281. The Murder of Nicole Lovell

Summary

Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband - Episode 281: The Murder of Nicole Lovell

Release Date: August 11, 2025
Host/Author: OH NO MEDIA

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Introduction

In Episode 281 of Murder With My Husband, hosts Peyton and Garrett Moreland delve into the tragic and unsettling case of Nicole Lovell, a 13-year-old girl whose life was brutally taken in January 2016. This episode meticulously unpacks the events leading up to her disappearance, the ensuing investigation, and the eventual trial of the perpetrators, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of this harrowing true crime story.

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Nicole Lovell: A Troubled Youth

Nicole Lovell grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, living primarily with her single mother, Tammy Weeks. Her early life was marred by severe health challenges, including a liver transplant at just ten months old and a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at four. These medical battles resulted in Nicole being reliant on anti-rejection medication daily. Despite her health struggles, Nicole was passionate about music, dreaming of a future on American Idol. However, her time at school was overshadowed by relentless bullying, particularly targeting the surgical scars on her stomach, leading her to frequently skip gym class. Nicole's increasing isolation and emotional distress were evident through her social media posts expressing feelings of loneliness and lack of support.

Garrett Moreland [07:16]: "Something about babies having cancers really gets me."

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The Disappearance

On January 27, 2016, Tammy discovered Nicole missing from her room. Nicole had apparently sneaked out between midnight and 7 AM, evident from an open window and the absence of her essential medication. Immediate concerns about her health due to missing her daily anti-rejection dose prompted Tammy to involve the police, who swiftly mobilized over 1,200 volunteers in the search.

Initial leads included a tip from a friend's parent indicating that Nicole had mentioned going on a date—a peculiar statement given her age. This information steered the investigation toward online interactions, particularly focusing on social media and anonymous messaging platforms like Kik.

Peyton Moreland [09:37]: "Whoa."

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Investigation and Suspects

The investigation quickly zeroed in on David Eisenhower, an 18-year-old Virginia Tech freshman, identified as "Dr. Tombstone" on Kik, who had been in extensive communication with Nicole. David's background painted him as a charismatic student involved in athletics and academics. However, inconsistencies arose when examining his alibi and behavior on the night of Nicole's disappearance.

Further scrutiny led to the discovery of David's possession of a knife and his recent online searches about body disposal, signaling premeditation.

Garrett Moreland [16:19]: "Whoa, that's far."

As the plot thickened, Natalie Keepers, a 19-year-old engineering student and David's acquaintance, emerged as a second suspect. Evidence, including a blood-stained gym bag and Nicole's blanket found in Natalie's belongings, implicated her as an accessory. Natalie's confession revealed a chilling alliance with David: together, they planned Nicole's murder to conceal David's inappropriate relationship with her and potential pregnancy.

Natalie Keepers: "We're just two little sociopathic friends. What else would we do besides murder?"

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The Crime and Evidence

Nicole was found lifeless on January 30, 2016, 90 miles from her home, exhibiting 14 stab wounds with no signs of sexual assault. The proximity to David's grandparents' residence and his incriminating evidence—including blood in his car and DNA under Nicole's fingernails—firmly linked him to the crime. Additionally, digital evidence from Nicole's online accounts contradicted David's initial statements, revealing a long-term communication history.

Garrett Moreland [25:16]: "Oh, my God. Gosh."

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Trials and Convictions

David Eisenhower's trial in February 2018 saw the prosecution presenting overwhelming evidence against him, including his admission of meeting Nicole and the discovery of weapons and blood in his vehicle. Initially pleading not guilty, David eventually changed his plea to guilty, resulting in a 50-year prison sentence for first-degree murder.

Natalie Keepers faced trial seven months later. Despite her claim of coercion and minimal involvement, the prosecution highlighted her active participation in planning and disposing of Nicole's body. Text messages post-murder further incriminated her. In a swift verdict, Natalie was convicted as an accessory to murder, receiving a 40-year sentence.

Natalie Keepers: "I think we're just two little sociopathic friends."

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Reflections on Bullying and Online Safety

The Lovell case underscores the severe impact of bullying and the perils of online interactions among youths. The hosts emphasize that bullying often stems from the bully's own insecurities rather than genuine animosity toward the victim. The anonymity afforded by the internet can embolden predators, highlighting the need for vigilance and open communication between parents and children.

Peyton Moreland [43:09]: "They're the most dangerous bullies are the ones in disguise."

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Conclusion

The tragic murder of Nicole Lovell serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by young individuals in today's interconnected world. The episode poignantly illustrates how bullying, mental health struggles, and deceit can converge with devastating outcomes. Peyton and Garrett Moreland provide a thorough examination of the case, urging listeners to recognize the signs of distress and the importance of safeguarding our youth from online predators.

