Dateline: The Watcher- 5 harrowing details about Lauren Giddings' murder, revisited

Dateline: The Watcher is based on the brutal murder of a 27-year-old law student, Lauren Giddings in June 2011. The episode originally aired on June 8, 2018 on NBC.

The synopsis of the episode reads,

"A recent law school graduate in Georgia who has a promising future disappears without a trace"

Giddings' brutal murder and subsequent investigation revealed a chilling tale of betrayal and violence. Lauren who had just graduated from Mercer University and was prepping for the George Bar Exam was found dismembered in Macon, Georgia's apartment complex.

The case gained widespread attention not only for its chilling nature but also for a dramatic twist during a live news interview with the murderer Stephen McDaniel who was her neighbor.

The investigation led to the discovery of evidence including McDaniel's weird obsession with Lauren and his calculated plot to cover up the heinous crime. Here are the 5 harrowing details of the Lauren Giddings murder.

---

5 harrowing details about the murder of Lauren Giddings as shown in Dateline- The Watchers

1) Meet the victim of the gruesome murder - Lauren Giddings

Born on April 18, 1984, in Takoma Park, Maryland, Lauren Giddings was the eldest of three sisters. She grew up in Laurel, Maryland, and moved to Georgia to pursue her higher education. Giddings graduated from Agnes Scott College with a degree in political science and religious studies before enrolling at Mercer University to study law.

Her friends recall her as a bubbly and cheerful girl who was smart and confident and was quite active in college activities. Among other things Giddings' was also passionate about the church, running, and was a president of the Federalist Society. Lauren was preparing for her Georgia Bar Exam before her life was cut short. Her brutal murder in June 2011 left the community in shock and disbelief.

---

2) The discovery of Lauren Giddings' torso: Dateline- The Watcher

Lauren Giddings was reported missing by her sisters on June 30, 2011, after she failed to respond to the calls and texts. When her friends entered her apartment using a spare key, they found her belongings untouched but no sign of Giddings.

On Friday, June 24, 2011, Giddings had a night out with her friends at a local bar to celebrate one last time before they started preparing for the bar exam. She then accompanied her friend Muller to Muller's boyfriend and Giddings' ex Joe's apartment where they spent the night. In the morning she left the apartment to visit a local club and then in the evening went to dine out in a fast food restaurant as per her card details.

Giddings texted David, her boyfriend on the night of June 25, 2011, that she felt like somebody was trying to enter her apartment. When the investigators started their search for Giddings' on June 30, 2011, they discovered her torso in a trash bin outside her apartment. Unfortunately, the rest of her body was never found, adding mystery to the heinous murder case. When the police used luminol in Giddings washroom they discovered blood stains on the bathtub, floor, and walls indicating a murder scene.

---

3) Unusual behavior of Giddings' neighbor Stephen McDaniel: Dateline- The Watcher

During the investigation, the authorities questioned several people including Giddings' neighbor and law graduate Stephen McDaniels. During the investigation, McDaniels clarification were quite inconsistent. In a recorded interview McDaniels behaved very indifferently when the reporter asked him that Giddings' remains were discovered.

As the investigation proceeded, the evidence slowly pointed towards Stephen McDaniels as the culprit for Giddings' murder. Police found a master key that he used to access all the rooms of the apartment from his belongings and even stolen unused condoms. The police arrested him on burglary charges and led on with the investigation.

---

4) Forensic evidence against Stephen McDaniel: Dateline - The Watchers

During a thorough search of Stephen McDaniel's apartment, police found disturbing evidence linked to Giddings' murder. His laptop revealed a history of weird and gruesome child p****graphy and searches related to Lauren proved his unhealthy obsession towards Lauren. They also discovered a video showcasing McDaniel using a camera attached to a stick to spy Giddings from her window.

Apart from that the officers also found a blood-soaked bedsheet and plastic packaging for a hacksaw matching the one they found initially in the laundry room. Their findings proved that it was Stephen McDaniels who murdered 27-year-old Lauren Giddings in June 2011.

---

5) Stephen McDaniel's confession and conviction

Stephen McDaniels confessed to the murder of Lauren Giddings on the wee morning hours of June 26, 2011. He revealed that he used the master key to barge in her apartment after which he assaulted her and strangled her to death. He used a hacksaw to cut Giddings body in her bathtub and dispose of the parts in trash bins.

In 2014, Mc Daniels pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and provided detailed accounts of the murder. He was thus sentenced to lifetime imprisonment with no chance of parole until 2041. Now nearing 40, McDaniel is at present locked at the Hancock State Prison in Georgia. IN 2018, his father started a GoFundMe page to cover his legal fees but was soon taken down. Despite his conviction, the other parts of Lauren Giddings's body remain unfound to date.

Tune in to SoapCentral for more Dateline updates.