]

I'm at peace if it, if it happens, but I'm not ready because I don't think I should be executed when I'm innocent.

[Lux Lester]

This is a guy who multiple times has come within hours of being executed. And it is, I have to tell you, it's a gripping moment when someone's describing to you they put on the slippers and then they took off the bracelets. And then they walked me here and they walked me there. And trying to imagine what that kind of horror is like is simply simply stunning. But I was glad I got the chance to interview him again. But he is. His execution has been stayed, a stay.

[Keith Morrison]

Based on the shaky science of shaken baby.

[Lux Lester]

Yeah, the court wants to send it back to a lower court and wants them to really look at this issue of why some courts have exonerated individuals who were convicted under very similar circumstances.

[Andrea Canning]

Keith, you had a very big interview this year. You interviewed Lori Vallow, doomsday mom, in prison. Just even the ratings I remember that night were so big. I mean, people were really talking about that interview. We should remind people Lori Valo was convicted for the 2019 murders of her children JJ and Tylee, and for conspiring to murder her husband's former wife, Tammy. And you, of course, met up with her, Keith, in Arizona.

[Keith Morrison]

That was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, interviewing people. You know, when you're, when you're talking to someone who wants the interview to occur but just wants to sabotage at every turn, it was quite an experience.

[Andrea Canning]

Didn't she at one point say, I'm glad we're friends or something? And you're like, yeah, what I was.

[Lester Holt]

On social media after that. And I saw this just wave of revulsion to the way she was talking to you.

[Andrea Canning]

Are you keeping track, Keith? Can we agree on that, Keith? Can I joke with you, Keith? Can we joke? Good one, Keith. You've heard a lot of stuff, Keith, and I'm here to say you've heard a lot of stuff. But what I tell you will be the truth. I thought we were gonna be friends, Keith.

[Lester Holt]

Like, I'm not sure the rest of us would have had that. But, like, to our audience, like, you cannot be rude to Keith like that, or you will suffer our wrath. That's how everybody felt.

[Keith Morrison]

But it was a deliberate strategy that she was employing. She wanted to. You know. And she was also practicing for her court case. I mean, she's a deeply troubled individual, and she'll spend the rest of her life in prison for what she did.

[Lester Holt]

It was great. It was great. And the great thing was you were not fighting her. You're just asking the questions. And she was every second, like, digging herself in a little bit deeper.

[Keith Morrison]

Did you watch your children die?

[Andrea Canning]

That's a really sad question.

[Keith Morrison]

It's a terrible question, and it's one I hate to have to ask, but, I mean, we've been talking about all of these.

[Andrea Canning]

I was not there.

[Keith Morrison]

You did not kill a soul.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Absolutely not.

[Keith Morrison]

You didn't participate in killing a soul. You didn't conspire to kill a soul.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Correct.

[Keith Morrison]

You didn't do any of those things you've been convicted of doing?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Correct.

[Keith Morrison]

She's such an odd person, such an interesting character. It was quite an experience.

[Andrea Canning]

And this brings us back to our trivia question about who appeared on Wheel of fortune from dateline. And can you guess who one of them was?

[Lester Holt]

I'm a. I'm a Jeopardy. Guy. I don't know.

[Andrea Canning]

Lori Vallow.

[Lester Holt]

She was on Wheel of fortune.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And the second wheel of fortune contestant. Any guesses?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Donna Adelson.

[Andrea Canning]

Yes, I knew that one. Donna Adelson.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Puzzle was mischief maker, right? Mischief maker was her puzzle.

[Andrea Canning]

Another memorable interview, Josh, was. Was from your episode the phantom about Kristiel Krug. That case. You interviewed detective Andrew Martinez. This detective was extremely vulnerable about getting something wrong.

[Lester Holt]

In this case, Christeel was being stalked, she thought, by the guy who'd been her boyfriend back in high school. Turned out it was not him. But the only way police learned that was after the actual stalker had impersonated this high school boyfriend. Essentially made him a suspect for a while. He turned out to have absolutely nothing to do with it. And police could not get the search warrant information back in time from phone and Internet companies to identify the stalker. And so as a result, they were led down this path by the person who actually did the stalking and ended up murdering Kristiel Krug.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's take a listen.

[Lester Holt]

It was just kind of like an earth shattering moment of like the realization.

[Andrea Canning]

That I was on the wrong path.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

The entire time trying to track down Anthony.

[Lester Holt]

You were on the wrong path the whole time? Yeah, because somebody wanted you on the wrong path the whole time. I felt like a puppet. This was a difficult case for the. For the police department in Broomfield, Colorado. They worked on this really hard. They could not be accused of not taking this seriously, but they were not equipped and they did not have the tools that they needed to solve this thing in time for her murder. Which is one of the reasons why that family is now pushing for something that they're going to call Cristeel's law, which requires phone and Internet companies and texting companies to provide information on search warrants when those search warrants are legally signed and executed in a finite period of time. Because if you work in a cold case homicide, it doesn't really matter whether you get the phone records back Friday or Monday. In a stalking case in which somebody's life is in danger, it does matter. And in this case, it really did matter, and it might have made a huge difference.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, when we come back, we've got some rapid fire news headlines and some holiday reading.