For those affected by bullying or in need of support, resources like the free confidential mental health support line (741741) are available.

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Notable Quotes:

• Garrett Moreland [07:16]: "Something about babies having cancers really gets me."
• Natalie Keepers: "We're just two little sociopathic friends."
• Peyton Moreland [43:09]: "They're the most dangerous bullies are the ones in disguise."

Timestamps Referenced:

• [07:16] - Hosts discuss Nicole's early life and health struggles.
• [09:37] - Tammy discovers Nicole is missing.
• [16:19] - Location where Nicole's body was found.
• [25:16] - Hosts react to overwhelming evidence against David.
• [43:09] - Reflection on the nature of bullying.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive elements of the podcast episode.

Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I'm the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

Thank you so much to everyone who decided to get a coloring book. I know they were just small and simple, but really, it means so, so much to me that you guys were as excited about those as I was. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Peyton Moreland]

Peyton worked really hard on them, so I was pretty excited to see them launch. Thank you for buying them and supporting us.

[Garrett Moreland]

Also, I did just want to clarify, I did work with someone on the book. I didn't make the book like online by myself. I paid someone to help me make the book.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes.

[Garrett Moreland]

Want to clarify that? I did pay someone to help me Also we did get some questions about some of the merch that was up on this last time. I actually stream alone on Twitch basically almost every single day. And so the throaty merch that was on Murder with my husband was for my personal Twitch stream. So if you had no idea what that was when you got on, that is for my personal Twitch stream. You can go follow me. Honestly, the link is in my bio in my personal Instagram. But yeah, we just hang out. We have a fun time over there.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right, I guess we'll jump into 10 seconds here. Just a reminder for everyone, if you are interested in bonus content and ad free content, you can check out our Apple subscriptions. Right now there is a free trial so you can see if you like the bonus episodes. I promise you will. They are two full bonus episodes every single month and all the shows are ad free. You can also check it out on Patreon.

[Garrett Moreland]

Low key. A lot of the shows I listen to, I subscribe just for that ad free content.

[Peyton Moreland]

But we also appreciate you guys supporting our ads. So thank you. I don't have much for my 10 seconds. I had a migraine this morning and I was thinking about that big cyst that's in the back of my head. I think I'm going to go to a neurologist and double check it because every time I don't even know if they're migraines. Basically what happens is it starts on the right side of my eyes and my vision slowly starts going and I can see like particles in the air really weird. And then one eye will go completely just gone. I can't see out of it and then it moves to my other eye. And then after about like 45 minutes I can see again. So I don't know. I'm gonna go get this SIS checkout that's in the back of my head. Make sure I'm a okay and good to go. So yeah, I just thought I would update everyone. And on that note, let's hop into this week's episode.

[Garrett Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are teen vogue.com people.com 29 news.com, wset.com nbcnews.com collegiatetimes.com abc news.com vocal.media findagrave wsls.com cnn.com wd whsv.com and cbs news disclaimer before we begin, this episode talks about the murder of a minor, so please listen with care. Okay, so bullying has been a problem for kids probably since the beginning of time. But nowadays, with how connected we are to one another through the Internet and social media, bullying has seriously leveled up. Now, it doesn't have to be done in person or by someone you even know. Bullying can be faceless, anonymous. It can hide behind a screen and say horrible things through many different outlets. Which is why it is only natural for kids who are being bullied through the Internet to turn to the same place for some kind of validation.

[Peyton Moreland]

Adults can bully too. You guys see social media?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, it's it. It's a breeding ground.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's a wild place.

[Garrett Moreland]

So at the same time, social media, chat forms and messaging apps have also become a safe space for some kids. A place to connect with others who they feel are just like them, for them to speak their minds. But that also poses a different sort of danger. Because now kids don't have to be out in the real world to meet someone dangerous. They can do it from the comfort of their own bedroom. And the scariest part is that person could be disguising themselves as a true friend when they are anything but. So let's dial back the clock to 2016. We are heading to the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. So 2016 Virginia, where 13 year old Nicole Lovell is living with her mother Tammy Weeks. Now, for most of Nicole's life, it has just been her and her mom, Tammy. She's never really had a relationship with her father. He was in and out of jail for a lot of Nicole's 13 years of life at this point, which must have been really hard on Tammy who was working as a nurse trying to support her daughter as a single mother. Now, thankfully, Nicole had wonderful grandparents who lived close by and who were always willing to help out. Growing up, Nicole took a real interest in music, singing and dancing. She actually had dreams of one day going on American Idol. And while Nicole brought this bright light, this breath of fresh air with her into every room she entered, her 13 years on Earth had been anything but easy thus far. As a baby, Nicole was diagnosed with a rare tumor in her liver. When she was just 10 months old, she went through a terrifying liver transplant surgery to save her life.

