Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11

by Maat Thu Jul 07, 2011 1:23 am

Body is Lauren Giddings, police say
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK, JOE KOVAC JR. and PHILLIP RAMATI - Telegraph staff writers

Macon police asked for the public’s help Wednesday in their quest to solve the slaying of Lauren Giddings.

DNA test results confirmed that a body found beside Giddings’ apartment building June 30 was hers, Police Chief Mike Burns said. The body had been dismembered, he said, and “we have not found all the body parts yet,” despite searches in and around the Barristers Hall apartments on Georgia Avenue.

Burns asked for the public to report any finds -- or any foul odors -- to the police department at 751-7500 or to Macon Regional CrimeStoppers at (877) 68-CRIME.

Burns said police don’t know how the 27-year-old died because of the condition of her body, and they would not speculate about a possible motive in the slaying.

Police have expanded their initial search of the neighborhood to seven to 10 blocks from the apartments, looking for clues that would help them solve the homicide. In the past week, they have searched in and around the apartments, along the Ocmulgee River, at Macon’s landfill and in drains and sewers near the apartments.

“As of now, we are not looking at any other (crime) scene,” Burns said, referring to the apartment complex.

Unsure of when -- and who

He said police are “not sure of the exact time (the body) was dumped” beside the apartment building.

Police have said they have two “persons of interest” in the slaying, but no one has been charged with the slaying. Burns said Wednesday police have interviewed about a dozen people in the case.

Story continues ...

http://www.macon.com/2011/07/07/1623060/body-is-lauren-giddings-police.html

This is a very sad and very scary case. The apartment complex where this happened is right behind the house where my daughter was living until earlier in June. There was a small wooded lot between my daughter's back door and the dumpster where she was found. She has been driving back and forth to Macon this last month month between classes at Mercer.

This tragedy has terrified the town. I am worried as my daughter heads back to Macon in the morning. She had been trying to move into those apartments, but the manager had not called her back and she found another place to live. She is still living in the 7-10 block radius they are searching for more body parts. Things like this only happen in the movies, not in your own backyard.

by Piper Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:19 am

Maat, this is awful! I can only imagine your worry and concerns for your daughter. I hope they find a suspect soon. OMG.

by sitemama Thu Jul 07, 2011 12:17 pm

Maat, so sorry to hear your daughter is going through this terror. Hopefully the two POI are related to this woman in some way, and no one else is in danger.

Keep us posted on anything new that happens. Thanks

by FystyAngel Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:03 pm

Lauren Giddings Dead: Mercer University Law School Grad Dismembered, Police Seek Remains
07/ 7/11 04:28 PM ET

MACON, Ga. -- A few hours after Lauren Giddings was reported missing, officers made a macabre discovery outside the recent law school graduate's apartment building: Her dismembered body.

Now that DNA tests have confirmed the body was hers, investigators are pleading for help finding the rest of her remains. Who killed the 27-year-old woman – and why – remains a mystery.

Giddings, a tall, popular blonde, graduated from Mercer University Law School in May. She then went home to Laurel, Md., to be in her sister's wedding. She had returned to Macon just long enough to study for the bar exam, consider a couple of job offers and pack her things.

"What seemed to be everything falling into place has turned into a nightmare," Bill Giddings, the slain woman's father, said Thursday in Macon, where her family had gathered. "We can't wait to find who did this and we can't wait to find the rest of her. It's just wrenching in both cases."

Family and friends said it's hard to imagine why anyone would harm Giddings.

During the three years she studied law at Mercer, the young woman attended Mass every Sunday – and often several times during the week – at St. Joseph Catholic Church in downtown Macon, said the church's pastor, the Rev. Allan McDonald. Members of the local running club she belonged to saw a less serious side of Giddings, who as a newcomer hopped into a small creek to cool her legs not realizing the water was deeper than she could stand in. Friend and fellow runner Jason Keith said a soaked Giddings laughed off the goof without a shred of self-consciousness.

She was a striking blond who stood about 6 feet tall, so tall that law professor Sarah Gerwig-Moore said she dreaded standing next to Giddings in group photos.