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[Keith Morrison]

Hey, everybody, Ted Danson here to tell you about my podcast with my longtime friend and sometimes co host, Woody Harrelson. It's called where everybody knows your name. And we're back for another season. I'm so excited to be joined this season by friends like John Mulaney, David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Ed Helms, and many more. You don't want to miss it. Listen to where everybody knows your name with me, Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson. Sometimes, wherever you get your podcasts, Netcredit.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Is Here to say yes because you're more than a credit score. Apply in minutes and get a decision as soon as the same day. Loans offered by NetCredit or lending partner banks and serviced by NetCredit. Applications subject to review and approval. Learn more at netcredit.com partners.

[Andrea Canning]

So families, of course, are always on our minds at Dateline. And, you know, we talked earlier about how, you know, the pursuit of justice. Often the families play a big role in that, not just law enforcement. Blaine, your episode the pin at apartment 210 was really an example of a family not giving up.

[Keith Morrison]

Up.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

We're talking about Jazzy Pace. And ultimately her killer was brought to justice. The family made that possible. It wasn't just the fact that they knew something was wrong about her behavior. They said, okay, these messages that are being sent from her accounts doesn't sound like her. They tracked it down. They looked up the phone number, they found her car. Then they found the apartment where she last was. And when nobody answered, when police weren't listening, they used a credit card, popped the lock, and went inside and found the evidence that ultimately led to, you know, getting the guy who killed her. So it was, you know, there was that line in speaking with investigators of, could this have contaminated the, you know, the crime scene? Could it have gotten the whole thing thrown out? But it was a risk that they took and it paid off for them.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, it, you know, it reminds me of a story that I covered recently in my hometown of Blue Mountain, Ontario, Canada, where a mother was murdered by her husband, a firefighter. And I interviewed her sister Lindsay. The victim is Ashley Schwam, and her sister Lindsey said that there was, you know, they believed this was an accident, that she had her car had slid off the road and caught on fire and she died until she said, a few days went by, and she said it was like her sister was in her gut screaming at her like, something is wrong. And it was so interesting how she described that, you know, this feeling that she had. I've never heard. I've heard people say, oh, you know, something? My gut was telling me, she said her sister was screaming at her from her gut and her instincts were right, you know, that this was actually a murder. Let's take a listen. You gave a very powerful victim impact statement. What was your core? You know, thought that you wanted to get across. She didn't have to go, and it wasn't right. I just want him to pay for what he did. She just wasn't some victim, that she was a sister of an aunt.

[Lester Holt]

A friend, a mom.

[Andrea Canning]

She was amazing. He took her from you.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

He shattered your family. He did. And for me, it was very interesting because, you know, this crime happened three miles from my childhood home.

[Lester Holt]

I thought you did a great job on that story. And I loved the footage of baby Andrea, the TV reporter. I love that.

[Andrea Canning]

Doing this series, I've learned a lot about education over the last few weeks. Aggressively investigating the fatal collision, looking for any clues. Thank you. Yeah, that was the station that I worked at an hour from my hometown in Barrie, Ontario. That was one of my first jobs. So we thought, why not pull out some of the archival footage. Not only that, we got to go back to the station. We went back to the TV station. I got to see couple people who were still working there. And you know what's so nice is that this family, they have a chalet at the base of the mountain, which is where I go home to visit my family at the mountain. And now I've made some friends. I. I wish it wasn't in this way, you know, but I'm, you know, really honored to call them friends again. Just wish it was under much different circumstances. So to the final part of our show. I thought it would be fun to get your rapid fire reaction to some of the big news stories of 2025. So let's start with the heist at the Louvre in October. Big French museum. You know, you'd think it's a fortress in there with all the artwork and jewels, but apparently it's not that hard.

[Lester Holt]

Is there any more proof that you need that the French understand a work life balance in the way we don't? That robbery occurred in the morning, not in the dead of night. Everybody get a good night's sleep and had a nice breakfast. Then they went to the Louvre and cleaned it out.

[Lux Lester]

I'm really surprised they got the suspects as quickly as they did. I guess I've watched too many of these movies where the guys, you know, get away with it. Right, because it's so sophisticated and so brazen. But, you know, they nailed their folks pretty good.

[Lester Holt]

They did.

[Keith Morrison]

I was surprised they got him at all.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, me too.

[Keith Morrison]

Assuming they got the right people.