[Peyton Moreland]

Something about babies having cancers really gets me.

[Garrett Moreland]

Which obviously meant that every single day since then, Nicole was on an anti rejection medication for the transplant. And this was something she couldn't live without. But the medical problems continued from there. When Nicole was just four years old, the universe threw her another curveball when she was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma. A type of blood cancer. Following more complications, Nicole ended up in a coma for six months, where she then developed a staph infection. So, needless to say, Nicole had spent a lot of her life in and out of doctor's offices and hospitals. Though when it came to school, Nicole had no interest in being there either. Mainly because she was constantly getting bullied, particularly over the scars that her surgery had left her as a baby on her stomach. Which is why she often had her mom writing her notes to get her out of gym class. So when she was changing in the locker room, the girls wouldn't see the scars. But this bullying took a toll on Nicole, who began posting things on her social media pages indicating that she didn't feel loved, that nobody cared about her. Nicole's mom, Tammy felt a big part of those feelings also came from the fact that Nicole never really had a relationship with her father. But Tammy seemed to be well aware of the challenges Nicole was facing at school and online. She seemed to tell her all about the bullying and that she was feeling down on herself. So Tammy made sure that if she wasn't home, Nicole's grandparents were, so she would never be left home alone. That Nicole was always supervised. She had someone there to love and support her even if she was feeling down. Which is why January 27, 2016 came as such a shock to Nicole's family. That Wednesday morning around 7am, Tammy went into Nicole's room to get her up for school. Now remember, she's 13 years old at this point. But when she went to open Nicole's door, she noticed it was stuck. Nicole had pushed her nightstand in front of the door so Tammy couldn't get in.

[Peyton Moreland]

Whoa.

[Garrett Moreland]

Now, obviously knowing that at this point in her life, her 13 year old daughter was struggling, this of course sent Tammy's heart racing. When she finally got the dresser moved out of the way and into Nicole's room, Tammy saw that the window was open and a blanket Nicole always used, one with the Minions characters on it was also missing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

Tammy had last checked on Nicole the night before at around midnight when she came in and kissed her goodnight. So she knew she must have snuck out sometime between midnight and 7am but the question was, where did she go? And more importantly, did she actually sneak out on her own? Or had someone forced her out? Had she gone out with someone else? Tammy spent the day calling Nicole, but her phone was going straight to voicemail. So Tammy started calling Nicole's friends. They all said they hadn't seen or heard from her either. Same thing happened When Tammy went door to door around the neighborhood, no one had seen Nicole. But there was one thing that told Tammy that Nicole was probably planning to be home by that afternoon. She was like, I, I just need to wait for afternoon to come. That was the fact that Nicole had left her medication at home, the one that she needed to take every single day for her liver transplant. This was life or death. So Tammy goes to the police later that afternoon and tells them, hey, my daughter is missing. I'm hoping that she's going to come home to get this medication, but if she doesn't, this is bad. Like, it's bad. She's going to get very, very sick. And so the police immediately take Nicole's disappearance very seriously. So they begin searching the area and scanning Nicole's house for clues that same day. And that's when Tammy gets a tip from one of Nicole's friends parents. So one of her friend's parents calls and says, when your daughter was over the other day, she mentioned that she was going on a date with someone, but I don't know who. So at this point, Tammy panics. Nicole had never mentioned dating someone to her before. She's only 13. She had no information to provide the police with about this, beyond the fact that a friend's mother had called and shared this. Now, at the same time, they decide to ask for the public's help in finding Nicole. Now, I'm not sure if you picked up on this, but Blacksburg, Virginia, where Nicole lives is where Virginia Tech is, and it's where they had a mass shooting back in 2007. So the community has dealt with heartbreaking crimes before, and they're pretty good at stepping up when the rest of the community needs it. And Nicole's case is no different. By the following day, more than 1,200 people are out looking for Nicole. And yes, I said the following day, which means she didn't come home to take her medication.

[Peyton Moreland]

Do you know anything along the lines of how long she can survive without her medication?

