1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: M HM. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: are solely those of the authors and participants and do 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: not necessarily represent those of I Heart Media, Stuff Media, 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: or its employees. Listener discretion is advised from my Heart 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: Radio and Tenderfoot TV. Monster presents Insomniac. I'm Scott Benjamin, 6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: and everything I'm about to tell you is real. Every 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: time someone in my life dies, I feel like I 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,639 Speaker 1: always want to know exactly what's going on with their 9 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: dead body. I'm always curious as to what stage of 10 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: the process they're in as far as getting ready for 11 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: their funeral. I wonder about the little details, too, the 12 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: various steps of body transportation, the vehicles used by the 13 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: corner and the funeral home, the facilities the body is 14 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: stored in, how they clean and embalm, how they addressed 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: the deceased for the funeral, the person's hair and makeup, 16 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: all of the steps along the way. I know it's strange, 17 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: yet I can't seem to get through a funeral without 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: wondering all of these things. The deceased person occupies my 19 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: thoughts in this way for weeks afterwards too, if not months. 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: It's something I've been obsessed with for many years, maybe 21 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: as long as twenty, and I can't seem to stop. 22 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: I know that Diane is something we all face at 23 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: some point in our lives, some sooner than others. But 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: I want to know the details now ahead of time, 25 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: not that it will matter so much when I'm actually gone. 26 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: It's a person's final appearance before they're put into the 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: ground forever. This is insomniac. It was Thursday, June eleven, 28 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: around nine a m. Making Police detectives that just pulled 29 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: their cars into the parking lot of the Barrister's Hall apartments, 30 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: inadvertently blocking the rollaway garbage bins as they did so. 31 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: They were there to follow up on a missing person's report. 32 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: As he made his way from apartment to apartment, Detective 33 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: Scott Chapman eventually knocked on Stephen McDaniel's door and the 34 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,519 Speaker 1: two spoke about his missing neighbor. A short time later, 35 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: Lead Detective David Patterson also interviewed McDaniel in his squad car. 36 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: After Stephen was back in his own apartment, the detectives 37 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: made a grim discovery around a m A Torso, soon 38 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: to be identified as Lawrence Torso, was found in one 39 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: of the roll away trash cans next to the apartment building. 40 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: A short time later, Stephen McDaniel, still unaware of the 41 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: discovery of lawrence remains, was driven to the Making Police 42 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: Departments Detective Bureau, where he gave a video recorded state 43 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: and to Detective Patterson. When Stephen was asked for consent 44 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: to search his apartment along with the other tenants of 45 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: the eight unit department building, Stephen declined. He made an 46 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: excuse that he had several firearms in his apartment and 47 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: he didn't want anyone near them. As they spoke to Stephen, 48 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: suspicion continued to grow in the minds of the detectives, 49 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: and his entire afternoon was filled with interviews. The police 50 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: continued to pressure Stephen to allow them into his apartment 51 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: for a search, and even told him that everybody else 52 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: who lived in the building except for him, had given 53 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: consent to search. Eventually, Stephen gave into the pressure and 54 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: allowed Detective Patterson to look in his apartment to search 55 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: for the missing woman. At that point in the interview, 56 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: Detective Patterson asked Stephen to stand up and lift his 57 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: shirt to check for any marks he might have on 58 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: his body. There were two red scratches on the right 59 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: side of his abdomen, scratches that Stephen couldn't account for. 60 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: He didn't know where or when he received the scratches, 61 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: but Patterson mentioned that the marks looked like fingernail marks. 