"We're all shocked and sad. A light has gone out," Gerwig-Moore said. "Mercer is a small, close-knit community, and we've lost a member of the family."

Giddings also had a soft-spot for underdogs. Her professor said she had wanted to be a capital defender, representing suspects facing the death penalty. Neighbors would see her walking her one-eyed dog, Butterbean.

"She never had a beef with anybody, ever," said Keith, who lives a block from Giddings' apartment. "That's the thing that just kills us. Why would you do this to such a beautiful person?"

Police say Giddings was last seen by friends during a night out June 25. Keith said he didn't worry after not seeing her for several days, figuring she was hunkered down studying for the bar exam.

A friend reported Giddings missing to police the evening of June 29. Officers found her keys, her cell phone and her wallet inside her apartment, and no sign of a break-in or struggle. They also found an email she had sent her boyfriend, an Atlanta lawyer, saying she feared someone had tried to break into her apartment the week before, said police spokeswoman Jami Gaudet.

Outside the apartment building, an officer smelled a foul odor and found the body. Giddings' father told The Associated Press on Thursday that police found only a torso. Police Chief Mike Burns said Thursday that he could not release more details on the case.

Burns did acknowledge police are still looking for some of the woman's remains at a news conference Wednesday, when he announced that DNA tests – using hair from a brush that belonged to Giddings – confirmed she was the victim.

Gaudet said police have been answering a steady stream of calls from Macon residents reporting odd smells or freshly disturbed patches of dirt. They also searched the landfill the same day fresh garbage was delivered, combed the banks of the Ocmulgee River that runs through downtown Macon and used camera probes to peek inside storm drains near the apartment.

So far, they have found nothing.

No arrests have been made in Giddings' slaying, but Gaudet said police have several persons of interest and are working to eliminate them as suspects. A motive for the killing remains unclear, Gaudet said.

Police have identified only one of them – 25-year-old Stephen McDaniel, a fellow law student and Giddings' next-door neighbor. McDaniel spoke with police the day they searched Giddings' apartment, and he later was arrested and jailed on unrelated burglary charges stemming from two break-ins at their apartment complex in late 2008 and early 2009.

McDaniel's attorney, Floyd Buford, did not return phone calls Wednesday and Thursday.

Giddings' father said he had met McDaniel a few times.

"I would describe him as very average – didn't speak a lot, kind of awkward," Bill Giddings said. "He seemed to be a light-weight, kind of a bookworm."

A memorial service for Giddings was scheduled Saturday at the Macon church she attended. Friends have fashioned a makeshift memorial in front of her apartment building, hanging ribbons and mementos on the wrought iron fence that faces the sidewalk.

There's a gavel hanging from the bars, a team photo from when Giddings played softball for Agnes Scott College, outside of Atlanta. On one large, white ribbon someone had written in black and gold ink: "Love leaves a memory no one can take."

___

Bynum reported from Savannah.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/lauren-giddings-dead-merc_n_892595.html

by Maat Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:55 pm

I don't think it was the McDaniel character. I think he is just a dumb kid who made some mistakes. Getting busted on stealing a few items 2-3 years ago is quite a stretch from this crime. I don't know who the other person of interest is.

I know my daughter is back in Macon today. I hope she is being extra cautious. I know her friends still live in the house next to this apartment, and she still has her furniture there. She visits her friends often, but they have all changed a lot of their routines. No more walking to and from the campus, or to the restaurants and bars downtown, especially alone. They are all arming themselves with pepper spray, knives, and who knows what else. It has changed the mood in the area.

She convinced us how safe an area it was before we agreed to the house she was living in. It has always been one of the safer areas. However, she has had people follow her when walking to and from school and tell her the things they were going to do to her. She just holds her pepper spray and keeps walking. I wish she would just drive there. There are a variety of homeless people who live in and around the parks in the area. And Macon does have a lot of crime. But this is beyond anything I have ever heard of there. I don't think a homeless man just wandered up to this apartment and did this. I think it took someone with some skills and means to pull this off without anyone knowing for so long.

by Justice4all Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:30 pm

Judge Refuses Lower Bond for Man in Law Grad Death

Posted: 8:27 PM Jun 19, 2012

MACON, Ala. (AP) -- A Bibb County judge is refusing to lower the bond for a man charged in the killing and dismemberment of a law school graduate.