[Garrett Moreland]

Are you not sure she will start getting very sick? There's not like a definite timeline, but she's gonna get pretty sick within hours of when she was supposed to be taking it. Okay, hi, everyone. We are jumping into an ad, and I am just trying to live up to the version of me that my dog thinks I am. Daisy assumes I have got everything together, and meanwhile, I'm still googling if dogs can eat watermelon and realizing that we're out of food. And I. I just. Let me tell you, chewy saves my life when it comes to being a pet parent. They deliver fast and now I know that Daisy is well fed, itch free and still thinks I've got it all under control thanks to chewy. With over 100,000 products from top pet brands, Chewy makes it easy to find everything from food and treats to bed and toys, all delivered to your door in one to two days. They also carry supplies for birds, fish, reptiles and other small pets. Basically just think your one stop shop to support your pet's health. They offer prescription medications, telehealth, vet visits, pet insurance and are expanding in person vet clinics across the country thanks to Chewy's auto ship feature. I'm never getting that I'm so disappointed in you look from Daisy. I've set up recurring shipments of all the essentials we use so I'm never running out of it. It is flexible, easy to manage and it can be changed or canceled at any time. You guys, we love love love Chewy and I especially appreciate that they have made it so easy by putting everything in one place. If you have a pet and you love them, please go check Chewy out now.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Whoa, that's far.

[Garrett Moreland]

Along a highway in Surrey County, North Carolina, right on the border of Virginia, someone found Nicole's lifeless body. She, at 13, had been stripped of her clothes and left on the side of the road. An autopsy determines she had been stabbed 14 times with a fatal blow to the neck. Now, despite not having clothes on, there are no signs that Nicole was sexually assaulted. But I can't imagine how Nicole's friends and family must be feeling when they get this news.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's interesting because she. It seems like she wanted to leave her room. So I'm curious if she was lured out, if something went wrong when she snuck out. Right. I mean, yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think this is just especially heartbreaking because Nicole is someone who has already been through so much much in her life. She's already fought so hard for her life by the time she's 13 years.

[Peyton Moreland]

Old, and then now it's just taken away.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. And now something like this happens. Devastating is an understatement. But what this means for police is Nicole's missing person's case is officially a homicide investigation. And luckily for them, they actually already have someone in custody. So I want to back up a bit just to three days earlier, the day Nicole was reported missing. Because local police were so on top of the investigation, starting from day one, they actually had the FBI and the state police working with them on the case right away. And they quickly found something interesting in Nicole's bedroom. Now, inside her closet, Nicole had actually etched something into the door. It was a message that said, I love David. Now, of course, the name of the crush isn't enough for the police to act on, but this isn't the only thing they find written inside the closet door. Nicole has also scribbled down all of the usernames and passwords to her online accounts. Now, this is important. That's interesting, because Tammy had mentioned to police that in 2016, Nicole had spent a lot of time online like most teenagers. But recently it had seemed to be ramping up a little bit more.

[Peyton Moreland]

Did you ever write down your usernames and passwords?

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't think so, but I was like a teenager that had the same username and password for.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, me too. But that's just. I find that interesting.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think if I had, like, multiple accounts and accounts that my parents didn't know of, then maybe I would have written passwords down.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I guess I'm trying to figure out if she did it because she thought she might have been in danger or if she did it just to memorize them.

[Garrett Moreland]

Right. I do also think, though, like, 2016 was still a little bit early social media days for teenagers and parents. And so Tammy tells police, since she knew Nicole was being bullied at school, she suspected that whoever she snuck out to meet that night, probably to go on a date with, was someone she most likely met online and not from school. So immediately, police log into Nicole's accounts to see if they can track her messages. And they find one app that Nicole had been using a lot in the days before her disappearance. It was an anonymous messaging app called Kik. Now, if you don't remember Kik, I.

[Peyton Moreland]

Don'T think I remember.

[Garrett Moreland]

It might have been before your time. And I think before. My God, you were obviously already graduated.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I don't know.

[Garrett Moreland]

So you were probably just texting.

[Peyton Moreland]

I've heard of Kik, but I don't know much about it, to be honest.

[Garrett Moreland]

Kik was definitely popular for me in, like, middle school, high school. It was like a people.

[Peyton Moreland]

You used it.

[Garrett Moreland]

It was a way for people to message without their parents knowing. Because parents at that point were still so oblivious. They didn't realize that you could find apps to message and not use text messages.

[Peyton Moreland]

Ok.

[Garrett Moreland]

They were just aware of, like, texts and snap. And some people, some parents weren't even aware of Snapchat.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

But like WhatsApp Kick, that was used to message people without your parents snooping through it. If they took your phone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

So the FBI puts in an emergency disclosure request with Kik to try and get Nicole's messaging history. And what they find is that over the last several months, Nicole had been messaging a lot with a user that was going by the name Dr. Tombstone. And when they get more information about the person behind Dr. Tombstone, they find that it matches with what Nicole had written in her closet. The I love David. Because it turns out Dr. Tombstone is actually an 18 year old Virginia Tech freshman named David Eisenhower.