62 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 1: The scratches were photographed, and then they departed the police 63 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: station headed to Stephen's apartment for a walkthrough. It was 64 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: now mid afternoon on j about one PM, and McDaniel 65 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: was still unaware that the torso had been discovered. He 66 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: assumed the trash had been removed earlier that morning before 67 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: the detectives had arrived. Back at Stephen's apartment, Detective Patterson 68 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: and an investigator from the District Attorney's office conducted a 69 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,840 Speaker 1: walk through to supposedly look for Lauren, although they were 70 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: already fairly certain that it was her torso they had 71 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,280 Speaker 1: found earlier that morning. They noted that Stephen owned a 72 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: samurai so, several large knives, a semi automatic rifle, and 73 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: a pair of handguns. There was also a large cooler 74 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 1: near the front door. Until now, Stephen was allowed to 75 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: stay while they searched his apartment, but at some point 76 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: Stephen was asked to leave to allow them some room 77 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: to conduct their business. That's when, as Steven headed toward 78 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: the Mercer Law School campus on the other side of 79 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: the street, a local news crew waved him over, leading 80 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: to one of the most bizarre news interviews you'll ever see. 81 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: It was around two pm on the afternoon of June 82 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: eleven when McDaniel told Michelle Cassada, a reporter with Makon's 83 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: Fox affiliate w g x A t V, that he 84 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: would do an interview. As the interview began, Stephen was 85 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: still unaware that more than four hours earlier, Lauren Giddings 86 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: Torso was discovered in a trash camp beside his apartment building. 87 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: On camera, McDaniel looks more than a little bit disheveled, 88 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,919 Speaker 1: crazy eyed, and his hair a mess, presumably because his 89 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: friend Lauren Giddings was missing, but he was able to 90 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: keep it together fairly well for the first part of 91 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: the interview. His concern for her well being was all 92 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: in act. Of course, However, he was about to be 93 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: slapped in the face by the reality of his situation. 94 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: As the reporter presented McDaniel was some new information. This 95 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: was the first time he was aware that a body 96 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: had been discovered on the property. Of course, Stephen knew 97 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: Laurence Torso was there all along. That's where he left 98 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 1: it two days earlier, but he had no idea that 99 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: the body had been found. What unfolded within that brief 100 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,280 Speaker 1: interview would be remembered and screwanized by everyone who saw 101 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: it on television that evening, including the detectives that were 102 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: now on the case. His strange on air performance, combined 103 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: with the rest of his theatrics on display throughout the day, 104 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: made Stephen an immediate person of interest in the case. 105 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: As we played the audio for you, you'll hear when 106 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: Steven goes silent that appears to go into shock as 107 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: he absorbs the news and the new reality of the situation. 108 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: Here's that interview. I'm no, no, no one has seen 109 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: her sincerity. I haven't seen anything. I'm We've always seen 110 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: a noise outside, but just people walking by pretty much. 111 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: And she just recently graduated the person. Yeah, she and 112 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: I were we were both j D students. Um we 113 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: graduated back in May. What kind of person was she? 114 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: I mean, how did you? What did im? She's as 115 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: nice as can be. I'm very personable, very much people person. 116 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: Do you know any and the enemies. You might have 117 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: had somebody that might want to hurt her. No, I'm 118 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: we're we don't know where she is. I'm the only 119 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: thing we can think is that maybe she went out 120 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: running and someone snatched her. Because I'm we went, we 121 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: went over. One of her friends had a key. We 122 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: went inside and tried to see if there was anything amiss. 123 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: But she had a door jam that was sitting right 124 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: by it, so there's no sign that anyone broke in. 125 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: I'm door was locked when everyone got here. We just 126 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: don't know where she is. And what about in the 127 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,319 Speaker 1: like the parking lot area. I know they've been doing 128 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: a lot of I think that's where they had recovered 129 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: the body or whatever they recovered from there. Had you 130 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: heard and it had just seen anything there? Had just 131 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: get anything there? I mean, we don't know if this 132 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: is a stake person, you know what I mean, Like 133 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: they said about a body to earth here, we don't 134 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: know if the stake person. So that's how we're trying 135 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: to ask people if they know who lived there? Are 136 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: you okay there? I think I need to sit down. Okay. Remarkably, 137 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: Stephen returns to the interview just a few minutes later 138 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: with some of the worst acting you've ever seen, as 139 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: the attempts to pretend to be upset that Lauren might 140 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:28,559 Speaker 1: be dead again. It's all in act. Why would anyone 141 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: do this or anything? H I started something. Maybe I 142 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: could have helped. Okay, do you want us to dumper 143 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: them in? H Are you holding out any more? Right now? 144 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: All right? Hi? Hi? Hope if they founded on on 145 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: the property somewhere, yeahardy thing about a body and that 146 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: he were talking to that. As far as any of 147 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: us knew, they were still trying to just find her thing. 