The exact moment a killer found out his victim’s body had been discovered was captured in a live news interview.
Stephen McDaniel initially acted like a concern friend while appearing on live TV, but the mood quickly changed when the reporter informed him that a body - which was later revealed to be 27-year-old Lauren Giddings - had been found by police.
McDaniel and Giddings were neighbors in Macon, Georgia, and had even attended Mercer College together.
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However, he had been secretly stalking her for quite some time.
One night in June 2011, McDaniel managed to gain access to the master key of the apartments and let himself in to her home.
There he strangled Giddings in her bedroom while wearing gloves and a mask.
He then used a hacksaw to dismember Giddings' corpse, and concealed it in several locations.
The discovery the police had made was in fact her torso, which McDaniel had hid in a bin.
Evidence then began to emerge from his computer, including posts on message boards about how he hated women and wanted to hurt them.
The murderer - unbeknownst to reporters at the time - later did a live interview with WGXA claiming to be concerned for Giddings' safety.
As the interviewer lets him know that police have recovered a body, his face drops as he tells camera he ‘needs to sit down’ before walking away from shot. He initially claimed this was due to the shock of losing a friend.
At this point, authorities had already established the man as a person of interest, and this was likely only heightened by his bizarre behavior while on camera.
He was later taken in for police interrogation in which the filmed footage has been viewed million times due to his eerie behavior.
During the interrogation he showed little remorse and would stare at the officer for minutes at a time, offering no answer to his questions.
He would also take his hands on and off the table, almost in a robotic-like pattern.
In 2014 McDaniel pleaded guilty to Giddings' murder without going to trial and is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole - though he won't be eligible until 2041.
As of 2024 he’s now incarcerated at Hancock State Prison located in Georgia.
Topics: News, Police, True crime, US News
Chelsea Connor