All Episodes Discussion

[Melina22]

21 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It's amazing.  A great cop and trailblazer who threw it all away for a guy she was never gonna get.

It's astonishing she was so obsessed she literally committed murder... then went on to live a normal life, apparently. 

Didn't they say that at some point after the murder she and John went to Hawaii together? I'd be curious to hear more about that. 

There's definitely some motivation lacking. Or rather some obvious motivation lacking, since it's pretty clear she did it 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Yes, it was the ex-girlfriend, but the husband wasn't in on it.

As far as we know. He came off pretty sketchy himself.

Quote

I was a little disappointed. I love this case but Dateline billed it as new but I'm pretty sure they've already done two hours on the case under a different name. There may have been some new interviews but that's it.

Yeah I'm sure I've already seen this, the faces were all very familiar to me. (And, oh God, that 80s hair.) I'm irritated with the way Dateline keeps repackaging the same stories and selling them as new.

Again, as is almost always the case, this did not need to be 2 hours. They didn't even mention the ex-girlfriend until hour 2. And apparently Sherri's family had been telling the cops to question her since Day 1! So it's hard to know if this was a case of incompetent police work or some attempt at a cover-up for one of their own.

That first detective who was assigned to the case, Mayer, just looked like a dumb-ass, didn't he? I mean sometimes you can just look at someone and tell they're not very bright. If Dateline (and other crime shows) have taught me anything it's that there are some not very bright people out there who somehow manage to make detective. I guess that speaks to the lack of choices some departments have in staffing and quotas to fill, because I've certainly seen a fair share of dummies working on the police force.

[TVbitch]

I have seen this case a couple times and already knew he wasn't involved ...but I was STILL waiting for them to reveal that the husband was involved. Just a Dateline Reflex. I think the family might be a bit hard on John. From the bits we did see/hear of him, he sounded pretty grief-stricken, and he was still stricken 25 years later at the trial.

I wonder what Stephanie was actually planning when she went over there. She had gone before. Was she going to threaten? Kidnap? It seems like the murder might have been spontaneous after Sherrie fought back. Otherwise why not just shoot her if your intent was to kill her. 

Josh continues to look healthier. If he keeps it up he will be downright handsome.  

[UsernameFatigue]

4 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Yes, it was the ex-girlfriend, but the husband wasn't in on it.

I've seen this case covered more than once, but I just love watching that crazy-eyed cop get interrogated.  She really thought she'd gotten away with it.

And sadly, she almost did. Had she not bitten Sherri, I wonder if she would still be free? 

I sat down to watch what I thought was a whole new case. It has been a few years since I have seen this one so didn't recognize the name of the murdered woman or her husband. It wasn't until early into the episode when they made a throw away comment that a co worker was a suspect, and also an ex girlfriend of the husband that I thought "Sh*t, this is the cop that murdered the ex's wife case". 

I am not sure why all these old cases are getting trotted out, but there were a few new things in this one (or maybe things I just don't remember from previous coverage). I remember that the father had pointed to the ex as a suspect, but didn't realize that the ex roommate did as well. Amazing to think that it was looked at 3 (or was it 4?) times before the detective who finally broke the case got it.

I don't remember it being mentioned before that there was blood on the equipment by the door. Hard to believe (or maybe not) that only the last detective had the common sense to realize that if the wife was already dead or dying, there was no reason not to take the equipment.

I wonder how Stephanie knew that Sherri would be home, of if she had just broken into the house to scare her (ie show that she had been there as she had before) and was startled to find Stephanie there. Mind you she did show up with a gun even though she was off duty that day - or do some cops always carry their guns even when off duty? 

I often wonder in these cases where there is DNA evidence left, something that was not detectable when the crime was committed, if these criminals are just waiting from year to year for the knock to come on their door. And if Stephanie had never bitten Sherri, would there have been DNA left for them to test? 

Edited November 23, 2019 by UsernameFatigue

[Mondrianyone]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Josh continues to look healthier. If he keeps it up he will be downright handsome. 

I thought so at first, too.  But some of those interviews--like the ones with Sherry's father--were from 2012.  So maybe that's when he was looking better.