148 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: We got an email this morning from some people that 149 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:19,719 Speaker 1: live on the other side of Kroeger, on the other 150 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: side of the river that they had seen her in 151 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: the past running in that area. We thought maybe someone 152 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: had snatched her over there, or maybe she got hurt 153 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: or something. After looking through Steven's apartment in the afternoon 154 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: and his unusual behavior on local television that evening, the 155 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: detectives wanted Stephen brought in once again for questioning. On 156 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: the night of He was interrogated throughout the evening until 157 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 1: the early hours of the next day, July one. Surprisingly, 158 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: especially from a recent criminal law graduate, there was no 159 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: request from Stephen to have a lawyer present during his interrogation. Also, 160 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: there was no confession or no admission of guilt, but 161 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: the police already had more than a strong suspicion that 162 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: he was the one. Throughout the two hour interrogation, Stephen 163 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: is the opposite of how he acted in front of 164 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,319 Speaker 1: the television camera earlier that day. Most of his answers 165 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: are one word yes, and occasionally and is added to 166 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: the mix, all delivered in a monotone, robotic manner, nothing 167 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: at all like the talkative character they had encountered earlier 168 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: in the day. The police did, however, catch one break 169 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: during his interrogation. Stephen admitted to stealing condoms from two 170 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: other apartments in the complex. It wasn't much, but it 171 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: was enough to hold him. He was placed under arrest 172 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: for two counts of burglary and held in the bib 173 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: County Jail after receiving a search warrant from McDaniel's apartment. 174 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 1: The authorities were able to collect Steven's various knives and guns, 175 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: but also a few other key pieces of evidence, a 176 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: master key to the entire apartment complex and another key 177 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: specifically for Getting's apartment. A stolen flash drive that belonged 178 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: to Gettings, one that contained hundreds of her personal photos, 179 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: a pair of panties with getting the DNA found in 180 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 1: McDaniel's bedroom, sock drawer, a large bloody sheet, and a 181 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: washing machine in the apartment complex is laundry room, and 182 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 1: a hack saw with human flesh attached, which was found 183 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: in a locked storage closet in the laundry room. Blood 184 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: on the saw was tested and it matched getting the DNA. 185 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,199 Speaker 1: Packaging for the hacksaw was also found in McDaniel's apartment. 186 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: By August second, two thousand eleven, the police had discovered 187 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: enough evidence to charge Stephen mc daniel with the murder 188 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: of Lauren Giddings. He would remain behind bars for three 189 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 1: years waiting for his trial. The prosecution was going for 190 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: the death penalty, but that's when the computer and camera 191 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: evidence was found by the FBI, the deleted stalking videos 192 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: and the child porn. They were a late discovery. It 193 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: was these stalking videos and sexual photos of miners, combined 194 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,839 Speaker 1: with the other physical and circumstantial evidence against him, that 195 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: would force McDaniel, three years after the fact, to make 196 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: the decision to plead guilty to the murder of Lauren 197 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: Giddings and accept a sentence of life in prison. A 198 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: death penalty case can typically take between five to seven 199 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,079 Speaker 1: years to go to trial, but the District Attorney's office 200 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: was willing to withdraw its request for the death penalty 201 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: for faster closure because the trial could have dragged on 202 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:04,200 Speaker 1: for months. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors also 203 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: agreed to drop the charges of sexual exploitation of children 204 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: and the burglary charges against Stephen. Those were filed as 205 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: a result of the investigation, but unrelated to the murder anyway. 