All Episodes Discussion

[iMonrey]

Dog lovers unite! I wonder how poor Butterbean survived though, during those four days until Lauren's friends went into her apartment.

[Madding crowd]

13 hours ago, LakeGal said:

I was also worrying about the dog. I expected the dog to be mentioned because they talked about him so much.

I did not think the guy next door was guilty because of his reaction on camera. I thought it was a normal reaction when told a body of your friend has been found. We often hear people don't react enough. He looked stunned. I now think he is the killer. But his reaction was not the reason I feel that way.

No matter what your reaction is the police find it suspicious. If you are calm, stunned, crying or panicking, it all points to guilt. In this case it was true but I wonder what kind if reaction would be considered non-suspicious?

[Sweet-tea]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Dog lovers unite! I wonder how poor Butterbean survived though, during those four days until Lauren's friends went into her apartment.

I did too. I always worry about the dogs who are left behind. I was thinking Butterbean drank out of the toilet, but maybe not considering it was a small dog. They can go without food for several days but not water. So glad the family has the dog! 

Edited June 10, 2018 by Sweet-tea

[UsernameFatigue]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Dog lovers unite! I wonder how poor Butterbean survived though, during those four days until Lauren's friends went into her apartment.

It's odd as the friend didn't mention finding Butterbean in the apartment, which you would think she would have. And one would think Butterbean would have been barking, being left alone for 4 days. Or been barking when Lauren was attacked and murdered. I know she was murdered by a neighbour, but she did have other neighbours who would have presumably heard Butterbean bark at some point between when the neighbour broke in, and when the friend went to check on Lauren days later. Which makes me think maybe someone was looking after the pup for Lauren? But then why would whoever was looking after Butterbean not wonder why Lauren wasn't checking on the dog? So many questions, and all could have been answered easily by Dateline during the episode. 

Edited June 10, 2018 by UsernameFatigue

[biakbiak]

In one of the articles about her death it mentioned that one of their tips about her was from a homeless guy who found a dog that looked like Butterbean, that tip didn’t pan out but it did make me wonder if Butterbean was not in the apartment for those four days but also missing. There didn’t appear to be dog crap or pee in the photos they took of the crime scene.

[cooksdelight]

HAHA, my Dirty John is on rerun tonight!

[Mondrianyone]

22 hours ago, biakbiak said:

It was a little over a month. She graduated mid-May and was murdered late June.

etb: Dog alive and well a year after the murder with her mom and sister.

I came here to find out if anyone else was worried about the dog.  I'm glad to know I wasn't alone.  But I see only one dog in that newspaper photo, the white one, who isn't Butterbean.  Does everyone but me see two dogs, not just one?  Now I'm worried about myself!

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I came here to find out if anyone else was worried about the dog.  I'm glad to know I wasn't alone.  But I see only one dog in that newspaper photo, the white one, who isn't Butterbean.  Does everyone but me see two dogs, not just one?  Now I'm worried about myself!

 

[Mondrianyone]

Thanks, biakbiak!  I even right-clicked on the photo to choose "View Image," but the only version I could see was cropped at about midriff level on the mom.  I'm relieved for Butterbean and my eyesight!

[Mama No Life]

lol was same way for me. 

[Mondrianyone]

Must be some weird browser artifact.  Glad it's not just me.

I also meant to say that "Butterbean" might be the best name for a southern dog ever.  So Lauren gave her dog something really special.  But I'm sure he'd rather have her.

[cooksdelight]

One of my friends has a little fuzzy dog named Butterbutt. :) 

[applecrisp]

Off topic a little, did anyone watch Lifetimes' movie A Daughter's Revenge? On Saturday eve. Andrea Canning was in it as a news reporter and she either wrote it or produced it. Her name appeared a few times. 

I thought Wow! There is an actress named Andrea Canning. How weird!. It involved a murder-- surprise. Typical Lifetime plot. Just wanted to share.