Judge Phil Brown ruled Tuesday that Stephen McDaniel must post the original bond amount of $850,000 to get out of jail before his trial.

Read more: http://www.wtvy.com/national/headlines/Judge_Refuses_Lower_Bond_for_Man_in_Law_Grad_Death_159660805.html

by Justice4all Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:32 pm

Night of Panic: The evening before Lauren Giddings was found dead, her friends and kin sounded the alarm

Published: June 24, 2012

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR. — Telegraph staff

In the days before Lauren Giddings became a name in a murder case, before anyone who held her dear knew she was slain, there was this:

Nothing.

She was just gone.

Then, before the tears, hurt and anger set in, before the horror was unveiled, there was a night of panic.

Giddings vanished a year ago Monday. It was four days, though, before anyone went looking for her.

Giddings, an aspiring lawyer, was cramming for the Georgia bar exam. Her friends, assuming she was sequestered in her apartment studying, thought little of it at first as days passed and their text messages and calls weren’t returned.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2012/06/24/2071775/night-of-panic-the-evening-before.html

by Justice4all Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:34 pm

Friend Remembers Lauren Giddings

7:33 PM, Jun 25, 2012

Ashley Morehouse was the first person to report that Lauren Giddings was missing, and a year later, it's a time she still doesn't like to talk about. Now, pictures and stories are all she has left of her friend and classmate.

"Lauren actually took me to my first Braves game," she says.

Read more: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/topstories/article/186375/175/Friend-Remembers-Lauren-Giddings

by Justice4all Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:48 pm

Memorials for Lauren Giddings Set for Saturday

7:27 PM, Aug 24, 2012
Brittiny Barber

Friends, family and fellow Mercer Law graduates will celebrate the life of Lauren Giddings this weekend.

She was killed last summer weeks after she graduated from law school.

Washington Park is a place where Lauren Giddings enjoyed spending time.

"I remember sitting here on the hill with her and just having nice chats," said her former professor at Mercer Law School, Sarah Gerwig-Moore.

"I think for a long time some of us were paralyzed about how to honor her memory, that we were still so much in shock and dealing with our own hurt and and disbelief," she said. "It took us a little while to figure out how to honor her.

Read more: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/article/193670/153/Memorials-for-Lauren-Giddings-Set-for-Saturday

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:21 pm

PRETRIAL HEARING

Detective in Giddings case: 'I made it a few steps and then I caught an odor'

Published: September 16, 2013 Updated 27 minutes ago

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 1nrVRz.AuSt.71

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 1nrVRz.AuSt.71

Stephen McDaniel enters court Monday morning at the start of a day of pre-trial hearings in his murder case. McDaniel is accused of killing Mercer law student Lauren Giddings.
GRANT BLANKENSHIP — gblankenship@macon.com

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK — awomack@macon.com

On the morning of June 30, 2011, Macon police Detective David Patterson interviewed a couple of Lauren Giddings’ friends in his car, parked outside the Georgia Avenue apartment building where she lived.

At that point, Giddings was a missing person.

After knocking on her neighbor, Stephen McDaniel’s door, Patterson decided to interview him in his car as well.

~Snipped~

McDaniel later was charged with Giddings’ murder. The rest of her remains have not been recovered.

His lawyers have filed dozens of motions, many of which will be argued in preparation for the trial set to begin in January.

Among the motions are arguments to throw out McDaniel’s statement to police and multiple pieces of evidence. The lawyers also are asking the judge to prohibit Giddings’ family from wearing her signature color of pink in the courtroom.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/09/16/2667434/mcdaniel-hearings-set-to-begin.html

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 3:59 pm

Detective: McDaniel was free to go, but was being videotaped

Published: September 16, 2013 Updated 37 minutes ago

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK — awomack@macon.com

Stephen McDaniel was considered a person of interest, but not a suspect, in the slaying of his Mercer University law school classmate and neighbor on the day her torso was discovered in a trash can, Macon police detective David Patterson testified Monday.