206 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: In return, they got exactly what they wanted. Stephen would 207 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: be imprisoned for the rest of his life, and in 208 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: order to remain out of court, he had to handwrite 209 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: a confession detailing the last hours of Lauren Getting's life 210 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: and exactly how he disposed of her remains. In April, 211 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: Stephen wrote a one page confession describing Lauren's final evening 212 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: alive and how he later dismembered and disposed of her body. 213 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: At four thirty a m on Sunday, June two thousand eleven, 214 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: Stephen entered Lauren's apartment using his master key, and he 215 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: soundlessly defeated the burglar bar that she had propped against 216 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: her door. He watched her sleep. As he approached the bed, 217 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: a floorboard creaked and Laurence sat up alarmed. She saw 218 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: the master intruder and calmly said get the out. In 219 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: his own words, McDaniel said, I leaped across the bed 220 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: onto her and grabbed her around the throat. We tumbled 221 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: out of bed onto the floor, and in her struggle 222 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: to get away, she moved her legs and lower body 223 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: under the bed, preventing her from getting away or kicking me. 224 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: The two continued to fight, and Lauren was eventually able 225 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: to remove the mask from her attacker's face and she 226 00:15:52,640 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: recognized him immediately Stephen. She said, please stop, but he 227 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: didn't stop. He continued to choke her until she stopped moving, 228 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: which he guessed was about fifteen minutes later. He then 229 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: dragged her into the bathroom and left her body in 230 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: the bathtub. After that, Stephen went back to his own 231 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: apartment and spent most of the afternoon on his computer. 232 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: That evening, he returned to her apartment with a hack 233 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: saw and began to dismember her body in the bathtub. 234 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: Her head, arms, and legs were removed, wrapped separately in 235 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 1: several black trash bags, and then thrown into Mercer Law 236 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: School dumpster. The mask that Stephen had warned during the attack, 237 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: as well as his gloves and shirt, were cut up 238 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: and flushed down the toilet. Just before dawn on Tuesday June, 239 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: Stephen returned to Lauren's apartment to wrap her torso in 240 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: five have black plastic garbage bags and then dump it 241 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: in a trash bin just outside of their apartment building. 242 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: He attended a bar exam preparation class that same day 243 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 1: and the next day too. Then on the night of 244 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: Wednesday June, Stephen joined a group of Laurence friends and 245 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: classmates in search for the missing woman, knowing full well 246 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: that he had killed her, but he later said he 247 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: was in a dreamlike delusional state where he believed Gettings 248 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: was not dead. Then on Thursday, Stephen searched for ways 249 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: to erase his brows in history, just a short time 250 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: before Lawrence Torso was discovered by the making detectives yards 251 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 1: away from his front door. Her head, arms and legs 252 00:17:50,920 --> 00:18:00,919 Speaker 1: were never found. Stephen McDaniel was convicted on April, nearly 253 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:05,119 Speaker 1: three years after the murder of Lauren Giddings. He was 254 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,919 Speaker 1: housed at the prison in Butts County, Georgia, which is 255 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 1: the state's diagnostic and classification center for new inmates, until December, 256 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,400 Speaker 1: when he was transferred to Valdosta State Prison in southern Georgia, 257 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: and that's where he is today. The earliest Stephen will 258 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: be eligible to request parole is in the year he'll 259 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:31,639 Speaker 1: be fifty six years old, but given the calculated and 260 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: brutal nature of his crime, he's unlikely to ever be released. 261 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:49,160 Speaker 1: In a rural South Carolina prison in a convicted killer 262 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: orchestrated a crime that would earn him the nickname the 263 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: Meanest man in America. That's not an easy title to achieve, 264 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:01,239 Speaker 1: but he deserved it. The details of his life will 265 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: show you that he was rotten to the core from 266 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,640 Speaker 1: the time he's just a kid, and he only got 267 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: worse as you were older Next time on Insomniac. Insomniac 268 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio and Tenderfoot TV, 269 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: written and hosted by Scott Benjamin and produced by Miranda Hawkins, 270 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, Matt Frederick, and Josh Than. Music composed by 271 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: Makeup and Vanity set and cover by Trevor Eisler. Follow 272 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: on Twitter and Facebook at insomniac Pod, on Instagram at 273 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: insomniac podcast, and at our website insomniac podcast dot com. 274 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I 275 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 276 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.