I too am glad the dog was found.

[SunnyBeBe]

17 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

HAHA, my Dirty John is on rerun tonight!

I saw this episode for the first time yesterday.  It was pretty wild.  I thought the mother remained smug, even after all was said and done.  After everything that happened, she still insisted that she would not do anything to put her family in danger.....well...she did. And then dug her heels in about it.  So, I think she needs to adjust her explanation. I could see her repeating that kind of poor judgment. 

Who in the world would marry someone, without ever just looking online to see their issuance of a professional license, like with the medical board, if they profess to be a doctor?  I almost wonder if the mother didn't really know a lot of what he claimed was bogus, but, she just accepted it. 

Edited June 11, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[JudyObscure]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I thought the mother remained smug, even after all was said and done.  After everything that happened, she still insisted that she would not do anything to put her family in danger.....well...she did

It kills me when people say, "I would never do..."  the very thing we just saw them do.  I think she loved all those lavish compliments more than her family.  Even after she was finally forced to admit that she was mixed  up with a dangerous man, what does she do?  Moves in with her daughters, leading him straight to the girls she knew he already hated.  Thank heavens for, "The Walking Dead."  I don't think anything but the Zombie kill shot to the eye would have stopped him.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, and they reported other stuff that seemed off to me.  Like something the therapist recommended to her in the beginning, like keeping her adult children out of the loop, when it came to the new shady husband.  I didn't have much faith in what that mother said.   Something seems off with her. 

I am glad the daughter survived and took action to defend herself.  OH, why was the daughter up on that parking deck?  

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Who in the world would marry someone, without ever just looking online to see their issuance of a professional license, like with the medical board, if they profess to be a doctor?

Many people. I mean she had tons of red flags so should have been googling and verifying but I know tons of people who would never think to google their partners.

[walnutqueen]

On 6/10/2018 at 4:01 PM, cooksdelight said:

HAHA, my Dirty John is on rerun tonight!

Pretty sure a girl with a knife would take exception to you claiming Dirty John.

[SunnyBeBe]

16 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Many people. I mean she had tons of red flags so should have been googling and verifying but I know tons of people who would never think to google their partners.

Oh my....really?  Hmmm.....maybe, I'm weird.  If I met a prospective date, I'd immediately google them to see their licensing status.  I'd do that if they professed to have a professional license like doctor, attorney, realtor, etc.  Maybe, I'm just used to verifying everything.  lol  

Do you recall how they met? Was it online or out at a club?

[cooksdelight]

I verified every man who asked me out after I started dating again after a long illness, and the Internet had those sites. Saved me a ton of trouble. 

[ChristmasJones]

Random question- does anyone know if there is any rhyme or reason to the schedule of Dateline? 

Is there a certain season when they run new episodes or are those just randomly scattered throughout the year?  It seems there are also multiple episodes many weeks- Friday nights, then Sunday nights and sometimes another one during the week.  It kind of annoys me. I like the predictability of 48 Hours which is always on Saturday nights and new episodes run through the fall season. 

I think this also contributes to me not reading or posting in this thread very much. I don't want to read spoilers, and then half the time I can't figure out which episode people are discussing. Not a criticism of anyone here - there is a lot of great discussion.  I guess I am wishing that Dateline was more organized with their schedule and then we could have threads dedicated to each episode.

Edited June 13, 2018 by ChristmasJones

[JudyObscure]

Heh, I'm even more confused than you are, Christmas Jones, because, if nothing else much is on, I watch Dateline reruns on OWN, ID, and several other cable stations.  Sometimes I go to the ABC website and watch old episodes online.  I think the station uses these shows as filler when they don't have a basketball game or regular show to air.  In spite of all that, I  still miss some episodes because the ones that don't start until ten o'clock are too late for me. 