[Peyton Moreland]

How disgusting. He's 18 and he's going after 13 year olds. That's disgusting, man.

[Garrett Moreland]

So on paper, David definitely doesn't seem like a guy who would cause trouble. He was a big high school track star. He was a straight A student with a lot of charisma. Most people just saw him as the cocky jock who thought he was hot stuff. David even continued his cross country career when he went to Virginia Tech in the fall of 2015, while he was also earning his engineering degree. But still, police know he's a person of interest, considering in the two days before Nicole went missing, their correspondence was at its peak. So Virginia State Police and the FBI pay a little visit to David's dorm room the day after Nicole is reported missing. And while he isn't there, his roommate Jeremy is. So they sit down with Jeremy and they ask him a few questions. And what they learn is that on the night Nicole snuck out and disappeared, Jeremy noticed David putting on these big rain boots even though it wasn't raining outside. And he left. And he didn't come back to the Dorm until after 2am that night. Jeremy also tells police David actually has this knife that he would leave out on top of his desk, though police notice it's not there at the moment. Now remember, this is all happening before Nicole's body is found. So they don't even know if a knife is a murder weapon yet. But they have a real sneaking suspicion that David is involved in Nicole's disappearance some way somehow. So obviously the next step in the investigation is tracking David down and they actually find him and bring him in for questioning later that day. Now, during that interview, David admits he was talking to Nicole on kick and he did go meet up with her at her home the night she went missing. But he says the second she snuck outside her window and he saw her, he realized that she had been lying to him about her age. He did not know that she was a 13 year old seventh grader.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh.

[Garrett Moreland]

So when she comes outside and he sees her, he claims he left immediately before they even hung out. At least that's what he claimed. But Nicole's Kick app actually told an entirely different story. Now, as I mentioned, it showed that she and David had been speaking for months. And at this point, David doesn't know that they have the entire history of their messages.

[Peyton Moreland]

I think probably at that time he didn't realize that was even possible.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like once something's deleted, it's not deleted.

[Peyton Moreland]

Thought he could say what he wanted to try to get away with it, but not gonna happen.

[Garrett Moreland]

So as I mentioned, it showed that she and David had been speaking for months and that they had met at least once, one other time before that night. Meaning David's story about showing up and seeing her for the first time and realizing she lied and leaving. It didn't track because he came over a second time to see her. Plus, when Nicole's body was found on January 30, police realized it was just four miles away from David's grandparents house in North Carolina. Which means they believe they have more than enough to arrest the 18 year old David for Nicole's death. He himself has admitted he went to her house the night she disappeared. He lied about her, lying about her age. And then also, the body was only four miles away from where David could have been. But really, even though they just arrested him, investigators had only just started building their case. So the day after Nicole's body was found on January 31, police searched David's 2008 Lexus. And in the trunk of that car, they discovered blood stains on the carpet, Blood on a snack wrapper and a package of cleaning wipes. And perhaps the most damning in the car, A shovel with blood on the handle. Now, after examining David's computer, they found he had performed several searches online recently for how to burn a body.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, my God. Gosh.

[Garrett Moreland]

And he had searched for how bodies were disposed of on the TV show Dexter.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm confused. Like, was he always planning on killing her, that he just want to kill her? Was he just scared because he knew she was underage and then he was going to kill her after he had. I don't know, after he had sexual relations with her? With her? Like, I don't.

[Garrett Moreland]

Motive.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, motive.

[Garrett Moreland]

We'll get there. So following Nicole's autopsy, investigators also learned David's DNA was found under Nicole's fingernails. So the case against David Eisenhower was really, really strong. But there was something else found on the shovel. It was a bloody handprint that didn't belong to David or Nicole. They realized, oh, someone else is definitely involved in this. And they find prints that also match that handprint on a bleach container found in the backseat of David's car. So this just went from like an older guy targeting a younger girl to possible group of people targeting a younger girl. Which just brings this case to a whole nother level. So when they discover these prints, they actually find the owner of them very easily because they belonged to someone David had actually mentioned a few times in his interview with police. He claims that this person was with him the night that he had bought that shovel that was found in his car. And it was another Virginia Tech freshman, 19 year old Natalie Keepers. Now, Natalie was also an engineering student who had dreams of following in her father's footsteps and working for NASA one day. But when she met David Eisenhower, who was in her same program, everything changed for her. While they appeared to be nothing more than friends, it seemed like Natalie had kind of fallen under David's spell a little bit. After David mentioned Natalie's name and hinted at the possibility that she was with him the night Nicole disappeared, police executed a search warrant for Natalie's dorm room as well. And it's there that they find a gray suitcase that's sounding some alarm bells for them. So they open it, and inside they find it has a blue gym bag with blood stains on it. So they open up the gym bag that was inside the suitcase, and inside of that they find that minion blanket that belonged to Nicole that her mom said was missing out of her bedroom, the one she most likely took with her the night she snuck out. And that blanket has blood stains on it. So the day after Nicole's body is found on January 31st, Natalie Keepers is now arrested too, because there is now physical evidence tying the crime to both of these freshmen. So she is charged with improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact. But with David Eisenhower not sharing very much with police, there was still the question of what had actually happened that night and why.

