The Unlikely Suspect

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fifteen: Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders

Episode 4: The Unlikely Suspect
Host: Erin Moriarty (CBS News/48 Hours)
Date: September 17, 2025

---

Episode Overview

This episode of "Fifteen: Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders" centers on the crucial police interview that led investigators to an unexpected suspect in the brutal murder of Claudia Maupin and Chip Northup in Davis, California in 2013. The episode walks listeners through the psychological tactics used in Daniel Marsh’s interrogation, the shocking confessions that unfolded, and the profound implications for law enforcement and the community.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Setting the Scene: The Unlikely Suspect

• Background: Chip Northup and Claudia Maupin were murdered in their home. The case went cold for months, with no physical evidence or clear leads (01:24).
• Turning Point: Investigators eventually focus on Daniel Marsh, a 15-year-old boy from the victims' neighborhood. He is brought in for questioning at age 16, two months after the murders (01:51).

The Interrogation: Building Rapport and Uncovering Trauma

• Miranda Rights & Interrogation Setup: Daniel is read his rights and waives counsel; California law allows questioning minors without parental presence in certain cases (01:51).
• Rapport-Building:
  • FBI Special Agent Chris Campion and Detective Ariel Panetta open with questions about Daniel’s life, school, and family to build trust and put him at ease (03:00–04:44).
  • Daniel reveals early stressors: parental divorce, mother’s affair, depression, and use of marijuana to cope (03:32).

"Honestly, I smoke pot...it's just kind of, you know, a little bit of a relief temporarily."
— Daniel Marsh (03:32)

• Family Dysfunction: Daniel discusses his mother’s departure and affair, father’s addiction to painkillers, and his own struggle with self-harm and eating disorders (07:57–13:04).

Psychological Approach: Understanding Dark Fantasies

• Agent Campion’s Strategy:
  • Campion uses empathy and attempts to normalize Daniel's feelings by referencing trauma in others, such as combat veterans (09:15).
  • The agent suggests that people driven to commit violent acts often feel isolated with their thoughts and compulsions, paving the way for Daniel to open up (11:26–12:02).

"I tried to reassure him that I had talked to other people who have had these kind of very dark thoughts and fantasies..."
— Chris Campion (11:26)

• Daniel's Confessions of Obsession:
  • Daniel admits to compulsive, violent thoughts and an attraction to gore, horror, and death (17:44–21:30).
  • His public Tumblr account is full of disturbing violent content, which Campion identifies as atypical for a teenager (18:04–18:32).

"There were all sorts of images... The common theme was gore and violence and death."
— Chris Campion (18:04)

Tension Rises: Denial Begins to Crack

• Direct Accusation:
  • Nearly three hours in, Campion begins to confront Daniel with evidence and suspicion (20:41).
  • Daniel repeatedly denies involvement, claiming compassion and care for others (20:58).

"I'm a compassionate, affectionate person... I care about people. I don't want to hurt them."
— Daniel Marsh (20:58)

• Forensic Pressure:
  • Daniel is asked for a DNA sample and to remove his boots, which he realizes may be evidence from the crime (24:15–26:08).

The Confession: Chilling Detail

• Walls Closing In:
  • As the evidence mounts and escape seems impossible, Daniel begins to break down (27:07–27:40).

"You guys are threatening me with... The truth? With getting arrested for two murders? I am so escaped right now."
— Daniel Marsh (27:07)

• Admission of Violent Fantasies:
  • Daniel admits to intrusive thoughts and long-standing murderous fantasies (28:07).

"Every time I look at someone in my mind, I see flashes of images of me killing them in numerous ways..."
— Daniel Marsh (28:07)

• Step-by-Step Confession:
  • Daniel describes scouting the neighborhood, choosing his victims at random after finding an open window, and entering the Northup/Maupin home (29:27–30:01).
  • He details standing over the couple, feeling excited, and then stabbing them repeatedly as they slept, ultimately inflicting 128 wounds (31:11).
  • He describes post-mortem mutilation, acting as if in a trance and feeling “amazing”, “happiness and adrenaline and dopamine” (32:22).

