Stephen Mcdaniel was interviewed on Live News TV as a concerned neighbor, little did they know at the time Stephen himself had committed this murder. This is a case of stalker turned murderer, an obsession which turned deadly on June 26th 2011. On this date Stephen murdered neighbor and fellow law student Lauren Giddings.
The obsession which killed
Stephen reportedly stalked Lauren for months and some damning evidence to prove this was found following the investigation. Firstly violent pornography was found to have been searched continuously alongside images of Lauren. It is understood that Stephen's search history was filled with such searches. Police also found videos of her bedroom and living area that Stephen had taken using a long pole and a phone duct taped to the end. Below is the actual recording Stephen took of Lauren's apartment.
Police also found a pair of Lauren's panties in his apartment which could have been stolen prior to the murder as Stephen admitted to breaking into her apartment multiple times. Lauren however was suspicious of these break ins and suspected something was wrong, this was evident in an email she sent to her boyfriend the night before the murder stating someone had tried to break into her apartment. She would also come home to things moved and an eerie feeling that someone had been inside. It was clear to police at this point Stephen had an unhealthy obsession with his neighbor. It was also revealed that Lauren was moving out imminently. This suggests that Stephen was angry at the fact she was moving away and perhaps this murder was a reaction to this.
The TV interview
Stephen thought he had committed the perfect crime however it would all unravel whilst he was actually live on air being interviewed as a ‘concerned neighbor’. After giving a speech pretending to be worried for Lauren’s whereabouts he was told by reporters that a body had been found in a trash bag behind his apartment. Instantly Stephen’s eyes glazed over and he became highly emotional stating ‘i need to sit down’. Clearly Stephen hadn’t expected his perfect plan to fail. He did manage to play this reaction off as being upset for his neighbor however he was clearly upset for a different reason. It's quite a shocking display to watch in hindsight knowing this is the reaction of a killer who knows he will be caught.
The Murder
Stephen snuck into her apartment using the master key he had stolen from the building manager and proceeded to watch her sleep. However she was woken by a creak in the floor and told him to ‘get the fuck out’. This prompted Stephen to leap on her and start to strangle her. Despite the fact that she fought back immensely she was eventually overpowered and murdered by Stephen. He then put her body in the bathtub and used a hacksaw to dismember her body into 5 parts, discarding the packages around the college campus. Friends and family reported her missing 4 days later and this is when police discovered the torso wrapped in plastic in the garbage behind the apartment complex. Only Lauren’s torso was ever found with the other body parts never being found given they were taken away before the police could locate them. Police brought Stephen in for questioning and immediately were suspicious however had no grounds to arrest him. He did however allow detectives a quick search of his apartment in which they found a packet of condoms, Stephen then stated he stole these from other apartments. This gave police enough grounds to arrest him and begin a thorough search of his apartment, in which they found many of the items listed above but also the hacksaw used to dismember Lauren’s body. Given the mounting evidence Stephen was arrested for murder and then interrogated to try and elicit a confession.
The Police Interview
This is quite a remarkable interview as Stephen enters an almost catatonic state. He only answers questions with short sharp answers such as no or I don't know. Detectives try to increase pressure by closing the distance and making eye contact however are forced to break eye contact when Stephen fixes them with his eerie glare.
In another statement Stephen claims ‘she was my friend’ we know this not to be true as Lauren found him creepy and was visibly unsettled by his presence.
Overall the interview makes it seem as though Stephen is possessed, is this a sign of mental illness or an act to receive a lighter sentence. Given we see him talking freely in other interviews it is highly likely this was all an act.
The dangers of Pornography
I think this case highlights some of the dangerous effects that pornography can have on a young mind. Studies suggest that pornography is linked to all kinds of mental health problems. It numbs the mind to violence against others and the hardcore nature of the sex. It seems clear that Stephen’s obsession here was elevated through the use of violent pornography. A study in 2010 (just before this incident) analyzed a number of porn scenes and 88% was found to have included violence towards the woman. It is also suggested that regular porn users require increasingly graphic material to become aroused, maybe this is what happened with Stephen. It is impossible to tell whether or not this was the case however it seems likely this played a part.
Commenti