Also, wasn't it established that Lazarus brought the ligature material with her to Sherry's house?  That makes her intentions seem a lot more deliberate than just spur-of-the-moment.

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Didn't they say that at some point after the murder she and John went to Hawaii together? I'd be curious to hear more about that. 

Me, too.  So he slept with her after he and Sherry were engaged and then they hooked up again in Hawaii after the murder?  Not a great look for the husband.  Not sure what the big attraction was on his end.  He already knew she was pretty crazy.

[walnutqueen]

53 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

And if Stephanie had never bitten Sherri, would there have been DNA left for them to test? 

No, because the cops "lost" all the other evidence that could have been tested for DNA.  The only reason they even had the bite mark swab was because it was inadvertently left behind in the Coroner's office.

[Ohmo]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I still watched, tho.  I love the second hour when the detective who solved it started to narrow things down and realized the need for secrecy.

I loved that detective.  Thought he was awesome.

How in the heck does Stephanie get paid $72K every year?!  I know the show explained that it's her pension, but still.  The ONLY way that should happen is if the money goes into a trust for her daughter's upbringing or education.  Otherwise, that should not be allowed.

And....JOSH!  Yippee!

[UsernameFatigue]

2 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

No, because the cops "lost" all the other evidence that could have been tested for DNA.  The only reason they even had the bite mark swab was because it was inadvertently left behind in the Coroner's office.

Geez, I must have missed that, but I will admit that during the two hours at times my mind did wander. (Which happens often during Dateline's 2 hour episodes). Hmmm, I wonder if Stephanie could have had a hand in losing the evidence? 

[walnutqueen]

8 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

How in the heck does Stephanie get paid $72K every year?!  I know the show explained that it's her pension, but still.

The police dept. let her take early retirement after she was caught, which probably worked out better than if they'd fired her ass.

Just now, UsernameFatigue said:

Geez, I must have missed that, but I will admit that during the two hours at times my mind did wander. (Which happens often during Dateline's 2 hour episodes). Hmmm, I wonder if Stephanie could have had a hand in losing the evidence? 

They may not have mentioned it in this particular episode; I do remember some speculation about evidence tampering, but nothing could be proven.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

As far as we know. He came off pretty sketchy himself.

I don't think he had anything to do with it.  He was flawed but in kind of a human way that got amplified when held up to the scrutiny of a homicide.  Even her family didn't think he had anything to do with it.  They just felt he was less than forthcoming about his relationship with Stephanie in order to protect himself and had he been more open, they would have looked at her sooner.

But while it's possible he did deliberately withhold her name because he didn't want to admit that he had slept with her while engaged, I think it's simpler than that.  I think he truly did not think she was capable of murder and so her name didn't occur to him when asked that question.  And the cop didn't press him on it, even with the dad signaling that it could be an ex, because he was so focused on it being a robbery.  The cop fell into confirmation bias when another robbery happened soon after.  The husband would have no reason to doubt the cops. I get why the dad did doubt it but I also understand why the husband didn't.  The dad, who didn't even know her name, only knew of this vague figure who was stalking her daughter.  The husband's view of Stephanie was that of a friend and sometimes lover who he had hurt.

9 hours ago, Melina22 said:

There's definitely some motivation lacking. Or rather some obvious motivation lacking, since it's pretty clear she did it 

She had told the wife that when the marriage fell apart, she'd be there waiting for the husband.  I think she legitimately felt that if this woman just went away, she'd get to at least keep seeing the husband if not get him completely. 

6 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Not sure what the big attraction was on his end.  He already knew she was pretty crazy.

Crazy for him.  And maybe crazy was part of the attraction.

[Mondrianyone]

8 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Crazy for him.  And maybe crazy was part of the attraction.

Yeah. That's what I thought as soon as I hit "submit."  Some people really go for the crazy.

[Ohmo]

8 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I am not sure why all these old cases are getting trotted out, but there were a few new things in this one (or maybe things I just don't remember from previous coverage).

The cynic in me says that since Stephanie's trial was in 2012 and nothing new has transpired since then, this case was trotted out as publicity for the former L&O writer's book.

[cooksdelight]

I just watched Friday’s episode online now, and as soon as I saw the crazy eyes of Lazarus I knew I’d seen this case somewhere before. And I cannot believe LAPD lets her keep her pension while she’s locked up, probably for the rest of her life. That’s f’d up.

