everything was a blur. all i m thinking is, is shannon really gone? we interviewed her roommates, boyfriends, everybody is a suspect. then a phone rings. right. he says i ve kidnapped her, i have her. and we ran his criminal history. that s when all the bells went off. he pulls in, asked me to get in the car. i feel the cold blade against my neck. he carries me to the basement of his home. it was jaw-dropping! just chilling! they started digging and they found women s clothing. it was just escalating! escalating! there were so many victims, aren t there? there. were there still are. until this guy is no longer in existence. i will carry this fight! hello, and welcome to dateline! shannon melendi dreamed big. at 15, she wanted to become a supreme court justice. in college, she scored a prestigious internship at former president jimmy carter s foundation. then, suddenly she vanished! detectives had a suspect in their sights. but it would take years
of his home. it was jaw-dropping! just chilling! they started digging and they found women s clothing. it was just escalating! escalating! there were so many victims, aren t there? there. were there still are. until this guy is no longer in existence. i will carry this fight! hello, and welcome to hello, and welcome to dateline! shannon melendi dreamed big. at 5, she wanted to become a supreme court justice. in college, she scored as prestigious internship at the headquarters foundation. then, suddenly she vanished! detectives had a suspect in their sights. but it would take years, and the revelation of another teenager s horrific tale, to our unravel the mystery of sharon s disappearance. here s dennis murphy with shannon s story! the snapshots, the videos. they documented her life. the photographer dad, the camera professional captured every moment of his daughter s life. she loved life. she wanted to do everything! these parents did no
All im thinking is, is shannon really gone . We interviewed her roommates, boyfriends, everybody is a suspect. Then a phone rings. Right. He says ive kidnapped her, i have her. And we ran his criminal history. Thats when all the bells went off. He pulls in, asked me to get in the car. I feel the cold blade against my neck. He carries me to the basement of his home. It was jawdropping just chilling they started digging and they found womens clothing. It was just escalating escalating there were so many victims, arent there . There were. There still are. Until this guy is no longer in existence. I will carry this fight hello, and welcome to dateline Shannon Melendi dreamed big. At 15, she wanted to become a Supreme Court justice. In college, she scored a prestigious internship at former president jimmy carters foundation. Then, suddenly she vanished detectives had a suspect in their sights. But it would take years, and the revelation of another teenagers horrific tale, to unravel the mys
Case in 2003. it will take a few months before law enforcement finally investigated him for murder, ten years after shannon disappeared. and i heard butch being arrested. for the murder of shannon melendi. and my tears, just hit my glasses. my glasses were wet from the inside. and, and that was a great moment. great moment for my soul! a great moment for the family. for sure. but prosecutors had an uphill battle. still did not have a body, or a crime scene. could they convince a jury that was butch hinton was shannon s killer? coming up! an emotional trial. this is your first chance really see him. we were saying, if looks could kill, he would ve been dead on the spot. then it s all up to the jurors! all i could do is pray. pray that they saw what we saw. see him for the monster that he
Back in the 80s meant he was a free man. free to divorce and remarry. free to move to georgia, free to get those jobs at delta airlines and the softball field. and free to meet shannon in march of 1994. as john petrie study the files, he s realized there was a lot there. but with a huge challenge. shannon s body had never been found. but this prosecutor wanted to take a chance. this is the kind of case that you look at and you say, i want one of those! i can make a difference here? yes, i can make a difference! hinton was released from prison for that insurance fraud case back in 2003. it will take a few months before law enforcement finally investigated him for murder, ten years after janet disappeared. and i heard butch being arrested. for the murder of shannon. and my tears, just hit my glasses. my glasses were wet from the