1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: those of the authors and participants and do not necessarily 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: represent those of I Heart Media, Stuff Media, or its employees. 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: Listener discretion is advised from my Heart Radio and Tenderfoot TV. 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: Monster presents Insomniac. I'd like to talk about a bad neighbor. 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: And I'm not talking about just any ordinary bad neighbor, 7 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: like somebody who allows their dog to bark both day 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: and night, or blocks are driveway with their car. No, 9 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: I'm talking about a creepy, antisocial neighbor that turned out 10 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: to be far worse than anyone ever expected. He was 11 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: a predator and he selected the girl next door. I says, Pray. 12 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: As far as neighbors go, it doesn't get much worse. 13 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: The story like the one you're about to hear, sparks 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: fear in all of us. You never know who my 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: move in your neighborhood it and you certainly have no 16 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: idea what they're up to or capable of behind closed doors. 17 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: I'm Scott Benjamin, and everything I'm about to tell you 18 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: is real. This is Insomniac. A killer was living among 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: the students at Barrister's Hall. Apartments in Making, Georgia. It 20 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 1: was Thursday morning, June eleven, and it was garbage collection day. 21 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: You make sure you get your trash to the curb 22 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: side at the usual time, and when the big truck 23 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: rolls away after tossing your bags in the back, you're 24 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: relieved that you're rid of that week's waste. At least 25 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: that's what usually happens, but this particular morning was a 26 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: little different. Not only were the garbagemen running a few 27 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: minutes late, but just moments before the truck arrived, the 28 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: bins were in a virtin ly blocked by a pair 29 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: of Making Georgia police cars that had pulled into the 30 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: parking lot. The detectives were there to investigate a missing 31 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: person's report called in early that morning. Lauren Giddings, seven 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: year old recent graduate of Mercer Law School, hadn't been 33 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: seen by her friends or family since the evening of 34 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: June five days prior. The police weren't intentionally blocking the 35 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: trash bins. It was only by chance that they had 36 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: parked where they did. When the garbage truck arrived moments later, 37 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: the driver realized the containers were unreachable, so he simply 38 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: smiled waved at the detectives and kept on driving to 39 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: his next stop. Moments later, the authorities knocked on the 40 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: door of Stephen McDaniel, Lauren's next door neighbor in the 41 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: eight unit department building. He was asked a few routine 42 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: questions about his missing neighbor, then left alone as the 43 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: police went about their work. It was several hours later 44 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: that sameternoon when a very talkative Stephen McDaniel agreed to 45 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,239 Speaker 1: appear on the evening newscast during a curbside interview with 46 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: a local television news station that the u g X 47 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: A t V. Just a couple of minutes in, he 48 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: was blindsided by the news. It changed his demeanor completely. 49 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: He was visibly affected by the information the reporter was 50 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: sharing with him. It was at that moment, that very 51 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: public moment, that Stephen McDaniel knew he was in trouble, 52 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: and thanks to the video crew there to document it, 53 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: the entire city of Making Georgia knew it too. Today's 54 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: episode is a little bit out of the ordinary, and 55 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: that we're going to take a look at a killer 56 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: who only claimed one victim. Now, that's not in any 57 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: way to downplay the fact that this person took a 58 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: human life. However, I think you'll find the way today's 59 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: case unfolds is just as interesting and horrific as any 60 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: other case involving a serial killer. Some of the details 61 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: are so unusual that the story almost seems like fiction. 62 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: But it's all real and it really did happen this way. Now, 63 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: unless you're from the southeastern part of the United States, 64 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: or unless you happen to be really up on your 65 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: true crime, there's a good chance you've never even heard 66 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: of this case. There's really no mystery about who did 67 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: the killing. There are no red herring suspects for us 68 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: to introduce, no other leads to follow, and in the end, 69 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: there will be no doubt remaining that the real killer 70 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: is paying the price. You see, right from the beginning, 71 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: it was evident that Stephen McDaniel was the primary person 72 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: of interest in the murder of his neighbor Lauren Giddings. 