Through multiple interviews that began soon after 9 a.m. on June 30, 2011, and lasted into the early morning hours of the following day, Patterson maintained Monday that McDaniel was free to leave although he’d ridden to the police detective bureau twice in police cars.

~Snipped~

Although McDaniel wasn’t in custody, a hidden closed circuit TV camera was recording not just his interviews with police, but images of him as he sat in an interrogation room, Patterson said.

When questioned by Franklin J. Hogue, one of McDaniel’s lawyers, Patterson confirmed that a police captain’s voice can be heard on one of the recordings for a significant amount of time.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/09/16/2667434/mcdaniel-hearings-set-to-begin.html#storylink=cpy

by Summertime Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:34 pm

Perfect murder......my foot.....dumba$$, What is it with this going the extra mile and dismembering???

I found the hearing on wmaz, but towards the end of the day that station got a little wonky. Am wondering if Alless can put up a few places to pick from tomorrow, I would be most appreciative

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:04 pm

Recap of Day One of Pretrial Motion Hearings in McDaniel Murder Case

Written by Skyler Henry on Monday, September 16, 2013 07:20 PM. Posted in Local

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - The first day of pre-trial motions wrapped up on Monday for accused killer Stephen McDaniel.

He's on trial for the murder of Mercer Law graduate Lauren Giddings.

Some of the biggest issues today were whether Stephen McDaniel voluntarily talked to police before being arrested, and whether a search of his apartment was consensual.

Macon Police Detective David Patterson was one of many to take the stand on Monday in the pretrial hearing.

When he testified, he told the court when he interviewed McDaniel and followed him back to his apartment.

Before he could get there, he smelled an odor coming from a trash can nearby.

Officers found Giddings' torso inside of the trash.

~Snipped~

Monday marks day one of five days the court has set aside to listen to dozens of motions filed by the defense.

The first witness called to the stand was Bibb County Superior Court Judge Edgar Ennis. Ennis signed the search warrants back in June 2011 that allowed law enforcement to search McDaniel's apartment, car, and collect DNA evidence.

The defense claims Judge Ennic was not neutral or detached when he signed the search warrants. McDaniel's defense attorney, Frank Hogue, says McDaniel was an intern in Judge Ennis' office and the judge knew him.

When asked if he realized he knew McDaniel, Ennis said, "There was something about the name that rang a bell."

Read more:

http://www.41nbc.com/news/local-news/27505-recap-of-day-one-of-pretrial-motion-hearings-in-mcdaniel-murder-case

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:24 pm

Stephen McDaniel expected in court for pre-trial motions

7:48 AM, Sep 16, 2013
Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 130916083226_stephen-mcdaniel916

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 130916083226_stephen-mcdaniel916

Stephen McDaniel (WMAZ)

MACON, Ga. (WMAZ) -- A judge will hear pre-trial motions by the defense for accused murderer Stephen McDaniel in a Bibb County courtroom on Monday.

McDaniel is accused of murdering Mercer Law classmate Lauren Giddings in June 2011 and dumping her dismembered body.

The defense has filed dozens of motions. Several argue that police removed items from McDaniel's apartment in illegal searches. The defense also argues that police did not advise McDaniel of his rights as soon as they started questioning him.

Read more:

http://www.11alive.com/News/Crime/306521/445/Suspect-in-Mercer-Univ-students-murder-due-in-court

Full Coverage

There are several articles about the Lauren Giddings Case at the following link:

http://search.11alive.com/default.aspx?ct=r&q=stephen%20mcdaniel

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:36 pm

Detective: McDaniel Stared 'Like a Zombie"

6:29 PM, Sep 16, 2013
Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 IMG_2754

1 of 33 - Photo Gallery

Katelyn Heck

A Macon police detective today described how murder suspect Stephen McDaniel looked after officers found the torso of his alleged victim at their apartment complex: "He was staring off into space like a zombie."

The testimony came as a Bibb County judge heard testimony on pre-trial motions filed by McDaniel's defense

~Snipped~

Superior Court Judge S. Phillip Brown is hearing the case. A hearing of the motions is expected to last several days. Among the 51 motions, the defense to asking the judge to throw out interviews with McDaniel and items found during several searches of his apartment and car.