"I'm not gonna lie. It felt amazing... It was pure happiness and adrenaline and dopamine, just all of it rushing over me..."
— Daniel Marsh (32:22)

• Practical Aftermath:
  • Daniel guides officers to where he disposed of evidence and admits to keeping his jacket as a memento, showcasing a lack of remorse and chilling detachment (33:37).

Aftermath: Law Enforcement Reflection

• Campion's Assessment:
  • Campion, visibly affected, states Daniel was the most dangerous suspect he ever interviewed (32:54).
  • Notes that Daniel appeared to look forward to being a serial killer, misinterpreting his progress as moving toward more crime (15:02–15:23).

"In my mind... I’m thinking he’s looking forward to being a serial killer."
— Chris Campion (15:02)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 03:32 | Daniel Marsh | "Honestly, I smoke pot...it's just kind of, you know, a little bit of a relief temporarily." | | 09:15 | Chris Campion | "They just want the pain to stop...they need the refuge." | | 11:26 | Chris Campion | "I tried to reassure him that I had talked to other people who have had these kind of very dark thoughts and fantasies..." | | 18:04 | Chris Campion | "There were all sorts of images... The common theme was gore and violence and death." | | 20:58 | Daniel Marsh | "I'm a compassionate, affectionate person... I care about people. I don't want to hurt them." | | 27:07 | Daniel Marsh | "You guys are threatening me with... The truth? With getting arrested for two murders? I am so escaped right now." | | 28:07 | Daniel Marsh | "Every time I look at someone...I see flashes of images of me killing them in numerous ways." | | 31:11 | Daniel Marsh | "Made sure they were both dead. And then I just kind of kept stabbing their dead bodies. Don't know why. I just felt right..." | | 32:22 | Daniel Marsh | "I'm not gonna lie. It felt amazing... It was pure happiness and adrenaline and dopamine, just all of it rushing over me..." | | 33:37 | Daniel Marsh | "Just kind of a little memento and a constant reminder what happened, just so I can see it and kind of have a relive." |

---

Timeline of Important Segments

• [01:24] Daniel Marsh is brought in for questioning
• [03:32] Daniel discusses self-medication for depression/anxiety
• [07:08] Agent Campion joins the interrogation
• [11:26] Campion outlines interrogation strategy
• [18:04] Tumblr account and obsession with gore detailed
• [20:58] Daniel’s initial denial
• [24:15] DNA sample and boots examined
• [27:07] Daniel begins to emotionally unravel
• [28:07] Confesses to violent thoughts/fantasies
• [29:27–32:22] Confession to the murder and mutilation
• [33:37] Keeps murder jacket as a souvenir

---

Episode Tone and Themes

The episode is marked by a calm and methodical law enforcement approach to understanding a disturbed mind, with the host and agent narrating complex psychological and investigative tactics. The confessions are relayed in a detached, chillingly candid tone by Daniel Marsh; the investigators respond without emotional display, underscoring the horror through restraint rather than sensationalism.

---

Summary Takeaways

• The episode offers an inside look at how seasoned investigators approach, probe, and ultimately break through the defenses of an unlikely suspect.
• It exposes the complexity of juvenile homicide investigations, especially where psychological illness and violent fantasy collide.
• Daniel Marsh’s confessions are both shocking and deeply unsettling, forcing law enforcement and listeners alike to confront the reality of what lurks behind seemingly ordinary facades.
• Agent Chris Campion’s interview strategy emphasizes rapport, patience, and psychological insight, driving home how criminal investigations can hinge on methodical, empathic communication rather than aggression or accusation.
• The episode concludes with a promise that there is yet more to learn about this chilling case, setting the stage for a deeper legal and psychological exploration in future episodes.

Transcript

[Narrator/Interviewer]

You walk in tired and hungry, one bad dinner away from losing it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You don't like to cook.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

You don't want more takeout.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You just want something good.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

That's why there's Dish by Blue Apron. Pre made meals with at least 20 grams of protein and no artificial flavors or colors. From fridge to fork in five minutes or less. Keep the flavor. Ditch the subscription. Get 20% off your first two orders with code APRON20. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Come to DSW for the shoes.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Stay for the fun.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Because let's be honest, if shoe shopping isn't fun, are you even doing it right?