73 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: You'll understand why the detectives were almost immediately onto Stephen 74 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: as we saw it through the details. In fact, despite 75 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: his best effort to pull off what he considered to 76 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: be the perfect murder, Stephen McDaniel made it fairly easy 77 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: for the detectives. Right from the beginning, he made several 78 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: mistakes that he simply couldn't hide, and like most other 79 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: narcissistic killers who were captured, he quickly came to the 80 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: crushing realization that he wasn't necessarily smarter than everybody else, 81 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: including his pursuers. As we lay out the details of 82 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: today's case, I'd like you to keep this at the 83 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: forefront of your thoughts. The authorities have a theory that 84 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: Stephen McDaniel was a serial killer in the making, but 85 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: because he wasn't very good at it, they just happened 86 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: to catch him after his first murder. Had they delayed 87 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: in his capture, it's likely there would have been more victims. 88 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: As you listen to the rest of today's episode, take 89 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: note of some of Steven's peculiar behaviors and ask yourself 90 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: if you agree. We'll start in a town that sits 91 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: about eighty four miles southeast of Atlanta, one that goes 92 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,239 Speaker 1: by the nickname the Heart of Georgia, the City of Making. 93 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: Among the newest graduates of Mercer Law School in May 94 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: of two thousand eleven were two students that knew of 95 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: each other. Yet, as it turns out didn't know each 96 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: other very well. For about three years, the two lived 97 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 1: right next door to one another. They even shared a 98 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: common stairway to their second floor residences at the Barrister's 99 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: Hall apartment complex, right across the street from the college campus. 100 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: Other than that, the two had nothing more in common. 101 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: Lauren Teresa Gettings was a twenty seven year old, blonde 102 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: haired native of Laurel, Maryland. She was known by her classmates, friends, 103 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: and family as athletic, cheerful, outgoing, and social. She had 104 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: ambitions of putting her law degree to good use in 105 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: her new career as a lawyer in the nearby city 106 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: of Atlanta. After her graduation, all that remained in her 107 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: way was the Georgia Bar Exam. Her plans, like many 108 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: other graduating students in her class, were to stay in 109 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: making in order to study for the bar exam. Throughout 110 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: the months of May and June. Lauren had a steady boyfriend, 111 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: a corporate lawyer in Atlanta named David Vanderveer. He and 112 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: Lauren had been together since two thousand seven, when Lauren 113 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: accepted an internship as a project assistant at the law 114 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: office where David worked in downtown Atlanta. Lauren never knew it, 115 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: but David was planning to propose to her after graduation 116 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: on a surprise trip to Bermuda later that fall. In 117 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: stark contrast to Lauren's character was our next door neighbor, 118 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: Stephen Mark McDaniel. He was twenty five years old and 119 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: nothing like his friendly, sociable neighbor Lauren. Stephen grew up 120 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: in the town of Lilburn, Georgia, a northeast suburb of 121 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: the city of Atlanta. He was known on campus as 122 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: a sort of odd character. He was generally antisocial, withdrawn 123 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: and more than a little eccentric in his behavior and 124 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: interactions with others. He was quirky, but according to those 125 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: who knew him, he was also very smart. Stephen's second 126 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: floor apartment was a place of retreat for him, somewhere 127 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 1: he could go to be alone. He was essentially a 128 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: twenty five year old recluse, staying inside most of the 129 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: time with his video games, his pornography, his guns, and 130 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: his swords. Stephen was a prepper, collecting food and supplies 131 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: in the way of survivalist might. He also collected empty 132 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 1: containers for some reason, soda bottles, large plastic jugs, and 133 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: even the cardboard centers of toilet paper rolls. He owned 134 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: an older car, one that he rarely used geo prism. 135 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,439 Speaker 1: It was driven so infrequently that cobwebs would form between 136 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: the wheels and the ground. From the beginning, Stephen had 137 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: been interested in Lauren, but it was a one way street. 