McDaniel is in the courtroom. Also present: Giddings' cousin, Kathy Mann, and the victim's boyfriend, David Vandiver.

Videos at Link:

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/article/246510/153/Detective-McDaniel-Stared-Like-a-Zombie

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:22 pm

THE LAUREN GIDDINGS CASE

UPDATES, VIDEOS OF THE PROCEEDINGS, ARTICLES, PHOTOS:

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/giddingscase/default.aspx

(Everything about the Lauren Giddings case on 13WMAZ)

by Summertime Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:47 am

Oh my....thank you so much, aless. I could be up to speed after I plow thru all this info.

Xoxo

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:49 am

Wrongful Death Lawsuit...

PROPOSED SCHEDULING AND DISCOVERY ORDER

http://www.13wmaz.com/assetpool/documents/130912034445_McDaniel%20Discovery%20Order.pdf

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:58 am

Summertime, I haven't been able to find a link to the pretrial motions hearing, I don't believe the local media is broadcasting it live.

13WMAZ will provide updates about the hearing on Eyewitness News.

This is the link:

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/default.aspx

I will post more information if I find anything else.

Very Happy

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:48 pm

McDaniel hearings conclude, will resume later this year

Published: September 17, 2013 Updated 44 minutes ago

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK — awomack@macon.com

Testimony in pre-trial hearings in the murder case against Stephen McDaniel concluded Tuesday morning, but are scheduled to resume later this year due to a scheduling conflict.

One of the issues being argued by McDaniel’s lawyers and prosecutors concerns the admissibility of cadaver dog evidence at trial. Expert witnesses for both sides were unavailable for hearings that began Monday and continued into Tuesday morning. A separate hearing will be scheduled to hear the experts’ testimony.

The hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Nov. 21 and 22.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/09/17/2669379/mcdaniel-hearings-conclude-will.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Sep 18, 2013 12:50 am

McDaniel lawyer attacks master key evidence

Published: September 17, 2013 Updated 2 hours ago

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK — awomack@macon.com

A lawyer for accused killer Stephen McDaniel questioned a crime scene technician Tuesday in an apparent effort to allege a master key and a key to Lauren Giddings’ apartment were improperly seized from McDaniel’s apartment by police.

~Snipped~

Attorney Franklin J. Hogue questioned Macon police Sgt. Bobby Newberry about a series of crime scene photos Tuesday morning.

It was the first time pictures of the inside of the apartments -- where prosecutors are expected to say McDaniel dismembered Giddings -- have been shown in open court.

Newberry testified that police generally take photos before a search warrant is executed to document the scene.

Comparing photos taken June 30 and July 1, Hogue asked Newberry if he could see keys on McDaniel’s dresser. Newberry testified he didn’t see the keys in a photo taken before the first search warrant was served at McDaniel’s apartment on June 30, but they were visible in a picture from July 1.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/09/17/2669379/mcdaniel-hearings-conclude-will.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Sep 18, 2013 1:03 am

McDaniel Motion Hearings Wrap Up on Day Two

7:38 PM, Sep 17, 2013

Video - Click to play

Katelyn Heck

Shortly before noon Tuesday, the hearing on the over 50 motions filed in the Stephen McDaniel case wrapped up in the Bibb County Superior Court.

~Snipped~

In day two of the hearing, defense attorneys for McDaniel again raised questions about the investigation and how police collected evidence. They claim much of the evidence should be thrown out as well as some of McDaniel's statements to police.

On Tuesday, attorneys questioned Sergeant Bobby Newberry with the Macon Police Department about photos taken in McDaniel's apartment. One of them showed a set of keys sitting on his dresser, and another taken the day before did not.

McDaniel allegedly had a master key to the apartment complex and one to Giddings' apartment.

~Snipped~

Instead of arguing the motions, both sides agreed to submit briefs to the Judge Phillip Brown, who will later rule on all of the motions.

Buford says they will also have to reschedule hearings on two motions that question the use of cadaver dogs in the search.