[Narrator/Reporter]

So go ahead, try something new.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Try something different, good different.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Try something that feels like you, you.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Know, the real you. And then definitely brag about it later.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Because at dsw, you've got unlimited freedom to play.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Find the shoes that get you at.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Prices that get your budget at DSW stores [e-mail] let us surprise you before we begin. Just a trigger warning. The following episode does include mentions of graphic physical violence and suicide. So please listen with care.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Hey, so basically you're in a police department. Okay? So I have to read this stuff to you. Okay. You understand? Yeah. All right.

[Narrator/Reporter]

On June 17, 2013, almost two months after Chip Northup and Claudia Moppa were found dead inside the safety of their bedroom, investigators asked the police officer who worked at Daniel Marsh's school to bring the teenager into the station.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

You have the right to remain silent. You understand? Yes. Anything you say maybe is against you in court. You understand? Yep.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel would be questioned alone, even though he had just turned 16. California law states that minors can be questioned without parents present. Enforcement has reasonable belief that they were involved in a crime. At no point did Daniel request his parents presence. When the officer read him his Miranda rights, Daniel waived his right to an attorney. And then Detective Ariel Panetta began the interview.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Hey, man, I'll sit right here, okay? I'll sit right here for you. Hi, ma'. Am. I'm all right.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel was a little scruffy with long blond hair. Thin and wiry. He looked like a regular teenager. A little jittery and awkward.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

And student. Yeah, at the high school. What year are you? I'm going into my junior year.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Officer Panetta told Daniel why they had asked him to come to the station.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

You may notice, but we have an investigation going on in Davis in regards to some murders and information indicating you may know about it or you have some information as well. So that's why I'm Here to ask you about that. Okay. So. Okay.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But instead of questioning Daniel about the murders, Detective Panetta started with the basics. School, friends, family. Daniel told the detective that his life was stressful.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

How have you been able to deal with some of that stress? Honestly, I smoke pot. Okay. Like I don't do it for any other reason than to deal with my depression and my anxiety and all this. Like that. Please. It's just kind of, you know, a little bit of a relief temporarily. Like for a little bit I can just relax. Everything's all right right now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You know, it was actually Daniel who first brought up Chip and Claudia. He was telling Detective Panetta about his parents divorce.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

So you dad moved down to South Davis. You said house. Apartment. Yeah, it was an apartment. Ok. What was he after? I don't remember. I know that it was like, I think they were neighbors with the people who got killed. Okay. Because I know like they were either next door or within like a few houses of theirs.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel told the detective that within a week after the murders, his father had moved out of the neighborhood.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Well, it freaked him out, you know, I mean, you wake up and you find like the people next to you are dead. It's like, wow, that could have been us. You know, I guess it's just kind of scary in a way. It's spooky. Like you want to just get out of there.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That was the perfect opening for Panetta and you.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

So you do know about the, the murders that were investigating it and launched it. I mean, with Davis, when something like that happens here, it's like, holy crap. Everybody knows about it and hears about it. Tell me what you know about it. Um, I think they were like an elderly couple or something. I know that somebody broke in and like stabbed these two people, but I don't really know anything else.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But as law enforcement officers questioned Daniel over the next five hours, they learned he knew quite a bit more than that. I'm 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty and this is 15 Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders. Episode four the unlikely suspect what was your reaction when you heard that the main suspect was a 15 year old boy?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

It shocked me.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Special Agent Chris Campion worked in the FBI's Behavioral Unit. The Davis Police Department had asked for his help the night before their sit down with Daniel Marsh. About an hour into the interview, Campion opened the door to the room.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I walked into the interview room and introduced myself and sat down and started talking to him.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Hi. Hi. You must be Daniel. Yeah. I'm Chris Campion. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I'm from the FBI.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I spoke with Special Agent Campion in 2018, five years after he questioned Daniel. Daniel was no ordinary suspect, and I wanted to hear more about how he approached the interview.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We had pretty good evidence, probable cause evidence, but certainly not enough to arrest him there and then.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And your then hope is to get him to admit what he did?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Of course, that's our goal. At the same time, though, teams are searching his mother's house, where he lived most of the time, searching his father's house, where he was at some of the time, and some other locations that they were trying to gather other evidence at the same time.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Campion started the conversation by asking Daniel about his family.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Dad and mom split when you were pretty young. Yeah. Wow. And then mom basically left, abandoned you or your family? Yeah, for like, three or four months, and she just kind of randomly turned up again.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Campion then got Daniel to confirm something his friend Alvaro had already told the police. Daniel said that his parents divorced after his mother had an affair with a woman.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