138 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: He had asked her out at least a couple of times, 139 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 1: only to be rejected on all occasions. After all, she 140 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: did have a boyfriend. But even if she wasn't in 141 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: a relationship, Lauren would not have accepted Stephen's advances. She 142 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: thought of him as the creepy next to oor neighbor 143 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: who rarely went outside, But of course she had enough 144 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: social grace to never outright say that to Stephen. We 145 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: should also know that Lauren was never known to be 146 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: afraid of Stephen McDaniel. At least, she never mentioned anyone 147 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 1: that she was frightened by her strange neighbor. What she 148 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: didn't know, however, definitely would have scared her. Because he 149 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: couldn't have her, Stephen began to obsess over his neighbor, 150 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: and that led to some secretive and troubling behavior in 151 00:09:52,840 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: the apartment next door to Lawrence. Early in the case, 152 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: detectives were given access to Stephen's Internet browsing history and 153 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: revealed some disturbing patterns. On April two thousand eleven, about 154 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: two months before he killed Lauren, Stephen typed the Google 155 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: search phrase nude Lauren Giddings. He also viewed Lauren's Twitter feed. Later, 156 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: he did several back to back searches using variations of 157 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: the word molest sleeping girl. The very next day, he 158 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: searched for the phrase choked unconscious, how long wake up? 159 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: Going back as far as May. First, he searched for 160 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: ways to escape prison. Throughout the months of May and June, 161 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: his internet browsing history showed a growing obsession with Lauren Giddings. 162 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: Within the same time frame, he visited sites to search 163 00:10:56,679 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: for nude photos of celebrities, advertisements for local escorts, dating sites, 164 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:07,719 Speaker 1: reading erotic fiction, and viewing pornography. Using the screen name 165 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,959 Speaker 1: s o L, which he stated stands for Son of Liberty, 166 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: he wrote graphic sexual posts online describing torture and violence 167 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: toward women. He looked at guns and sex toys as well. 168 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: By June three, two eleven, he was looking at Lawrence, 169 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 1: Amazon dot Com, wish list. On June seven eleven, he 170 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: was on a photo sharing website looking for Lauren Getting's account. 171 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: The next day, June eleven, McDaniel looked at lawrence LinkedIn 172 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: networking page and looked at her Facebook page as well. 173 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 1: None of these searches are illegal, of course, but they 174 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: painted increasingly dark image of Stephen McDaniel's character. In the 175 00:11:49,920 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: months prior to lawrence murder, Lauren Giddings and Stephen McDaniel. 176 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: The two didn't know it yet, but they were about 177 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 1: to make headlines. Not because they were young superstar lawyers, 178 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 1: as they had both hoped to soon be, but because 179 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:15,839 Speaker 1: of the awful situation that was to unfold. In late 180 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:23,440 Speaker 1: June two th eleven, a little more than one month 181 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: after graduation, Lawrence spent her final afternoon pool side at 182 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:32,959 Speaker 1: Healy Point Country Club in River North, and then around 183 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: five pm, she used her credit card to buy dinner 184 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: at a Zacksby's drive through on our way home. Her 185 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: outstretched arm was captured on video as she reached for 186 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: her order from the drive through window. That was the 187 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: last outside contact anyone had with Lauren before she was 188 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: attacked and murdered in the early morning hours of Sunday, 189 00:12:54,840 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 1: June two thousand eleven, No one, with the exception of 190 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: her killer, I would know where Lauren was for the 191 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: next five days. You might wonder how a socially connected 192 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: person like Lauren might go and missed for nearly a week. Well, 193 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: her friends and family knew that she was preparing for 194 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: the Georgia bar exam and gave her the privacy she 195 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: would need to study for her test. Everyone close to 196 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: her would have understood why she was secluded in her apartment, 197 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: locked away and temporarily unreachable. They didn't want to disturb her. 198 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,199 Speaker 1: On the afternoon of June, the evening before Stephen McDaniel 199 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: snuck into Lauren's apartment to kill her, he looked at 200 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: her Facebook page once again then just before her murder 201 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: in the early morning hours of June. The search multiple 202 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: times were ways to defeat the door jammy burglar bar 203 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: that Lauren Gettings used to keep out intruders. But how 204 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: did Steve even know what was behind her closed door 205 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: inside her apartment? The past several years have been difficult 206 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: to get through. I lost my aunt in two thousand twelve, 207 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: then my grandmother died in my grandfather in and then 208 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:37,680 Speaker 1: my own mother in along the way. I also lost 209 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: my first dog. He had been with us for sixteen years. 