Read more:

http://www.13wmaz.com/laurengiddingscase/article/246666/324/McDaniel-Motion-Hearings-Wrap-Up-on-Day-Two

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:44 pm

McDaniel reindicted in Giddings slaying

Published: October 29, 2013 Updated 14 minutes ago

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR. — Telegraph staff

Prosecutors presented a new indictment to grand jurors Tuesday, slightly changing the language in the charges against accused killer Stephen McDaniel.

Had the initial indictment stood until the scheduled January trial, McDaniel might have been acquitted by a directed verdict, said Franklin J. Hogue, one of McDaniel’s lawyers.

McDaniel was first indicted Nov. 15, 2011, in the June 2011 slaying and dismemberment of his Mercer law school classmate and neighbor Lauren Giddings. The new indictment was filed Tuesday afternoon in Bibb County Superior Court.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/10/29/2744831/mcdaniel-re-indicted-in-giddings.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:24 am

New trial date set in Giddings slaying

By JOE KOVAC JR. jkovac@macon.com
November 20, 2013 Updated 8 hours ago

The murder trial for the man accused of killing Mercer University law school graduate Lauren Giddings is scheduled to begin Feb. 3.

The trial of Stephen Mark McDaniel had been set to start Jan. 6 but was delayed last week when the judge in the case announced his retirement.

Bibb County Superior Court Judge Howard Simms has taken over the case for the retiring S. Phillip Brown.

Simms will hear his first arguments in the case when he presides over pretrial-motions hearings slated for Dec. 12.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/11/20/2787542/new-trial-date-set-in-giddings.html

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:43 pm

McDaniel attorneys file motion to exclude computer evidence

By PHILLIP RAMATI

December 31, 2013 Updated 56 minutes ago

Stephen McDaniel’s defense attorneys filed a motion in Bibb County Superior Court Tuesday to exclude evidence seized from the murder suspect’s computer and storage devices.

Attorney Franklin Hogue argued in the motion that during the initial part of the investigation into the killing of Mercer University law school graduate Lauren Giddings in August 2011, the defense didn’t receive any reports indicating “that there was any evidence of any relevance seized from these storage devices, other than some photographs of Lauren Giddings alleged to have been taken from her computer” and stored on the computer of McDaniel, her law school classmate

~Snipped~

However, Hogue said in the document that Friday the defense was given information that McDaniel’s hard drive contained “a number of potentially incriminating matters,” assuming they came from McDaniel.

Hogue wrote that McDaniel’s attorneys have only been able to examine about 1 percent of what was given to them. Hogue noted that retaining a forensic computer expert to analyze the data would be difficult because of time and cost restraints. The case is set to go to trial Feb. 3, 2014, and Hogue said that receiving the data so late “puts the defense at a serous disadvantage in this final push to trial.”

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2013/12/31/2857179/mcdaniel-attorneys-file-motion.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jan 06, 2014 3:17 pm

McDaniel hearing updates

By JOE KOVAC JR. jkocac@macon.com
January 6, 2014 Updated 33 minutes ago

http://www.macon.com/2014/01/06/2865096/hearing-in-mcdaniel-murder-case.html

Photo Gallery:

http://www.macon.com/2014/01/06/2865300/mcdaniel-hearing.html

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jan 06, 2014 3:38 pm

Judge may delay McDaniel trial

WMAZ 1:25 p.m. EST January 6, 2014

Judge Howard Simms says he may delay the trial of accused murderer Stephen McDaniel again due to FBI delays in providing evidence.

The FBI is still analyzing evidence in the two-and-a-half year-old murder case.

Simms is presiding at a motions hearing in the case today in Bibb County Superior Court. The trial is currently scheduled to begin Feb. 3.

Simms says he may consider delaying the trial since evidence is still coming from the FBI. He said he planned to call the FBI to ask for an explanation.

Read more:

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/macon/2014/01/06/judge-may-delay-mcdaniel-trial/4341133/

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:27 pm

McDaniel lawyers file motion asking prosecutors to say which websites will be used at trial

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.

Telegraph staff | January 8, 2014

Attorneys representing murder suspect Stephen McDaniel have filed a motion asking that prosecutors be required to disclose which of the thousands of websites allegedly visited by McDaniel they plan to use as evidence at trial.