[OpalNightstream]

On 11/16/2019 at 1:06 PM, Irlandesa said:

It is frustrating that Michelle got away with so much but I guess that's what being hot will get you.  I had to roll my eyes when John was all excited he was dating the "cheerleader."  He got himself a hot babe and rushed to the altar before he really knew her.  Sometimes those whirlwind relationships work out but there's a hug risk in not waiting to see what red flags might pop up.  Although, it sounds like this guy was so generous that he might not have realized it until it was too late anyway.

And she probably manipulated her boyfriend in the same way--not that he likely had to be pushed hard.

Gotta say it must be slim pickings in Blairsville because I saw nothing beautiful or extraordinary with Michelle. She looked like every other girl from my high school. 

[A.Ham]

Update re: Lauren McCluskey--the parents are rightfully suing. I saw it on the news and had to google this to find the link, and in the meantime also found that former State Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham is joining the parents' legal team. I hope things work out for them.

I found this tidbit to be particularly disingenuous: the university tried to get the suit dismissed, on the grounds that the perpetrator was not "affiliated with the university". FFS. So basically they are saying they cannot protect students unless the perpetrator is affiliated with the university somehow. Talk about being tone deaf. They still cannot accept responsibility for not getting off their asses and using common sense.

[cooksdelight]

Preview of Friday night’s episode:

[Awesome]

1 hour ago, A.Ham said:

Update re: Lauren McCluskey--the parents are rightfully suing. I saw it on the news and had to google this to find the link, and in the meantime also found that former State Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham is joining the parents' legal team.

GOOD. That was a very avoidable tragedy.

[Tabbygirl521]

I was way, way into the Stephanie Lazarus  episode before I remembered the case from “Snapoed,” about a million years ago. This was much more in depth so I was interested to see it again. 

I can’t help feeling that LAPD suspected Stephanie and didn’t want to dig too deeply. I’m no detective and I immediately thought it was a fake robbery because the perp stole the victim’s car but didn’t bother to load up the the booty they’d gathered in the house. 

Am cracking up over “Dateline Reflex,” @TVbitch

[EtheltoTillie]

Friday's episode:  yet another custody situation.  Another model parent.  She wasn't convicted of the murder because they gave her immunity!  But she was convicted of dealing drugs, using her teenage daughter (not the daughter of the murder victim).  The second wife of victim ended up raising both girls. 

[Annber03]

I know why they kept asking the wife why the shooter didn't go after her, too, of course, but it did amuse me a bit the way they kept harping on it, like, "But why didn't you get shot, too?!" It just sounded funny. 

But ugh, yeah, I will never understand these custody battles ending in murder like this. It's infuriating that the first wife escaped any punishment for her role in all of this. 

[Lsk02]

I did a little social media investigating after Friday’s episode. It looks like the older daughter who was selling drugs for her mother and living with Melissa at the end of the episode no longer speaks to Melissa. The younger daughter was raised by Melissa, but is Facebook friends with her biological mother. 
 

I’m guessing there was a lot of family drama that continued for years with that awful woman. What a terrible situation. 

[TVbitch]

I was a bit judgy that Melissa began dating only months after the murder. She said something to the effect of, "if I didn't get back out there, I never would." Girl, I think you maybe got a bit more time, mmmkay? I think I would still be in shock, let alone through mourning.

Still, it was very good of her to take in both girls. I wonder what happened between her and the older girl. 

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I was a bit judgy that Melissa began dating only months after the murder. She said something to the effect of, "if I didn't get back out there, I never would." Girl, I think you maybe got a bit more time, mmmkay? I think I would still be in shock, let alone through mourning.

That bugged my mom, too. 

[Melina22]

I can't imagine the horror of being accused of murder a few hours after finding your beloved husband dead in bed beside you. I found her behaviour and appearance in the interview very much what I would expect from someone innocent. Poor her. And I felt awful for the little girl, especially after seeing her part in their beautiful wedding. 

The ex wife came across as the ultimate villain. I can't believe she walked away. (Except for when she's in jail for repeated DUI s.) I even felt bad for the young guy she convinced to murder for her. Life without parole... that's terrifying, especially given how young he is. Wonder if she even feels guilty? 