210 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: I loved him dearly. We also lost a bird that 211 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: was with us for almost fourteen years. The family pets, well, 212 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: I'm sure that most of you can relate to that. 213 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: They become another member of the family, and you're just 214 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: as sad to see them go as anyone else. It 215 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 1: was sometime during the middle of all of us that 216 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: I started having trouble sleeping. I thought I was mentally prepared, 217 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: as much as possible anyway to let those people in 218 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: my life go. The death of someone very old or 219 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,000 Speaker 1: someone with a fatal diagnosis should be expected sooner or later, 220 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: but that doesn't make it any easier, and I never 221 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: thought their death would affect me quite as much as 222 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: they have over the past several years. The pain is fading, 223 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: but not fast enough. All of these people, my aunt, 224 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: my grandparents, and my mother still occupying my thoughts most days, 225 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: and sometimes they're in my dreams, both good and bad. 226 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: I'm telling you this because it's not just working on 227 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: this podcast that's been the cause of my nightmares. It's 228 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: also been these events of my personal life. But being 229 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: able to put it all out there. As bad as 230 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: it is, he is helping me find my way out. 231 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 1: Just before Steve McDaniel's case was to go to trial, 232 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: it was discovered that a few hours before he killed 233 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: Lauren Gettings, between nine pm and twelve thirty am, Stephen 234 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: McDaniel was sneaking around outside of Lauren's second story living 235 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: room window. He was watching Lauren. He was looking through 236 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 1: her blinds by using a video camera duct tape to 237 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: the end of a six foot wooden stick as he 238 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 1: stood at ground level. As he scanned the inside of 239 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: Lauren's apartment with the camera, he paid particular attention to 240 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 1: her front door and how it was secured with a 241 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 1: burglar bar. He was looking for a way to defeat 242 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: the device that stretched from the floor to the doorknob. 243 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: The video clips showing the inside of Lauren's apartment were 244 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 1: deleted from Steven's camera in the days that followed her death, 245 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: but the erased files were recovered years later by the FBI. 246 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: As the evidence continued to grow against him and he 247 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:11,679 Speaker 1: was headed to trial, things were looking bad for Stephen, 248 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: real bad. Not only did the prosecutors now have the 249 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 1: deleted stocking videos. They also had child pornography images that 250 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: have been stored on Stephen's computer, adding thirty counts of 251 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: sexual exploitation of children to the charges against him. These 252 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: were unrelated to the murder, but he was now looking 253 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: at additional prison time five to twenty years for each 254 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: of the thirty charges. On two thousand eleven, a nearly 255 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: unbelievable series of events took place throughout the day, along 256 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: with Steven's unexpected and shocking confession late in the investigation. 257 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: You get to here from Steven McDaniel himself as he's 258 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:06,200 Speaker 1: interviewed just outside of his apartment the moment he learns 259 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: that body was discovered. Next time on Insomniac. Insomniac is 260 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio and Tenderfoot TV, written 261 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,880 Speaker 1: and hosted by Scott Benjamin and produced by Miranda Hawkins, 262 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, Matt Frederick, and Josh Thine. Music composed by 263 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,959 Speaker 1: Makeup and Vanity, Set and cover art by Trevor Eisler. 264 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: Follow on Twitter and Facebook at Insomniac Pod, on Instagram 265 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: at Insomniac podcast, and at our website insomniac podcast dot 266 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: com for more podcasts from My Heart Radio visit the 267 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen 268 00:18:53,840 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.