It was actually my kindergarten teacher. Wow. Yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In the interview, you're not just asking him about the crime at all. You're starting just talking to him. What's the purpose of the beginning of the interview?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Well, in any law enforcement interview or any interview, you try to get some rapport going to make the person feel at ease.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Right.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

And so that's what we tried to do in these cases. And, of course, during that time, you get to know the person a little bit. I like to try to drop a few hints and some themes that I might come back to later on.

[Narrator/Reporter]

One of those themes Campion wanted to pursue was trauma. He guessed that Daniel might relate to. Hearing about how people struggle like Daniel did with mental health, doing the kind.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Of work that I do there is. I see a lot of people who have had lives that are just devastating, devastated by all sorts of different things. And the refuge is the key, and we all do that. I mean, from combat veterans in Afghanistan and Iraq who come back and they have these nightmares and they're haunted and PTSD and stuff. Ptsd, right. We see those, and we see them do just some horrible things because they just want the pain to stop. They want the. They need the refuge. They need someplace to go where they can feel something besides what they're feeling. Does that make sense to you? Yeah. It's a way to escape, get some temporary relief. Right. Temporary relief from the hell that they're living in. Does that sound kind of familiar to you? Yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Campion Spoke gently with Daniel and thought he had struck a chord with the teenager. Daniel perked up as Special Agent Campion talked about the psychology of criminals and his mission in law enforcement to heal people.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

And not necessarily just the victims, but the people who do these horrendous things. What the public perceives as the horrendous things.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, they agreed that people might do horrible things, but that doesn't make them horrible people.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

That's not what they planned on for their lives. Right, but why did you get there? How did you get there? And I ask them, you know, and they. They're sometimes very honest and they say, chris, it's just, I can't not do it. I can't not have it. It's what I think about all the time. Hmm. Sounds like it might be a form of ocd. It's an obsession for sure, and it's a compulsion because they can't not do it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Campion's approach to questioning fascinated me. I asked him where he was going with it.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Well, the biggest theme with Daniel that I suspected is that he didn't feel like anybody else could understand what was going on in his head, that he thought that he was unique, that nobody else felt like this. And so I tried to reassure him that I had talked to other people who have had these kind of very dark thoughts and fantasies, and that I wasn't going to look at him like he was an evil, terrible person that I could understand, try to understand what was going on in his interior life, in his thoughts.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel was opening up more and more. Campion learned that Daniel's father suffered from back and neck injuries.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

How does he get along? I mean, that's got to be constant pain. Yeah, not very well. Makes him pretty irritable, doesn't help with his temper, but he's on a lot of painkillers. So does he look like one of those guys that. We have so many in our society right now, Dan, that just are kind of addicted? Like Brett Favre, a football player? Would you say that that's. I say that both my parents are addicted to painkillers.

[Narrator/Reporter]

According to Daniel, there was one point when he and his sister had to take care of their mom when she was diagnosed with a disease affecting the nerves in her face.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

She has fibromyalgia and trigeminal neuralgia, and she might have ms, they're not sure yet.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel coped with his parents behavior, he said, by slowly trying to starve himself. Ultimately, he checked into an eating disorder clinic for 25 days. But after treatment he still sought other ways to. To harm himself.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Kind of see his car, too, there. Yeah. Yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

At that point, Special Agent Campion leaned forward to have a closer look. Daniel extended his arm.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I've attempted suicide in the past. Those aren't suicide attempts. So that's something different. No, not at all. Those are that. But, hey, what? No, this doesn't have anything to do with the suicide attempts. Okay?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel told Campion that his parents never found out about those attempts on his own life. At the time of the police interview, Daniel had just turned 16. He had spent much of the conversation with Special Agent Campion discussing the many problems in his life. But he also told him that his outlook on life had started to improve somewhat when he began to take antidepressant and antipsychotic medication.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Yeah, got to the point where I actually wake up in the morning and I want to be alive, you know, like, if I want to experience what life has, you know, I mean, I'm 16. I've just started. Got my whole life ahead of me. Experience all the things that they already experience.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But Campion didn't see this revelation quite the same way Daniel did. He didn't think Daniel Marsh was actually getting better or healthier. Campion had reached a far more chilling conclusion.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Well, to the casual observer, you might think he's just, you know, he's getting through his depression and, you know, this is a good thing. He's looking forward to a life of doing positive things. In my mind, as I'm listening to that, I'm thinking he's looking forward to being a serial killer.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You're actually thinking that, and why are you getting that?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