[UsernameFatigue]

Isn't Friday's case of the ex having her former husband shot a rerun? Or is it just a case that has been covered before? The only reason I remember this case is because of the daughter, Alyssa. I remember the first time I saw her being interviewed for the episode on her father's death, I thought she was about 8-10 and was shocked that she was being interviewed for the show.

I had the same feeling last night which is when I remembered that I had seen her before. I was still shocked though (then remembered) that she is actually 18. She seems so young both in looks and mannerisms. In any case thank goodness she has Melissa. 

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

Isn't Friday's case of the ex having her former husband shot a rerun? Or is it just a case that has been covered before?

Basically.  I didn't rewatch it so I can't say for sure if it's a rerun or a case they've covered before with new interviews but it definitely was one I'd seen before.

[TVbitch]

5 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

Isn't Friday's case of the ex having her former husband shot a rerun? Or is it just a case that has been covered before? The only reason I remember this case is because of the daughter, Alyssa. I remember the first time I saw her being interviewed for the episode on her father's death, I thought she was about 8-10 and was shocked that she was being interviewed for the show.

It's rerun. The little girl was indeed probably 8-10. They interviewed her older sister as well, who was 17-18 and the two girls look exactly alike. I also thought interviewing the little girl and some of the questions they were asking was too much.   

[UsernameFatigue]

3 hours ago, TVbitch said:

It's rerun. The little girl was indeed probably 8-10. They interviewed her older sister as well, who was 17-18 and the two girls look exactly alike. I also thought interviewing the little girl and some of the questions they were asking was too much.   

I just looked at the end of the epi again where they said Alyssa was 18 and in college. I missed the updated picture of her as they had it on an angle for some reason.  (I did know the difference between her and her sister). 

Her dad's killer pleaded guilty in Dec/11 so this interview was likely 2012 or so, since she said she forgave him. That would make her 10 or so, since she was 6 when her dad was murdered in 2008. So ya, way to young to be interviewed, and asked the questions she was.

I think if Dateline is going to repackage old episodes as new just because they might be adding a few new details or an update, they should show the original date somewhere on the interviews. Maybe they did and I missed it, but I don't think so. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I was a bit judgy that Melissa began dating only months after the murder. She said something to the effect of, "if I didn't get back out there, I never would." Girl, I think you maybe got a bit more time, mmmkay? I think I would still be in shock, let alone through mourning.

I try not to judge (not very successfully, I admit) because there are some people who just CANNOT be alone. Like, ever. They are the type who have a new boyfriend the very next day after breaking up with the old one. Or get remarried within months of losing a spouse, even one they were married to for decades. Some people simply cannot function alone.

Man. Alyssa has been through so much in her short life. She seemed so mature during her interviews as a kid. I hope she really has it together as much as she seems to.

[OpalNightstream]

Completely random musing I must just put out into the universe because it bugs me. There is a “ding” sound the show makes when it goes to commercial and every time I hear it (which is often because they play the sound at the end of every segment before going to commercial) I expect Born In The USA to start playing because that song starts with a similar chime.  And I don’t even like Bruce Springsteen. I feel better now.

[cooksdelight]

Friday night’s preview.

[iMonrey]

I know I've seen that one before.

Spoiler

It was the business partner.

[pigs-in-space]

On 12/5/2019 at 7:45 PM, iMonrey said:

I know I've seen that one before.

  Hide contents

It was the business partner.

I felt like I'd seen this one before, but even if I hadn't I'm pretty damn sure it would've been obvious who did it.

Note to self: if a family member ever takes off and refuses to communicate except through email, contact the police.

[biakbiak]

Yeah I remembered this one because I am not saying he deserved to die but the victim seemed like a douche.

[Ohwell]

.

Edited December 7, 2019 by Ohwell

[Jeanne222]

They seem to be showing all reruns.  When does the new season begin?

[cooksdelight]

24 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

They seem to be showing all reruns.  When does the new season begin?

It supposedly just did but it’s been nothing but rehashed reruns.

[TVbitch]

Stupid reruns!

