The 10 most harrowing true crime cases covered on Dateline 

Dateline NBC, known for its gripping true crime stories, started in 1992 as a traditional news magazine show. It covered politics, human interest stories, and investigative journalism. Over time, its success in true crime stories transformed it into a full-fledged crime documentary series.

The show has featured some of the most shocking crime cases in US history and is valued for its in-depth stories and investigative interviews. It is more than an informative podcast or show; it also intrigues the viewers emotionally, making them feel connected to every story.

Today, we will explore the most harrowing crime cases covered on Dateline NBC. This includes some wrongful incarcerations while some cases, even after decades, haunt the prosecutors and remain unsolved. The show largely reflects the complexities of human relationships and what causes such radicalization that people do not hesitate to take the lives of their family members, like what happened in the case of Lori Vallow, as explored in the Dateline episode titled Mommy Doomsday. Read on to know more.

**Disclaimer: The Below article is the author's opinion; the reader's discretion is advised.

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The Wrong Man

This episode of Dateline investigates the wrongful conviction of Ryan Ferguson and Charles for the murder of Kent Heithold that happened in 2001. The night before his body was found, Charles was at the bar and doesn't remember exactly what happened on the day of the crime. Later, he started having dreams about the crime and, believing them to be repressed memories, shared them with friends. This led to the police questioning Erickson, who, despite having no independent knowledge of the crime, eventually confessed under pressure. He confessed that he and Ryan were involved in the crime. This ambiguous confession became a testimony for Ferguson's arrest, who was then sentenced to 40 years in Prison despite the lack of evidence.

Years later, Erickson withdrew his statement and stated that he lied in the oath. Another key witness against Ryan withdrew his statement after identifying him. Even after this, Ferguson was in prison until a renowned lawyer took his case and exposed the system's negligence. Ryan received a compensation of $11 million for a wrongful conviction for almost 10 years. Meanwhile, Erickson remains in prison, serving a 25-year sentence.

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Unraveled

In 2018, in Arizona, a chilling case came to light with a mysterious man killing six people and later committing suicide when confronted by the police. Dwight Lamon Jones, after getting divorced from his then-wife Connie Jones, started chasing down people he thought were responsible for their divorce. Jones was a former military member who had a history of domestic violence. In 2009, he had been convicted of assault and disorderly conduct. Following their divorce in 2010, prosecutors found out that Connie obtained multiple protective orders against him, fearing for her safety.

From all the people Jones killed, also included a forensic psychologist, Dr. Steven Pitt. Pitt had previously evaluated Jones during his divorce case and had diagnosed him with anxiety, mood disorder, and paranoid personality symptoms. He also killed Veleria Sharp and Laura Anderson, who were paralegals. He killed them at the Scottsdale law firm where Elizabeth Feldman, Jones' ex-wife’s divorce attorney, was a partner.

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Mommy Doomsday

Whoever became a part of Lori Vallow’s life faced a tragic end: her husband, 2 children, a romantic interest, and a brother. As per the interview shown in Dateline, she was suffering from suicidal thoughts. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who usually connected with the thought of the afterlife and end times.

Police appeared on the scene when Lori’s 2 children went missing. Later, it was revealed that Lori was so delusional and engulfed in conspiracy theories that she mistook every member of her family as evil-spirited and ended up killing them. Currently, she is serving multiple life sentences without parole in Idaho.

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Death of a Golden Girl

Paula Sladewski was with her boyfriend Kevin Klym in the space nightclub when they got into an ugly fight. The bouncers of the club intervened and threw Kevin out of the club. He stormed out and got into a taxi, as seen in the CCTV footage outside the club. Later on, Paula was never seen by anyone, and her remains were found in a dumpster. CCTV footage became the prime clue that showcased a suspicious silhouette that looked like a bouncer trailing her body out of the club.

Authorities determined that Paula had been strangled before her body was set on fire. Kevin Klym was initially considered a person of interest due to his history of domestic violence, but he was later ruled out. He claimed that one of the club's bouncers could have been responsible, but club management denied any involvement. They revealed that Paula was with another man that night, but who? is a question that still haunts the prosecutor as, even after decades, the case remains unsolved.

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The Phone Call

Season 29, episode 42 of Dateline is another case of wrongful incarceration. This time, it is Pete Coones who gets caught because of a misleading phone call. The prosecution built its case largely on Kathleen’s phone call and the testimony of her daughter, who claimed that Pete had previously threatened Kathleen. However, forensic testing found no gunshot residue, no DNA, and no fingerprints linking Pete to the crime scene.