McDaniel, 28, is charged with murder in the June 2011 slaying of Lauren Giddings, his 27-year-old Mercer University law school classmate and neighbor. Giddings’ dismembered torso was discovered in a trash can outside the Georgia Avenue apartment complex where she and McDaniel lived on June 30, 2011.

A judge has ruled the potentially incriminating evidence recently found on McDaniel’s computer can be used at his trial, scheduled to begin next month.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/01/08/2869068/mcdaniel-lawyers-file-motion-asking.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:01 pm

DA: McDaniel visited website about sexual arousal from seeing someone eaten

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.

Telegraph Staff | January 10, 2014 Updated 1 hour ago

Accused killer Stephen McDaniel visited websites about gynophagia, sexual arousal from seeing someone eaten, prosecutors said during a Friday hearing.

District Attorney David Cooke also said McDaniel visited a website with a story about the “dismemberment of a woman done to hide murder.”

Cooke said a gynophagia site allegedly visited by McDaniel includes an illustration showing a body in a condition similar to how Giddings was found.

The judge also granted a motion filed by The Telegraph’s lawyer seeking to quash the defense’s attempts to obtain unpublished Telegraph photos taken outside the apartments.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/01/10/2872227/da-mcdaniel-visited-website-about.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:42 am

McDaniel lawyers seek venue change

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.

Telegraph staff | January 14, 2014 | Updated 2 hours ago
Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 SQK9T.AuSt.71

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 SQK9T.AuSt.71

Stephen McDaniel talks with his attorney Franklin Hogue in the Bibb County Courthouse in Macon. GRANT BLANKENSHIP/THE TELEGRAPH — gblankenship@macon.com

Lawyers for accused killer Stephen McDaniel don’t want a Bibb County jury deciding his fate.

Citing “extensive media coverage,” the attorneys on Tuesday filed a motion for a change of venue.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/01/14/2879696/mcdaniel-lawyers-seek-venue-change.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:40 pm

Prosecutors want jurors to visit Macon apartments

Updated 9:22 am, Wednesday, February 5, 2014

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors want jurors to see the apartments where a slain Mercer University law school graduate lived so they can better understand evidence in the case.

Stephen McDaniel is accused of dismembering and killing Lauren Giddings, who was from Laurel, Md., in June 2011.

The Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/MsS6MO ) that prosecutors said in court papers that McDaniel's attorneys agree that it would be beneficial for jurors to visit the apartments.

Read more:

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Prosecutors-want-jurors-to-visit-Macon-apartments-5207011.php

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Prosecutors, defense want McDaniel jurors to visit scene

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.

Telegraph staff February 4, 2014 Updated 15 hours ago

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/02/04/2916483/prosecutors-defense-want-mcdaniel.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:58 pm

McDaniel trial date set; Giddings family ‘prays for justice’

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.

Telegraph Staff February 14, 2014 Updated 2 hours ago

Jury selection in the trial of accused dismemberment killer Stephen McDaniel is scheduled to begin April 28.

Bibb County Superior Court Judge Howard Simms set the date Friday but did not announce where the case will be heard.

Lawyers for the 28-year-old McDaniel, citing “extensive” pretrial publicity, last month asked for a venue change. Simms has not ruled on the request.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/02/14/2937375/mcdaniel-to-go-to-trial-in-april.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:53 pm

McDaniel trial moved to Henry County

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.
Telegraph staff March 19, 2014 Updated 11 minutes ago

The trial for accused dismemberment killer Stephen McDaniel has been moved to Henry County, according to a court order filed Wednesday.

McDaniel’s lawyers filed a motion requesting a change of venue in January, citing pretrial publicity and extensive news coverage of the June 2011 slaying of 27-year-old Mercer University law school graduate Lauren Giddings.

~Snipped~

The trial is scheduled to begin April 28 at the courthouse in downtown McDonough, located about 60 miles north of Macon.

Bibb County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a maximum of $500,000 for trial expenses.

The presiding judge for the case, Judge Howard Simms, has said the cost for the trial won’t be anywhere near that amount.In the “consent order” moving the trial, Simms described media coverage as “incessant.”