[Peyton Moreland]

And someone will crack. I feel like when you have young kids or young teens, people who are 18 to 25, whatever, I feel like they crack. I feel like they. The fear starts to set in and they'll all start ratting on each other pretty soon, right?

[Garrett Moreland]

So police keep digging. They want a motive, and they want to figure out exactly what happened that night. So they find some witnesses who say everything that happened that night was actually not a spur of the moment decision, which is the question you were wondering. It seemed like as police began digging, David had actually been planning on killing Nicole for some time now.

[Peyton Moreland]

Holy crap. That is so wild to me.

[Garrett Moreland]

So one of the girls that police talk to, that kind of help lead them to this theory is an 18 year old girl named Bailey Browning, who had also met David in an online chat room. Now, the two of them were communicating between December 2015 and January 2016. But in that short period of time, David had confided in Bailey that he had plans to murder a girl.

[Peyton Moreland]

Would you tell somebody that?

[Garrett Moreland]

Now, Bailey says David never mentioned Nicole Lovell or Natalie Keepers by name, but he did say he had someone who would help him in this murder plot.

[Peyton Moreland]

Did she not think that was a weird, by the way?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes. But I want you to keep in mind that sometimes when people talk online, it feels like fantasy world and not real life.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, I can understand.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, although that's weird, relationships can be created online that just like, don't actually make sense in real life. And people don't realize that.

[Peyton Moreland]

They're like, if someone ever told me they were going to kill someone, I'd be like, oh, I gotta go. Bye.

[Garrett Moreland]

Same. But I don't know. Yeah, it's not the first time that someone has like talked about murder online or confessed about murder. And people don't go to the store.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, if you go on Reddit, there are some insane things on there that shouldn't be on there, but here we are.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Bailey also tells police that he referenced a friend that had, quote, military knowledge. Now, whether he was talking about Natalie or someone else, it's unclear, but it was proving that this was not second degree murder. If he had clearly talked about committing murder, it's premeditated. Something that was confirmed further when police spoke to another one of David's friends. So this was not some little dirty secret David was keeping. He was talking about this to people. They talked to a guy named Bryce. Dustin and the 21 year old Bryce had met David six years ago back on a gaming site. And even though the two had never met in person, they did get extremely close over the years. Playing games online, talking about life, giving each other advice. Specifically, David would go to Bryce with his girl problems. Now, Bryce told police that a few months before Nicole disappeared, David had begun talking to him about his problems with one particular girl who David was seeing that was underage. And David was worried because she was threatening to expose him if he didn't agree to date her.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

So Bryce said he gave some interesting advice. He told David, well, just let this 13 year old think you're together and that he should just be a bad boyfriend and wait for her to break up with him. Now, clearly, David did not take this advice. Instead, David texted Bryce one day and asked if he had any idea where he could hide a dead body and said something like, yeah, the original plan failed. Now, what that original plan is is obviously unclear. One thing was certain, however. David had been planning this out for a while. With David refusing to talk, there was only one other person who could offer up the details of what happened that night. And that was Natalie Keepers.

[C]

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[Garrett Moreland]

All right, you guys, we are getting into an ad, and it is skims. If you've listened for a while, you know I love my skims product and I have loved them before they became a sponsor of the show. And. And I continue to support my own show by continually purchasing skims on my own as well. And one of the things that I recently got I need to tell you about is the Fits Everybody boy short underwear. Okay? It has changed the game for me. It is the most comfortable underwear. It does not ride up. It is such a comfortable fit. I never feel like I have a front wedgie or a regular wedgie. And I am, like, pretty particular about my underwear. I'm very like just have sensory issues and so I wouldn't lead you astray with honestly, anything from their Fits Everybody. But if you're looking for new underwear, get the Fits Everybody boy short. Okay, give it a try. The fabric is amazing. Honestly, right now I'm wearing a Fits Everybody tee, and it is also one of my faves, and there is a Fits Everybody crossover bralette. It's cute. It's comfortable. Honestly, go check it out. It's.