When I worked with the profilers on analyzing this case, and they've taught this to people such as myself, FBI agents out in the field for years, these people are fantasy driven. The people who commit a crime, like we saw in the crime scene photos of this double murder, they're motivated by a fantasy. Their interior life is completely obsessed with this fantasy that he has. And Daniel's, we find out later, is about death and mutilation and murder and gore. And so I knew that that was going on in his mind. So that's why I felt pretty confident he was talking about looking forward to his future as a criminal. This is what gave him pleasure. This is what gave him meaning in his life. This is what really thrilled him. And he found that and could leave the depression behind. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN. You try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

What exactly are you guys trying to get from me?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel had asked. What exactly are you guys trying to get from me? Close to two hours into questioning, FBI Special Agent Campion revealed concerns over some of Daniel's online postings.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

People who are much more tech savvy than me because I'm just an old guy, I don't know anything about anything. Found this thing called Tumblr. And your Tumblr page, is that the right term? Yeah, yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel had an account on Tumblr. It's a blogging platform where users can share videos, pictures or text posts. Daniel's page was public, but under a pseudonym on it, he had curated and saved a series of unsettling images.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

There were all sorts of images, like Iraq war deaths, you know, roadside bomb aftermath, sniper killings, horror movies, you know, Hollywood type horror movie images all mixed together. Crime scene photographs from different types of violent crimes. So we had a little bit of everything, but it was. The common theme was gore and violence and death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How unusual is that for a 16 year old?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Very, I think, very unusual for any age, quite frankly. It's not a focus or an obsession with most people.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Campion kept patiently probing. He needed to understand why Daniel focused so much on gore and violence.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I wonder if it's a refuge for you, Dan. In a way, kind of is. Got a dark, screwed up sense of humor and actually a lot of that stuff makes me laugh when I see it and I don't know, not a lot of stuff makes me laugh. And so it's like I like horror movies and it's just, it's the same thing as a horror movie, only it's real. I don't have any connection to whoever it happened to. That doesn't really bother me. Right. So. And it's kind of like the cutting. It's a feeling, right? Yeah, seriously, like it makes me feel something. And I've just always kind of been into darker stuff.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Darker stuff that would spook. Most people seemed to thrill Daniel.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I don't know, it makes me kind of like shocked and I don't know, I'm fascinated with anatomy and so like you can see what happened to them and how warped their Bodies are. And just kind of fascinating to think, like, what could have done that? How did that happen? Why did that happen? Just, how did this all come to play? And, I don't know, sometimes they'll be, like, in a funny pose or something. They'll just look stupid, and so they'll giggle at it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Finally, Agent Campion got to the point of the long interview and directly brought up why Daniel was being asked all these questions. The tips they received that he had killed Chip and Claudia.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

That you were there, that you did those murders. Me? Mm. That's ridiculous. Why is it ridiculous? I'm a kid. No, that's. Well, like, I don't. I don't hurt people. Like, you can ask anyone around me. I'm a compassionate, affectionate person. I care about people. I don't. When I hurt them. I mean, yeah, they piss me off sometimes, and they do some messed up shit, but I care about people.

[Narrator/Reporter]

What were you thinking at that point? I mean, I found him kind of convincing. Did you?