It's still one of my favorite shows though, for me the format of 48 Hours and the lack of Keith or Josh means I will never love it or 20/20 as much.  I always want the show to start out with the footage of the little town and hear Keith say, "Podunk, Ohio was a quiet town, nothing much happened there until that moonlit night in June. Everyone thought Jim and Judy Obscure were the perfect couple... Jim was the organist at the local Baptist church and Judy, well, Judy lit up every room she entered." 

[CelticBlackCat]

On 6/13/2018 at 1:35 PM, JudyObscure said:

Heh, I'm even more confused than you are, Christmas Jones, because, if nothing else much is on, I watch Dateline reruns on OWN, ID, and several other cable stations.  Sometimes I go to the ABC website and watch old episodes online.  I think the station uses these shows as filler when they don't have a basketball game or regular show to air.  In spite of all that, I  still miss some episodes because the ones that don't start until ten o'clock are too late for me. 

It's still one of my favorite shows though, for me the format of 48 Hours and the lack of Keith or Josh means I will never love it or 20/20 as much.  I always want the show to start out with the footage of the little town and hear Keith say, "Podunk, Ohio was a quiet town, nothing much happened there until that moonlit night in June. Everyone thought Jim and Judy Obscure were the perfect couple... Jim was the organist at the local Baptist church and Judy, well, Judy lit up every room she entered." 

I'm a Keith fan too, but do you really want to be the murder victim and have your hubby be the prime suspect?  We know every woman who lights up every room she enters is the one who went missing and winds up dead!  LOL

[LittleIggy]

On 6/10/2018 at 6:32 PM, biakbiak said:

In one of the articles about her death it mentioned that one of their tips about her was from a homeless guy who found a dog that looked like Butterbean, that tip didn’t pan out but it did make me wonder if Butterbean was not in the apartment for those four days but also missing. There didn’t appear to be dog crap or pee in the photos they took of the crime scene.

I googled and read an article that said Lauren’s dog was at her parents. Had been there since spring break so she could devote herself to study and bar prep.

[cooksdelight]

Watching “The Other Side of Paradise” last night, I felt like that poor father aged 100 years in the 10 that it took to bring her killer to justice. Thank God for a judge who threw the book at him.

[sinycalone]

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

Watching “The Other Side of Paradise” last night, I felt like that poor father aged 100 years in the 10 that it took to bring her killer to justice. Thank God for a judge who threw the book at him.

I kept wondering who the ex-husband knew that enabled him to drag that trial out so long.  Luckily, the judge who presided over the trial was not one of his buddies.

[cooksdelight]

@sinycalone, in my small NC town, you wouldn’t believe what happens within and outside of the court system, depending on who you know. 

[Jeanne222]

I felt so bad for that dad!

[Annber03]

14 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Watching “The Other Side of Paradise” last night, I felt like that poor father aged 100 years in the 10 that it took to bring her killer to justice. 

Same. I was worried for a time that the episode would end with news of yet another setback and we'd find out afterward that he'd passed away from his health issues just after filming or something. 

He's one hell of a tough, dedicated man. I'm so glad he was able to finally see some level of justice in the end. I hope he can find some peace and comfort at long last going forward. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Also, another example of a parent killing the other parent and alienating the children. So sad to see those sons.  The killer really looked smug at the courtroom table. 

[UsernameFatigue]

I felt so sorry for the dad because he was trying to steer his daughter to go to college and become self sufficient. So sad that she chose to marry and become a mother so young. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it appeared that she gave up those years, and then after a few short years of marriage was trying to get that carefree life back, though now was a mother of two young children. Her taste in men was terrible, from a cheating husband, to a drug dealer. Not that I think she knew he was a dealer, but as my hubby said, did she really think he was taking her on shopping sprees and buying her designer luggage on a cook's salary? The daughter was a classic case of how not to life your life, IMO. Not victim blaming, just the way I see it. 

[patty1h]

Oh, Dateline, that was really sweet Father's Day story.   I got misty at the reunion between the dad and his Vietnamese daughter.