[Peyton Moreland]

I have to butt in because I have some of their underwear as well. I love it. My favorite underwear. I'm not. I'm not lying. I wouldn't lie to you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Shop my favorite bras and [e-mail] and after you place your order, be sure to let them know that we sent you so place your order, finish doing all of that and then just select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the drop down menu that follows. It lets them know that you came for us to basically just lets them know that you are supporting our show and supporting them. So after a bit of pressure, Natalie starts to open up to police about the conversations between her and David. She says that David had confessed that there was this 13 year old girl he had met online and he had a relationship with. He also said he, quote, might have had sex with her at a party, but he couldn't really remember. But come January 2016, he wasn't just afraid she was going to expose him for statutory rape, he was afraid she might actually be pregnant. So that's when Natalie and David started talking about ways to solve this problem. And they decided the only way was to kill the 13 year old girl and move her body across state lines to North Carolina and hope no one would find her.

[Peyton Moreland]

The only way, no other solutions. That is the only solution we got.

[Garrett Moreland]

So police are like, okay, Natalie, why would you help David? What do you, what does this get you? And she's like, well, I'm pretty sure David's a sociopath and I think I'm a sociopath in training.

[Peyton Moreland]

What the.

[Garrett Moreland]

So she's like, well, we're just two little sociopathic friends. What else would we do besides murder? So the night before Nicole disappeared, they started plotting. They went to a restaurant called Cookout and over some burgers and shakes, talked about how they would execute this plan.

[Peyton Moreland]

This is crazy.

[Garrett Moreland]

Absolutely devastating. Disgusting.

[Peyton Moreland]

People like this exist in the world.

[Garrett Moreland]

And like find each other and are like, yeah, let's just have some ice cream and talk about murdering a child.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like right now, for sure there's two people at McDonald's just talking about how much they want to kill someone. And that blows my mind and is pretty scary.

[Garrett Moreland]

It is so interesting how many cases we have covered where two random people meet and then murder.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I think when you meet someone else like that, it both elevates their thoughts. Right. It takes it to a new level.

[Garrett Moreland]

Probably would have taken some time to.

[Peyton Moreland]

Come forward, but not saying they wouldn't have killed, but it, I think it speeds it up, elevates things.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes, I would agree with that. So they decide that David would lure Nicole out of her home later that night. That night, like as they're planning this later that night, he would drive her to a remote location and then he would use a knife to kill her. And so after they paid the Bill. At dinner, Natalie and David got in his car and drove to Walmart to buy a shovel. Then they went driving around looking for a remote location for David to take Nicole to. Then he dropped Natalie off at campus and went back out later that night to carry out their plan. What's helpful is police are able to confirm most of what Natalie says about this encounter through David's GPS on his car and security footage from inside all of these locations. The GPS confirms they went from cookout to Walmart. Footage at both shows the two of them inside first sitting and plotting over dinner and then purchasing the shovel at Walmart. Then the GPS showed them driving near Nicole's house to a location off of Craig Creek Road, which was believed to be the place David killed Nicole.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, this is open. And shot.

[Garrett Moreland]

Then the GPS showed them back at Virginia Tech campus that morning at around 2:12am on January 27. But then, obviously, just like Natalie said, David left again. Presumably this is when he dropped Natalie off because she insists she was not present for the kidnapping or the murder. Instead, Natalie said that David came back to get her. The following morning, they went back to Walmart, this time to buy cleaning supplies and gloves. And then she went with David to dispose of the body not far from his grandparents place on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. So with this confession from Natalie Keepers, prosecutors feel they have a strong enough case against both her and David. Though it takes two more years for David to go to trial, it is February 2018 when David finally gets his day in court. And the defense works really hard to try and pin a lot of the crime on Natalie Keepers by making this seem like it was her idea. They point to evidence that suggests maybe she was more involved because Nicole's blanket and phone charger were found in her dorm room. But they also point to her bloody handprint on the shovel as an indication that. How is her handprint bloody on the shovel if she wasn't there when Nicole was murdered and died?

[Peyton Moreland]

Actually, a good point, not gonna lie.

[Garrett Moreland]

But if she helped bury the body, she might have got blood on her hand while using the shovel.

[Peyton Moreland]

Wouldn't. I guess I don't know enough about the. Because she said it was the next morning, though. Wouldn't a lot of the blood be dried at that point? I mean, there's more to it, but just. Just thoughts out there.

