LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘The Audience’ is an interesting episode.Dateline: Smoking Gun The film traces the terrifying story of a young woman at the hands of her neighbor named Stephen McDaniel. Lauren was a friendly and promising 27-year-old young lady; but a chilling act of violence took him away. The next chapter reveals how McDaniel, Lauren’s next-door neighbor and classmate, planned the planned murder in minute detail and then eventually committed a shocking crime that would send shockwaves throughout the community.

As the story progresses, viewers will learn about his dark motivations, the evidence that eventually led to his arrest, and, furthermore, the fight for justice that ensues. Through interviews and investigative reporting,’date line‘ ensures that Lauren’s story is not forgotten by shedding light not only on the life she lived, but also on how her death affected her family and friends.

Who was Lauren Giddings?

Lauren Giddings was a bright 27-year-old woman living in Macon, Georgia. He was one of those rare creatures who was very smart, pleasant and hard-working. Lauren, who attended Mercer University, was interested in law and had just finished her law degree. His friends and family described him as ambitious and driven; He had a bright future ahead of him.

He lived in an apartment complex near the university and was socially popular among his neighbors. He was generally friendly, and most of those who knew him described him as an approachable person, as he interacted frequently with those around him. But after his disappearance on June 30, 2011, it became a tragic headline.

His disappearance shook the entire community. After a lengthy investigation, his remains were found and it was concluded that he was murdered by his neighbor from Mercer University, Stephen McDaniel.

Was Lauren Giddings friends with Stephen McDaniels?

Although Lauren Giddings and Stephen McDaniel knew each other, they weren’t the best of friends. They both attended Mercer University and were therefore classmates. They haven’t had much interaction with each other through studies and are said to have never really been close to each other.

After college, they found themselves living in adjoining apartments in the same complex in Macon, Georgia. But neither closeness nor time ever turns into friendship. Lauren was an outgoing, kind woman; Stephen was more reclusive and private.

How Stephen McDaniels planned Lauren Giddings’ murder

The murder of Lauren Giddings was pre-planned by Stephen McDaniel, for which he had to carry out a number of planned ancillary actions. First, McDaniel had been secretly observing Lauren for a while. He was stalking her most of the time, an indication of his unhealthy attachment to Lauren. On the night of the murder, he used the master key to enter Lauren’s apartment while she was sleeping.

This was crucial to the access plan because the act of breaking into her home did not arouse suspicion.

Around 4:30 a.m. on June 26, 2011, McDaniel entered Lauren’s apartment wearing a mask and gloves. Once inside, he approached her while she was still in bed and strangled her to death. After the murder, he placed her body in the bathtub as part of a plan to dismember her later.

Later that evening, McDaniel returned to his apartment and dismembered his body using a hacksaw in the bathroom. He later disposed of most of her remains in the Mercer University dumpster, while also dumping her torso in a dumpster outside the apartment complex.

The calculated way in which McDaniel decides to follow Lauren and the meticulous execution of her murder and dismemberment of her body reveals just how cold and intense his obsession is.

How did the police convict Stephen McDaniels?

After examining all the evidence, including his own statements, along with suspicious behavior, police found Stephen McDaniel guilty of the murder of Lauren Giddings. After Lauren was reported missing on June 30, 2011, an investigation was launched when her dismembered body was found in a dumpster near her apartment.

Since McDaniel was Lauren’s neighbor and had attended Mercer University with her, McDaniel was immediately thrust into the spotlight. His strange behavior included appearing on the local news as a concerned neighbor. After the body was discovered, McDaniel voluntarily entered the police station to give a statement; However, his interrogation, which would normally take a few hours, lasted more than 12 hours and inconsistencies emerged in his testimony.

Police searches of his apartment turned up critical evidence against him, including the hacksaw he used to dismember Lauren’s body, traces of blood, and videos and photos on his computer showing how he had been watching her the night she was killed. Stunned by the overwhelming evidence presented in court, the man accepted a plea bargain for the murder in 2014 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Lauren Giddings’ sister says she is ‘alive’ despite death

In the decade since Lauren Teresa Giddings was brutally murdered when she was just 27, her two sisters have begun to start families of their own. Lauren’s sister, Kaitlyn Wheeler, recently took to social media to talk about how fast time flies. She said Lauren will have six nieces and nephews today, and those nieces and nephews will know her as “Aunt Lauren” for keeping her family’s memory alive, even though they never met her. Wheeler, a mother of five, said they celebrated Lauren’s birthday and talked about her all the time.

They also have pictures of Lauren around their home to allow the children to grow up knowing what she was, but right now the children are only aware of her in relation to her passing. The girls are too young to truly grasp the full, harsh reality of their aunt Lauren’s terrible fate. But when the time comes to understand what happened to their aunt, Wheeler knows it will be a difficult conversation. She can imagine that when they are old enough to understand that their sweet aunt is gone, they will have to explain “why and how there is evil in the world.”

Uncover Giddings’ tragic death on ‘Dateline: The Smoking Gun’ on Thursday, October 31 at 8pm on Oxygen.