[ButterQueen]

On 6/13/2018 at 4:35 PM, JudyObscure said:

Heh, I'm even more confused than you are, Christmas Jones, because, if nothing else much is on, I watch Dateline reruns on OWN, ID, and several other cable stations.  Sometimes I go to the ABC website and watch old episodes online.  I think the station uses these shows as filler when they don't have a basketball game or regular show to air.  In spite of all that, I  still miss some episodes because the ones that don't start until ten o'clock are too late for me. 

It's still one of my favorite shows though, for me the format of 48 Hours and the lack of Keith or Josh means I will never love it or 20/20 as much.  I always want the show to start out with the footage of the little town and hear Keith say, "Podunk, Ohio was a quiet town, nothing much happened there until that moonlit night in June. Everyone thought Jim and Judy Obscure were the perfect couple... Jim was the organist at the local Baptist church and Judy, well, Judy lit up every room she entered." 

Perfection!!!

I love the one where Keith says, “where have you gone Andy Griffith? Mayberry has up and left us.”  ❤️

[ButterQueen]

I record all the Datelines, on all the channels.  I noticed that the last 5 on one channel were narrated by Keith.  I leave those to watch when nothing else is on.  

[ChristmasJones]

On 6/14/2018 at 9:36 PM, CelticBlackCat said:

We know every woman who lights up every room she enters is the one who went missing and winds up dead!  LOL

Not just women- men too. I commented on this phenomenon a long time ago (I think on this thread even).  Murder victims are almost unanimously described as being someone who everyone is drawn to when they walk into a room, or they light up every room, etc. Its a bit odd how common we hear that phrase on Dateline.   I personally know very few, if any, people I would describe that way.

I think its rooted in the human tendency to elevate and idealize the victim and denigrate the perpetrator. The perpetrator needs to be all bad and the victim all good. Our minds tend to go to these extremes under stress, and some people are more prone to such forms of simplification in order to cope with life in general. Complexity is messy and not as dramatic.  In reality there are victims who make poor choices that lead them to be vulnerable. Some murderers have family members who love them.

[OpalNightstream]

18 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

Not just women- men too. I commented on this phenomenon a long time ago (I think on this thread even).  Murder victims are almost unanimously described as being someone who everyone is drawn to when they walk into a room, or they light up every room, etc. Its a bit odd how common we hear that phrase on Dateline.   I personally know very few, if any, people I would describe that way.

I think its rooted in the human tendency to elevate and idealize the victim and denigrate the perpetrator. The perpetrator needs to be all bad and the victim all good. Our minds tend to go to these extremes under stress, and some people are more prone to such forms of simplification in order to cope with life in general. Complexity is messy and not as dramatic.  In reality there are victims who make poor choices that lead them to be vulnerable. Some murderers have family members who love them.

Yes to all of this! I know when people describe deceased loved ones as “lighting up a room” it’s probably part of their healing process. But you’d think many of these people would have watched at least a few Datelines before and think maybe the phrase is overused and maybe their loved one deserves a more unique description? Also it is interesting whenever someone dies they are described as the kind of person who “would give the shirt of their back to anyone” was “a friend to all”. If that many people (which, again, seems like almost every person who dies) existed we’d have so much of a better world. Then again maybe those who aren’t willing to “give you their last dime” are too busy “lighting up a room” and “loving life”,  who knows. 

[sinycalone]

The other night (frankly forget which crime show I was watching) I was impressed with a true friend of the victim not using any of those familiar terms...just saying they were close all their lives and shared so much, etc.  No exaggeration about the victim's character no trying to nominate her for sainthood...just the simple truth about their relationship.  I was so impressed by the victim having such a staunch friend ... that I actually could grasp why her loss was so devastating.