I think Chris probably did have some bi-polar/addiction/something going on, but didn't deserve to be murdered. He might also have been in on some shady dealings with Ed. Seems like the police could have figured that out, if it was true. Sounds like the church pastor's business was also getting and selling debt consolidation leads. ...the Lords work, y'all!

Must be nice to be so wealthy that you can email your family, "hey I'm leaving for a month to travel the world" and their response is "oh okay, have fun!" like it happens every other month, which it kind of sounded like it did! 

Edited December 7, 2019 by TVbitch

[JudyObscure]

I thought the parents were a little slow to catch on.  They went to commercial saying the father was getting suspicious and going to "set a trap" by email.  We came back and all he did was ask questions like where did we live when you were young?  That would be so easy to find out!  I thought by, "set a trap," the father was going to say something like, "Ran into Pat O'Hara and he couldn't stop talking about how much fun you kids had that summer.  Remember the"little red boat?"  If it's all made up and Chris came back with "Oh sure I remember."  Then you know it's not him.

I noticed on that advertising business site they had Ed says "as a member of Saddleback Church" something or other.  That's  the huge, over 20,000 member, mega church led by  "The Purpose Driven Life" author, Rick Warren.  It makes me cringe when people use their church as an advertising tactic.  

[Jeanne222]

I was kind of surprised the dad being a cop didn't catch on sooner!

[cooksdelight]

I don’t know if anyone’s watching tonight’s episode, and I don’t know if it’s a rerun but I’m sitting here crying.... women being found in the trash?? And a detective with a profound religious bond with these women.... and the mothers .... 

[Whimsy]

I am so sick of Dateline just rehashing old cases.  You can't tell me there haven't been any new interesting crimes over the years.  

[Lsk02]

15 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I don’t know if anyone’s watching tonight’s episode, and I don’t know if it’s a rerun but I’m sitting here crying.... women being found in the trash?? And a detective with a profound religious bond with these women.... and the mothers .... 

I had not seen this one. But seeing the detective praying at the landfill and thinking of that being the grave of four poor women had me crying, too. I cannot imagine living with that. 

[MsJamieDornan]

On 12/8/2019 at 9:17 AM, Whimsy said:

I am so sick of Dateline just rehashing old cases.  You can't tell me there haven't been any new interesting crimes over the years.  

There are thousands of cases and Dateline and 48 Hours recycles the same ones over and over.

[mythoughtis]

8 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

There are thousands of cases and Dateline and 48 Hours recycles the same ones over and over.

And pass them and forth to each other.  As if one  somehow does it better that the other film crew. 

Edited December 10, 2019 by mythoughtis

[SoCal Mema]

On 12/10/2019 at 3:57 AM, MsJamieDornan said:

There are thousands of cases and Dateline and 48 Hours recycles the same ones over and over.

Also, they're airing cases that have been covered in depth in podcasts.  And they are not covering any new ground.

[MsJamieDornan]

Quote

Also, they're airing cases that have been covered in depth in podcasts.  And they are not covering any new ground.

I wonder why ? There are tons of interesting stuff they could do. Are they being cheap?

[cooksdelight]

I’m wondering if it’s legal reasons. Some cases that we’ve heard about may be in the appeal process and no one’s talking.

[Irlandesa]

On 12/10/2019 at 5:57 AM, MsJamieDornan said:

There are thousands of cases and Dateline and 48 Hours recycles the same ones over and over.

I don't mind if Dateline wants to air a case they've aired before but I wish they'd just label it a repeat.  Just cases they've done---I'm not talking about cases that may have been done by 48 Hours or another news show.

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

I’m wondering if it’s legal reasons. Some cases that we’ve heard about may be in the appeal process and no one’s talking.

I think "people willing to participate" is a big reason we see similar cases.  There are some murders where family members have no desire to talk to reporters, go on TV or be recorded in a podcast.

[Jeeves]

So tonight's episode was mentioned this morning on our local news. My DVR will pick it up. 

Here's the link to today's news story. I'm spoiler tagging it. You may want to see how up to date the episode is before you read it.

Spoiler

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/john-sandoval-greeley-murderer-eligible-for-parole/73-daafd8b6-3cbb-468a-bdb9-40587b40102c