[Garrett Moreland]

They said David was actually easily influenced and it was Natalie who was the mastermind behind this, that he never would have done this on his own. They also called a psychiatrist to the stand who despite never having met Natalie or David, said they didn't believe David showed signs of psychopathy, but Natalie did. Okay, expert. They said there was evidence that David had a hard time making decisions on his own without guidance or clearly defined objectives, and that's why they thought Natalie was the mastermind. There was, however, a clinical neuropsychologist who had three sessions with David and somewhat agreed as well. They testified that David had autism spectrum disorder and would have been easily influenced by someone like Natalie Keepers. But during cross examination, the prosecution pointed out that David certainly wasn't influenced by police officers who interviewed him right after his arrest as he lied to them a bunch of times about how he interacted with Nicole that night. Now, regardless of who pressured who, all of the evidence indicated that David was the one who committed the crime, which is why during his trial, the David actually changed his plea from not guilty to known contest for those first degree murder charges. And he was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his crime. Okay, Natalie was obviously up next. Her trial began seven months later.

[Peyton Moreland]

This is so sad, by the way. Like, I don't know.

[Garrett Moreland]

She was pleading not guilty to accessory. And Natalie's lawyers argued that the only reason she participated in the discussion about killing Nicole was because she was afraid to lose her friendship with David. They also said Natalie was in love with David and that the murder would have happened whether Natalie had discussed it with him or not. But text messages exchanged between David and Natalie after the fact showed there was more to it. After the murder, Natalie congratulated David and said, quote, get some sleep because you deserve it. However, Natalie's trial played out a lot like David's did before he changed his plea. Psychological experts, lot of disorders. There was one big reveal at Natalie's trial, though. The medical examiner testified that there was no evidence Nicole was pregnant when she died. Still, that didn't change the vicious nature of this crime. The jury took barely an hour to come back, and in the end, they found her guilty of being an accessory to murder. And she was given 40 years in prison for her role in Nicole Lovell's death.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's so sad because as a mom too, like, it's just heartbreaking. Like she fights her whole life to keep her girl, her child alive, who's already had such a hard life only to be murdered. That's a lot to process.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, and along with this, Tammy Weeks also just really struggled with the motive. She's like, why would two pretty smart, like, academically smart college kids target my 13 year old daughter?

[Peyton Moreland]

Which is, I mean, It's a good question.

[Garrett Moreland]

They're like, why would they have so much hate in their heart for her when they barely knew her?

[Peyton Moreland]

And it's, it's one of those things that it's almost unexplainable. Well, I mean, I mean, there's reasons.

[Garrett Moreland]

Behind it, but I think this is the thing about bullying, though. Whether in person or online, it's typically a reflection of how someone else sees themselves, not actually the other person. Because most of the time bullying comes from a place of someone's own insecurities, someone's own unhappiness with themselves, someone's own fears and doubts. But the most dangerous bullies are the ones in disguise. The people that mask themselves as friends, as confidants, as, you know, a boyfriend. Online, they hide behind the anonymity of a computer screen. So next time you chat with a stranger, just keep that in mind. You never know who could be on the other end. If you or someone you know is being bullied, you can text connect to 741741, for free. Confidential 24. 7 mental health support.

[Peyton Moreland]

I didn't know this.

[Garrett Moreland]

Amazing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

And honestly, that is the case of Nicole Level. But I just. The motive actually makes no sense. I really do think that there's just something wrong in their brains.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, no, they are killers and I.

[Garrett Moreland]

Think they're just bad people.

[Peyton Moreland]

They never get out of prison and they're there for the rest of their lives because. And maybe some people would disagree, but I feel like if you are doing that type of stuff at that age, I think it just escalates. I think as they get older, like, I think it starts getting crazier and crazier. I don't know. I mean, I think some people would disagree. Like, well, their brains aren't fully developed and yada, yada, yada, but planning to kill someone at 18 is pretty wild.

[Garrett Moreland]

But they also didn't just kill another 18 year old.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's the thing too.

[Garrett Moreland]

They killed a child.

[Peyton Moreland]

13 year old.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's young. That is so young.

[Garrett Moreland]

And him being, ooh, so scared because she's gonna tattle on me. You shouldn't have slept with the 13 year old.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, that's the other thing. He was also sleeping with a 13 year old.

[Garrett Moreland]

Let me reiterate. You shouldn't have raped a 13 year old.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, he. Get out of here.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, I, there's just. You can't even like.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, there's no.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's disgusting, it's gross. And also, just keeping in mind that at 13 years old. You see the good in people. You don't have enough like dating experience in life to think that people could be so horrendous to you. So there was no reason for her not to believe that he didn't love her or care about her, especially if there had been a physical connection. It's actually heart wrenching.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

All right, you guys, that was the case and we will see you next time with another one. I love it.

[Peyton Moreland]

I hate it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Goodbye.

[D]

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