[Tabbygirl521]

On 6/20/2018 at 9:54 AM, OpalNightstream said:

Yes to all of this! I know when people describe deceased loved ones as “lighting up a room” it’s probably part of their healing process. But you’d think many of these people would have watched at least a few Datelines before and think maybe the phrase is overused and maybe their loved one deserves a more unique description? Also it is interesting whenever someone dies they are described as the kind of person who “would give the shirt of their back to anyone” was “a friend to all”. If that many people (which, again, seems like almost every person who dies) existed we’d have so much of a better world. Then again maybe those who aren’t willing to “give you their last dime” are too busy “lighting up a room” and “loving life”,  who knows. 

I like the ones whose kids are their lives. They would do anything for their kids. Then we discover that this saint doesn’t have custody, is out partying every night, and has a tiny drug abuse problem. 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Tabbygirl521

[OpalNightstream]

3 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I like the ones whose kids are their lives. They would do anything for their kids. Then we discover that this saint doesn’t have custody, is out partying every night, and has a tiny drug abuse problem. 

Yes! The perfect mom who went to the club with her new bf just the one time...

[Lunacat]

Watching “The Watcher”... am still blown away by everyone in Lauren’s life that didn’t raise the alarm sooner in her disappearance. It wouldn’t have changed the outcome, but wow, after ~24 hours of no contact, friends, boyfriend and family assume she’s just locked in and studying for the bar exam and don’t raise the red flag? Her blonde friends goes from not hearing from her to entering her apt and then not calling the cops when all of her stuff is there and she isn’t? Remind me not to hire a Mercer law grad if they all show such outstanding observational skills. 

[Mondrianyone]

And such outstanding criminal minds, since the killer was a Mercer guy, too.   You're right about that!

[Mama No Life]

Just finished the one from last night.  Tex seemed crazy.  I know I should talk about the crime but I really want to see if anyone noticed how the victim (Diane?) kissed?  She literally enveloped his lips with her own.  Like she couldn't make them move. But given how much lip filler her buddy Danny Jo had I wouldn't be surprised....

[Tabbygirl521]

18 minutes ago, Mama No Life said:

Just finished the one from last night.  Tex seemed crazy.  I know I should talk about the crime but I really want to see if anyone noticed how the victim (Diane?) kissed?  She literally enveloped his lips with her own.  Like she couldn't make them move. But given how much lip filler her buddy Danny Jo had I wouldn't be surprised....

Yes yes yes on the kiss! Bleh!! She even did it in the video they made for Austin. Suction face!

And I feel very judgy about that ridiculous over the top wedding entrance. Gawd.

This guy seemed guilty as hell. His demeanor when being questioned was seriously weird, along with fake solemnity as he intoned “the love of my life” (which I could happily live without ever hearing again; it has lost all meaning for me with every murdering bozo trotting it out).

i am not familiar at all with guns but even I know not to do any of the stupid things he did. Granted he apparently was drunk enough to pass out, which just adds to the stupidity. And I am not buying that he felt so threatened by homeless folks - oh, wait, I mean random BLM activists who I guess roam free at night looking for trouble (eyeroll) that he needed a COCKED gun at the ready. While “asleep.” 

I started out ready to think the friend was in in on a plot but I’m glad I was wrong. 

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Mama No Life said:

Just finished the one from last night.  Tex seemed crazy.  I know I should talk about the crime but I really want to see if anyone noticed how the victim (Diane?) kissed?  She literally enveloped his lips with her own.  Like she couldn't make them move. But given how much lip filler her buddy Danny Jo had I wouldn't be surprised....

Yes.  I watched her kiss Tex twice and what an odd placement of her lips.  At first I thought they were tonguing but then realized no...she just kissed oddly.

Like a guppy. 

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

i am not familiar at all with guns but even I know not to do any of the stupid things he did. Granted he apparently was drunk enough to pass out, which just adds to the stupidity. And I am not buying that he felt so threatened by homeless folks - oh, wait, I mean random BLM activists who I guess roam free at night looking for trouble (eyeroll) that he needed a COCKED gun at the ready. While “asleep.” 