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

At all?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

No, I did not. At that point, I mean, what would.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The normal, innocent person do?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Are you kidding me? You think I murdered those people? Absolutely not. That's ridiculous. You really think it's me? Something like that.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The FBI agent had just confronted Daniel with the reason they had brought him in. They had evidence that Daniel committed the murders. Now Campion had to get Daniel to admit it.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I see you as a person who has a need. You have a big need. You have a need for a refuge. Maybe more than anybody I've ever run across. And at age 16. Just 16. That's remarkable. I don't know if that's a good thing. Probably not. But it is an unusual thing to see, to meet a person like you, Dan, who has been sent through some of the things you have and has this need, the compulsion, I think. The need to do something, to feel. Well, yeah, but I don't hurt people.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Over and over again, Daniel continued to deny that he could have killed anyone.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I don't want to kill anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone. The person who did this will do it again. I have no doubt about it. They can't not. It's the inside obsession. It's the compulsion. Well, then maybe that's where you'll find your guy. Sir. It's not me.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Almost three hours had passed in the interview room. It was a standoff. Special Agent Campion stepped out of the room. Daniel cracked his knuckles and wiped his face with a tissue. When Campion returned, he was holding a DNA swab Kit.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I'd like to take your DNA to check it against things that have been found at the crime scene. Pretty much standard CSI kind of stuff. Any problem with that? Okay.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Special Agent Campion asked Daniel to remove his boots. Then he again asked Daniel about the elderly couple who had lived near his father.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Have you ever been inside of that house? No. Either when they were there or when they weren't there. With. I went in once when we first moved there. Okay. What were the circumstances of that? Neighbors meeting neighbors. It was just kind of a welcome thing.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You know, Daniel said that he had been to Chip and Claudia's house once when his father first moved to the community. It was just a, quote, welcome thing, neighbors meeting neighbors. But it turned out that Daniel knew quite a lot about Chip and Claudia's home. He had actually been invited inside with his father two years earlier.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

They showed us around. I went in the kitchen, in the living room. She knew me. She made their bedroom. Shouldn't use their bathroom. At one point, I think. I don't know. It was a long time ago.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He was planting the. In the contingency that there was DNA evidence there. He was planting the thought that maybe that could have been the reason.

[Narrator/Reporter]

As another officer began opening the DNA swab packaging, Campion picked up Daniel's boots and began probing for more information.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Anything unusual about these? I don't think so. You ever worn them around blood? Maybe. I get a lot of nymph leads, so maybe they got on that. Okay, but if that was to be the case, it would be your blood. I didn't.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We started talking about his boots, which I think he realized were the same boots that he had worn the night of the murders. And he realized he probably didn't clean those to remove all of the physical evidence. We started talking about his cell phone and the fact that cell phones are basically personal tracking devices. And, you know, we could track his movements on particular days and times. So those factors, I think, started weighing on him that he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this. And the walls started closing in on him.

[Daniel Marsh]

You guys are threatening me with. With what? The truth? With getting arrested for two murders? I am. I am so escaped right now. Of course I'm gonna do anything I can to try and say that I didn't do this.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

That was the first sign that he was getting over that wall, that he was getting ready to talk to us about what really happened.

[Daniel Marsh]

Do you want to help me? Then don't ruin my life. Anything.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

Send me to the psychiatric hospital.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Backed into a corner.

[Daniel Marsh]

I'm edither way, aren't I?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel Marsh seemed to see that he was trapped. Chris, were you really prepared for what he told you next?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Um, no.

[Daniel Marsh]

Every time I look at someone in my mind, I see flashes of images of me killing them in numerous ways. In numerous horrible ways. Doing terrible things. I can't help it. It's just what comes into my head when I see them. I don't want it to. I don't like that it does, but it does.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel admitted to Special Agent Campion that he had spent years thinking about killing people and that he made it a reality on that April night.

[Daniel Marsh]

When was the first time you started thinking about killing these people down the street? That night. I just. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to do it. I lost control of my goal. Okay. I just went into the street, Wandered around for a while, just looking for who would be. Which house I should go to, who would be a good victim.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel said he had walked through his father's South Davis neighborhood in the middle of the night. He scouted most of the street and checked out 50 homes.

[Daniel Marsh]

Everyone had done a good job of locking their doors and closing their windows until I got to their house.

[Narrator/Reporter]

When he got to Chip and Claudia's home, he noticed that they had left a back window open. So he cut the screen and climbed through.

[Daniel Marsh]

I listened to her snoring, and I heard it. Went to their bedroom, opened the door, and I just kind of stood over their bed watching them sleep for a few minutes. My body was trembling. I was nervous, but excited and exhilarated. I was actually gonna do it.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I was there.

[Daniel Marsh]

It was finally happening.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He said at that point, Claudia woke up.