He was arrested for the murder of Kathleen Scholl and her husband, Carl. Kathleen was close to Coone's father and was his housekeeper. His father even gave some of his insurance money to Kathleen. After almost 12 years in prison, Coones was cleared of the charges as the case turned out to be a murder-suicide case- Kathleen killed her husband before taking her life. But sadly, after years, when Pete Coones was free, he died of cancer he developed while he was in jail.

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At The Bottom of The Stairs

This episode of Dateline explored Annemarie Cochrane, who in 2010 was found dead at home at the bottom of the stairs. Initially, Annamarie had been strangled, leading them to classify her death as a homicide. According to his wife Cara Rintala’s statement, Annemarie was dead hours before the help arrived. The prosecutors found the body covered in wet paint, so if the death had happened hours ago, the paint should have dried. This raises an alarm, and later, Cara is interrogated. In 2016, she was convicted of first-degree murder, but this conviction was later overturned due to issues with expert testimony regarding the paint evidence.

The prosecutor questioned why the paramedic expert didn’t attempt CPR on her loved one and instead ran to a neighbor’s house. During her fourth trial, Cara was convicted of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 12-14 years in prison. She is currently serving her sentence at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center.

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Bad Blood

This episode is about two 16-year-old twins, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah Whitehead, who found their mother unresponsive in the bathtub after reaching home. The investigation revealed that, indeed, the victim fought for her life. Later, it was found that Nikki had an intimate relationship with the criminal. Her boyfriends were cleared of suspicion, and therefore, the police turned to the twin daughters for answers.

Police found scratch marks on their hands and arms and noticed that they had reached school really late that morning. The twins had an unstable relationship with their mother, who had recently regained custody of them despite their protests. On the day of the murder, an argument escalated, and as a result, Nikki was attacked, stabbed, and choked before being dragged to the bathtub, where she was left to die. After the crime, the twins went to school as if nothing had happened, trying to create an alibi. Later, when the complete picture came to light, they were found guilty of killing their mother because they were angry at her. The sisters are sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment.

Despite initially pleading not guilty, both sisters eventually confessed in 2014 and were sentenced to 30 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. They are currently incarcerated in separate facilities in Georgia

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The House on Pitch Pine Crescent

The House on Pitch Pine Crescent episode investigates the tragic deaths of three members of the Harrison family in Mississauga, Canada. In over five years, Bill Harrison (2009), his wife, Bridget Harrison (2010), and their son, Caleb Harrison (2013), all died under suspicious circumstances in their home at 3635 Pitch Pine Crescent.

The police decide to look at all three cases closely. They examined their interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, and the history of incidents that occurred in the past involving the family, This also included Caleb’s ongoing dispute with his ex-wife, Melissa. Caleb is disappointed that he won’t be able to see his children. Eventually, Melissa Merritt and her then-partner, Chris Fattore, were arrested in 2014. Fattore was convicted of killing both Bridget and Caleb, while Merritt was found guilty of Caleb’s murder.

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True Confession

The episode True Confession focuses on the decades-long investigation into the rape and murder of Angie Dodge in Idaho Falls in 1996. The case was marked by a false confession from Christopher Tapp, who was compelled into admitting to the crime and then, based on the same, was sentenced to life in prison. The real killer was caught 20 years later, but even now, the show suggests that the bigger twist is yet to come.

In 2019, the real killer, Brian Leigh Dripps Sr., was identified through advanced forensic techniques and genealogical DNA research. Later, he also confessed to the crime. The episode features interviews from people closely connected to the case, the prosecutors, and Christopher himself, who suffered baseless punishment. Christopher received a $11.4 million settlement from the city of Idaho.

In a tragic turn, Christopher Tapp passed away in November 2023 after an accidental fall caused severe head injuries. His story remains a landmark case in the use of forensic genealogy to solve cold cases and prevent wrongful convictions.

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The Life She Wanted

This episode of Dateline explores the 1996 case of Sherri Dally, who was lured by a woman disguised in a police uniform attempting to arrest her. She was picked up from a parking lot and was later found murdered. The woman was revealed to be none other than Sherri’s husband's mistress. Sherri’s husband Michael had planned the crime along with Haun to remove her from his life forever. Both the suspects were found to be deeply linked to the case with supported physical evidence.

According to Michael's statement, he did so because he didn't want to go through the lengthy divorce process and custody battle. This led to life imprisonment without parole for both of them.

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These are some of the most harrowing true crime cases, as covered on Dateline NBC. Some cases highlight the flaws in the justice system while it is only the victims who bear the brunt of these false incarcerations. It is a matter of question if money can compensate for someone's life spent behind bars that they never deserved. On the other hand, some cases also painted a brighter image of hope and trust that justice will prevail, no matter how difficult the story is.

In the US, you can stream them on Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus with a subscription.