Josh Mankiewicz

There's a there's a great deal more writing. But even so, there's stuff you have to leave out. You have to make some of the same choices that you do when you're doing a piece that lasts a minute and 10 seconds for the evening news.

So let's talk about the episode. The locals referred to that farmhouse, which was off the map in a lot of ways. They call that the haunted house. What was that place like?

So let's talk about the episode. The locals referred to that farmhouse, which was off the map in a lot of ways. They call that the haunted house. What was that place like?

And I also thought the town was much more of a character than a lot of localities are when we do Dateline. You know, a lot of them are in bigger cities. This really felt like a movie. You know, I mean, the drone shots of those dirt roads and those long straightaways. I mean, you get a sense of how sort of isolated it must have been at the time.

And I also thought the town was much more of a character than a lot of localities are when we do Dateline. You know, a lot of them are in bigger cities. This really felt like a movie. You know, I mean, the drone shots of those dirt roads and those long straightaways. I mean, you get a sense of how sort of isolated it must have been at the time.

She made a tremendous impression on people. And Shantae did. Watching the story, I thought you were able to get a really good sense of sort of what she was like.

She made a tremendous impression on people. And Shantae did. Watching the story, I thought you were able to get a really good sense of sort of what she was like.

So for the first hour I'm watching this, I'm thinking, okay. This is the boyfriend. Like, I don't even know how you guys are going to sustain this for two hours because it's so obviously him. I mean, you come in, you're the boyfriend, right? So you're got to be close to the top of the suspect list and you delete texts from your phone.

So for the first hour I'm watching this, I'm thinking, okay. This is the boyfriend. Like, I don't even know how you guys are going to sustain this for two hours because it's so obviously him. I mean, you come in, you're the boyfriend, right? So you're got to be close to the top of the suspect list and you delete texts from your phone.

I mean, that is that that is like, you know, wearing a sandwich board that says I did it.

I mean, that is that that is like, you know, wearing a sandwich board that says I did it.

And then, of course, it turns out he's not the guy. He doesn't have anything to do with it. And he ends up being like a really important interview.

And then, of course, it turns out he's not the guy. He doesn't have anything to do with it. And he ends up being like a really important interview.

When we get back, we're going to have an extra clip of churchgoers Linda and Russell Lamond, the couple who were there for the killer's confession in church in front of the congregation and what they learned about compassion from that. So the Texas Rangers, they have to wear that hat. That's not choice.

When we get back, we're going to have an extra clip of churchgoers Linda and Russell Lamond, the couple who were there for the killer's confession in church in front of the congregation and what they learned about compassion from that. So the Texas Rangers, they have to wear that hat. That's not choice.

That is a requirement. And if they do an interview without it, they will get in some trouble, I think.

That is a requirement. And if they do an interview without it, they will get in some trouble, I think.

So I did a story with the Rangers once. The guy wore his hat like the entire time. I never saw the top of his head. And we don't do a lot of stories with people who wear hats.

So I did a story with the Rangers once. The guy wore his hat like the entire time. I never saw the top of his head. And we don't do a lot of stories with people who wear hats.

Absolutely. One of the things I thought that really came out in this was the sort of zigzag nature of some of these investigations in which You know, they looked at the boyfriend, they looked at her grandfather, they looked at the pastor, they looked at that other guy who got very combative in the police interview. And that's how these things go. I mean, that's not just Dateline storytelling.