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/03/19/2999609/mcdaniel-trial-moved-to-henry.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Tue Apr 01, 2014 7:50 pm

Stay requested in McDaniel civil case

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.
Telegraph staff
March 31, 2014 Updated 20 hours ago

Lawyers representing slain Mercer University law graduate Lauren Giddings’ parents in a $5 million-plus wrongful death suit say the lawyer for her alleged killer hasn’t complied with requirements of the discovery process.

In an “unopposed motion” to stay the civil proceedings until after Stephen McDaniel’s criminal trial, the Giddingses’ lawyers allege that McDaniel’s lawyer has said “he was instructed not to answer the discovery by Judge Howard Simms.”

Simms, a Superior Court judge in the Macon Judicial Circuit, is presiding in McDaniel’s criminal case, which is set for trial April 28 in Henry County.

Simms issued an order in January prohibiting “extrajudicial” communication in the case.

Read more:

http://www.macon.com/2014/03/31/3022737/stay-requested-in-mcdaniel-civil.html#storylink=cpy

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:55 am

By Crimesider Staff / CBS News / April 23, 2014, 10:38 AM

Ga. man pleads guilty to strangling, dismembering woman

MACON, Ga. - A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to murdering his neighbor and former Mercer University classmate, reports CBS affiliate WGCL.

As part of a plea deal brokered over the weekend, 28-year-old Stephen McDaniel revealed Monday in a written statement how he killed Lauren Giddings, as well as what he did with her body. WGCL reports authorities found the 27-year-old's dismembered torso wrapped in plastic in a dumpster outside her Macon, Ga., apartment across the street from the university where they both had graduated.

According to the Macon Telegraph, at 4:30 a.m. on June 26, 2011, a masked McDaniel used a master key to enter Giddings' apartment while she slept. McDaniel wrote in his statement that he watched the victim as she slept; when she woke up, he strangled her to death and placed her body in her bathtub. The killer wrote that he returned to the apartment later that night, after a day spent largely on his computer, and dismembered the corpse with a hacksaw.

After police found the body, McDaniel was arrested on an unrelated burglary charge, according to the station, and officers only discovered evidence that he killed Giddings after looking through his apartment and on his computer.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-man-pleads-guilty-to-strangling-dismembering-woman/

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:00 am

Lilburn man pleads guilty, sentenced to life for murdering graduate student

Posted: Apr 21, 2014 4:52 PM CDT
Updated: May 19, 2014 4:53 PM CDT

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 25301809_BG1

Lauren Giddings -- Found Deceased 6/30/11 25301809_BG1

~Snipped~

"The case took a turn for the worst for McDaniel when the computer evidence started coming out, and it just kept coming," said Frank Hogue, the attorney representing McDaniel. "They were continuing to find more and more evidence related to his computer and camera, and finally he agreed that was enough to get a conviction."

The plea deal was brokered over the weekend. In addition to getting McDaniel's admission of guilt, it prevents him from appealing his conviction.

"Even if Stephen McDaniel had been found guilty, we never would have known exactly what happened to Lauren, we never would have known how she died, or what became of her body," said Cooke.

McDaniel will be up for parole in 2041. Cooke says, it's likely McDaniel will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Read more:

http://www.cbs46.com/story/25301809/lilburn-man-pleads-guilty-sentenced-to-life-for-murdering-graduate-student

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:04 am

DA David Cooke makes a statement about Stephen McDaniel's plea

The Telegraph

Published on Apr 21, 2014
DA David Cooke makes a statement about Stephen McDaniel's plea to the media Monday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwHLUvZT7qc

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:08 am

Karen Giddings speaks after McDaniel Plea

The Telegraph

Published on Apr 21, 2014
Lauren Giddings' mother Karen Giddings speaks
after Stephen McDaniel's plea of guilt in Lauren's murder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3XV4RPdx0E

by Alessandra_Deux Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:14 am

Lauren Giddings' friend speaks to McDaniel

The Telegraph

Published on Apr 21, 2014
Lauren Giddings' friend Katie O'Hare describes life after Lauren's murder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNhBNAZ1zkQ

by CuriousPortlander Wed Jun 10, 2015 2:01 am

Defendant convicted and sentenced.

Moving to Closed.

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