[Andrea Canning]

The Sean Combs trial was another big one for 2025. A lot of interest in that one as well. A lot of people outside the courthouse every day.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

The details of this man that so many people have known, have listened to his music, have, you know, consumed his liquor, worn his clothes. And for all of these sort of details and things to come out, I think no matter where you kind of stood on. It was just shocking to watch unfold in a public arena.

[Andrea Canning]

Karen Reid, trial number two. Karen Reed, hugging her attorneys tightly. She has been cleared of the most serious charge of second degree murder.

[Lester Holt]

The jury thoughts, if I were in some significant legal trouble, I would hire Alan Jackson.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, he did an amazing job. Outside of OJ it felt like that was maybe the biggest trial that I've seen. I mean, I was sitting in the courthouse when the verdict came in, and the thunderous applause and screams from outside of all the Karen supporters was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

[Lester Holt]

Defendant not guilty or guilty. So say you, Mr. Florida. So say you are. I get asked about that case a lot in airports and by people I know. And I always say the same thing. I didn't cover it. Please call Andrea.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I mean, you mentioned O.J. i think that, like, O.J. it's so interesting to me how there are some cases in which people have no stake but really are invested in this. Right. That's so fascinating to me.

[Andrea Canning]

It is really fascinating. Another story that, Keith, you covered was the continuing story of the students who were murdered in Idaho. Bryan Coburger. We saw a big resolution in that case this year with Bryan Kohberger taking a plea.

[Keith Morrison]

Let me ask you, did you kill and murder Madison Mogan, a human being?

[Lux Lester]

Yes.

[Keith Morrison]

Did, you, Honor, about that same date, kill and murder Kaylee Goncalves, a human being?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yes.

[Keith Morrison]

And did you, on that same day, kill and murder Zana Kernodle, a human being?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yes.

[Keith Morrison]

Did you kill and murder Ethan Chapin, a human being?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

Were you surprised?

[Keith Morrison]

Frankly, no, I was not surprised. There was a tremendous amount of evidence that had been built up. He had very good defense attorneys, very good advice, and. But they seemed to recognize that there really was no way out. I think we put on our story in the kind of leadup period before the trial.

[Lester Holt]

I. I thought. I thought your story was a perfect example of public service journalism, which is, it made it very clear what happened and how strong the case against him was. I mean, felt like that's the reason he took the plea. Like, he's like. Like his lawyer said to him, you're not going to win, and if you go to trial, you're going away forever.

[Keith Morrison]

Exactly. And he's still going away forever, but he is not gonna be on death row.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. The Menendez brothers, that was another case that just got a ton of attention, not only because of that Netflix documentary, but then so many people got on board of wanting to see them released.

[Keith Morrison]

Yes, exactly. And that became such a cause one way or the other. It had taken on a new life and a different kind of life in social media that maybe didn't always comport with the facts.

[Andrea Canning]

We should say things didn't turn out for the Menendez brothers the way that, that they had hoped and that so many of their supporters had hoped. A crippling blow in the brothers fight for freedom. Eric and Lyle Menendez both denied parole this week.

[Lester Holt]

It might at some point in the future. You don't know.

[Keith Morrison]

It may. And it seems a little less likely now after the election of a new DA who is very much opposed an early release for the Menendez Rothers. The. The only avenue for them now would be clemency from the governor. I suspect seems unlikely. And that seems unlikely.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

There are all kinds of people speculating on whether or not that would be valuable for the governor to do.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And.

[Keith Morrison]

That'S a Mugs game. Who knows what will happen?

[Lester Holt]

A Mugs game? Is that what you said?

[Keith Morrison]

It's an old expression, Josh. You're just such a young guy.

[Lester Holt]

You wouldn't have heard it from, from the 1800s from when Mug invented what?

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah, exactly.

[Lester Holt]

I'm, I'm absolutely taking that.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

So before we go, I just want to hear if anyone has any holiday traditions that they, that they want to pass along. That they do.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah. I, I go over to Keith's house and I buff his car with your shirt off.

[Keith Morrison]

That's after we play a game.

[Lester Holt]

He gives me a shiny new quarter. It's a wonderful tradition.

[Lux Lester]

And we had our annual viewing of A Christmas Story this weekend.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, that's fun.

[Lux Lester]

That show only gets better.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Christmas movies. Ours are A Muppet Christmas Carol that is a classic that will never be defeated and the Preacher's Wife. Those are my two favorite Christmas movies.

[Andrea Canning]

We just hope that all of our viewers have a safe and happy holiday. One thing you can do is you can listen to Keith reading the Snow Queen. Just search for Morrison Mysteries wherever you get your podcast and we'll be back in January with new episodes.

[Lester Holt]

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you and your families and thank you. Thanks for all the support all year long.

[Lux Lester]

Enjoy, everybody.

[Andrea Canning]

Happy holidays.

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