The whole "Oh, there could be homeless people wandering around" bit had me side-eyeing him right away, 'cause wow, condescending and snobby much? Then when the whole BLM thing was added on top of it all, I was like, "Okay, bud, you....need to work on your defense if you actually want people to believe you, 'cause you're really sounding full of shit right now." 

And then the friend was saying at one point that he told her to slow down 'cause there may be people with baby carriages out and about. First off, this happened late at night, right? Are there really going to be many people taking babies for walks that late at night to where that would be an issue? Second....so, he fears they're driving through a sketchy neighborhood, to the point where he thinks he needs to have a gun on hand just in case...but apparently it's not THAT sketchy, if parents are deciding to take their babies for walks through there. And at night, no less. Mmkay.

I'm also wondering how the hell you have a gun in your lap and don't realize it's sitting there. 

[Tabbygirl521]

Plus, he ASKED for the gun in the first place! 

The slow crawl to the hospital. Lord, I forgot. And not even the closest facility. Talk about side-eye. Puts me in mind of Diane Downs, who was seen driving at about 1 mph to the hospital after a “bushy-haired stranger” shot her poor kids. 

[UsernameFatigue]

I remember this case being covered by either 20/20 or 48 Hrs as well. I didn't think Tex was guilty then of deliberately killing Diane and I still don't. A big reason is because of the circumstances. Tex was asleep when Diane and her friend decided to take the detour due to traffic being backed up. So had traffic not been backed up, was Tex going to ask for the gun so he could shoot Diane because the traffic was slow? And if he deliberately shot Diane, why would he do it with a witness, and then immediately at the hospital try to get the witness to say she was not there? Makes no sense. Though I guess in the end he wasn't convicted of deliberately shooting Diane, but rather of having shot her (and killed her as it turns out). 

I actually came on her to see if anyone had commented on Diane kissing like a guppy (if guppies kissed). Gross. I didn't find either Diane or Tex particularly likable, so it is hard for me to root for either one. Not that I think Diane deserved to die, but I do think it was an accident committed by a doddering old man. 

[ridethemaverick]

As I said in the 48 hours thread... I know that area. The only protection you need is to lock your doors and keep your windows up. What was the plan, to shoot anyone who got within a few feet of the car? Homeless panhandlers deserve to be shot on sight? Asshole.

I think it was a crime of opportunity. I don't think he planned it but I also don't believe it was an accident. 

I also think he may have gotten away with it if he hadn't tried to get the friend to lie to the police.

Edited June 23, 2018 by ridethemaverick

[atlantaloves]

Oh yeah, he was as guilty as sin, I live in Atlanta and followed this case very closely. They were right in my area when they got scared, are you kidding me, this is a ritzy part of midtown. Plus, Piedmont Hospital was only 3 minutes away, or they could have gone south and gone to Crawford Long Hospital in 5 minutes rather than going to Emory which took 20 minutes. None of it made any sense. And a 38 revolver just doesn't go off folks, trust me on this one.  That is what finally hung him.  Thank God. She was really a total greedy pig person, but nobody deserves to be murdered. I'm glad this case got national coverage. Oh, and guys she was not the salt of the earth nor would she give you the shirt off her back. Ha! 

Edited June 25, 2018 by atlantaloves
typo

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, atlantaloves said:

Oh yeah, he was as guilty as sin, I live in Atlanta and followed this case very closely. They were right in my area when they got scared, are you kidding me, this is a ritzy part of midtown. Plus, Piedmont Hospital was only 3 minutes away, or they could have gone south and gone to Crawford Long Hospital in 5 minutes rather than going to Emory which took 20 minutes. None of it made any sense. And a 38 revolver just doesn't go off folks, trust me on this one.  That is what finally hug him.  Thank God. She was really a total greedy pig person, but nobody deserves to be murdered. I'm glad this case got national coverage. Oh, and guys she was not the salt of the earth nor would she give you the shirt off her back. Ha! 

But I just know that she lit up the room.