[Daniel Marsh]

I just started stabbing over and over. Okay, I'll shrunk the torso. And I tried to get. And then my husband woke up, and he looked over, and just as he looked over, I stabbed him in the neck.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And he didn't stop. Daniel Marsh stabbed both Chip and Claudia A combined 128 times.

[Daniel Marsh]

Made sure they were both dead. And then I just kind of kept stabbing their dead bodies. Don't know why. I just felt right. Okay. So even after they stopped moving, even when they were dead, I wasn't done.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel admitted to all of it.

[Daniel Marsh]

I just kind of messed around with. Messed around with them. Cut open both of their torsos around here. And in the woman, I put a thumb inside of her, and I put a cup inside the guy. I don't know why. I really don't. Okay. And I like, cut open her leg. I don't know why I did that either. I just kind of wanted to see.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The horrific details Daniel shared match crime scene reports and the autopsies. But what he said afterwards was even more outrageous.

[Daniel Marsh]

I'm not gonna lie. It felt amazing. How did it feel, Dan? It felt great. It was pure happiness and adrenaline and dopamine, just all of it rushing over me. It was the most exhilarating, enjoyable feeling I've ever felt.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Special Agent Chris Campion never changed the tone of his voice during the hours long interview. He never reacted visibly to anything Daniel Marsh said to him. But he later admitted to me that Daniel Marsh was the most dangerous suspect he had ever interviewed. With everything out in the open, Daniel was then willing to walk the police through where they could find the rest of the evidence. The ski mask he wore, his gloves, his pants. He had stashed it all in his mother's garage. But he kept the jacket.

[Daniel Marsh]

Just kind of a little memento and a constant reminder what happened, just so I can see it and kind of have a relive.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Daniel knew his admission of guilt was going to lead to an arrest and was curious about what would come next.

[Daniel Marsh]

Did he go get the death penalty? That's kind of far fetched. You were 15, right? Yeah, I was 15 and got psychological issues of Ponzi.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was one moment from Campion's interview with Daniel that especially shocked me. In my years of reporting on crime, I had never heard anything like it in a police interrogation. For the prosecutors building a case against Daniel, it was just one more example of how dangerous Daniel would be if he wasn't put behind bars for a long time. That's next time on 15 inside the Daniel Marsh Murders. This series was reported by me, Erin Moriarty. Alan Peng is our producer. Maura Walls is our story editor and Jamie Benson is the senior producer. Meghan Markus is the vice president of podcast editorial for CBS. Special thanks to 48 Hours executive producer Judy Tygard, along with 48 Hours producers Judy Ryback, Stephanie Slifer and Greg Fisher from Goat Rodeo. This podcast was written and produced by Kara Schillen, Max Johnston, Jay venables, Isabel Kirby McGowan, Megan Nadolsky and Ian Enright. Additional reporting and recording by Kara Schillen. Our executive producers at Goat Rodeo are Megan Nadolsky and Ian Enright. Original theme and music by Hans Dell. She with additional music from Paramount. Final mix by Rebecca Seidel. Fendel Fulton is our fact checker. Our production manager is Kara Schillen. I'm Erin Moriarty. If you're enjoying this show, be sure to give it a rating and review it Helps more people find it and hear our reporting. If you liked 15 inside the Daniel Marsh Murders, check out the rest of our 48 Hours podcast by searching 48 Hours on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening.

[Daniel Marsh]

Tulsa is my home now.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone stars in the Paramount original series, Tulsa King.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

His distillery is a very interesting business, and we gotta know the enemy from.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Taylor Sheridan, co creator of Landman.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

What are you saying? I'm all right if you think you're.

[Daniel Marsh]

Gonna take me out, it's gonna be really difficult.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Tulsa King new season streaming September 21st exclusively on Paramount. This September, CBS Hits are streaming free on Pluto TV. I'm coming in hot for this month only. Stream full episodes of Matlock.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

I'm a lawyer.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Like the old TV show Fire Country. Elsbeth.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I do love a mystery.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

NCIS Origins, Watson and Ghosts.

[Special Agent Chris Campion]

What the hell?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

This is the most amazing sight I've never seen. All for free. The CBS shows you love this month only on Pluto tv. Stream now. Pain never.