As per Dateline, Amber Smith’s true crime story is one of the most popular. She was a 20-year-old mother who was savagely attacked in a park in August 2013. However, she survived with terrible injuries.
After years of terror, a breakthrough occurred in 2017 when Stefan Moon's DNA matched the crime scene evidence. He was apprehended, convicted, and sentenced to 128 years. Amber, a mother and aspiring addiction therapist, continues to inspire people with her fortitude.
Dateline NBC is a weekly American news magazine show that airs on NBC, concentrating on true crime tales. It began as a general-interest show but has now shifted its focus to legal matters and criminal investigations. The show airs on Fridays at 10.00 pm ET.
More about Amber Smith and her assaulter
In August 2013, Amber Smith, a 20-year-old single mother, was discovered severely injured in a Fort Collins park. She had been viciously attacked, strangled, and tied with duct tape.
Amber had been drinking with a friend in another park when she fell asleep. She awoke to find herself tied up and attacked by a guy. Despite her injuries, Amber survived and called for aid. She was brought to the hospital with a shattered jaw, head damage, and other serious injuries.
Despite finding DNA evidence at the crime scene, investigators were unable to identify a suspect. Amber's companion, Aric Vanagunas, was questioned, and his DNA did not match the findings. Amber faced agony and anxiety as the investigation went cold, not knowing if her perpetrator was still alive. She lived in dread for two years before moving in with new friends to begin her recovery.
A turning point came in 2017 when Amber's new roommate, Stefan Moon, was imprisoned for a separate offense. His DNA was identical to that found at the scene of Amber's assault. Amber was shocked to discover that the person who had attacked her was someone she knew. The news was even more upsetting because Stefan Moon had been comforting and kind to her after the attack.
Moon was arrested and charged with several charges. This included kidnapping and sexual assault. He was found guilty and sentenced to a 128-year prison term. Amber focused on beginning again when she felt relieved that her perpetrator had been arrested.
In addition to being a full-time mother to her son, Gabriel, she is pursuing a career in addiction rehabilitation. Amber's story is one of tenacity, strength, and survival. She continues to inspire others by proving that even amid unimaginable sorrow, there is hope.
Additional details about Stefan Moon from Dateline
Stefan Moon was arrested for an unrelated crime in 2017, which marked a significant breakthrough in the Amber Smith investigation. His DNA, which had been put into a national database, matched the DNA discovered at the location of Amber's attack.
Even more unsettling, Amber had unintentionally become friends with Moon years after the incident. She had lived in the same co-living house with him, utterly oblivious that he was her attacker.
Stefan Moon is a key figure in Amber Smith's startling case, covered in the Dateline episode "Left for Dead."
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Dateline NBC is a popular news program that began in 1992. Special programs like To Catch a Predator, in which people were captured on camera attempting to meet youngsters for illicit purposes, have made Dateline popular.
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