Josh Mankiewicz

And a lot of times it's your first draft because you're doing the story in less than eight hours, maybe less than two hours. So this is a much more, a longer process. It takes months to do these stories frequently, sometimes years, but I claim 100% responsibility for the words that come out of my mouth. And I know that Keith and Andrea and Dennis and Blaine do too.

And a lot of times it's your first draft because you're doing the story in less than eight hours, maybe less than two hours. So this is a much more, a longer process. It takes months to do these stories frequently, sometimes years, but I claim 100% responsibility for the words that come out of my mouth. And I know that Keith and Andrea and Dennis and Blaine do too.

All right. That is Talking Dateline for this week. Thanks, everybody, for listening to us. And remember, if you have any questions for us about our stories or any cases that you think we should cover, you can reach out to us on social at at Dateline NBC. Or you can send us an audio message. for a chance to be featured in our next Talking Dateline episode.

All right. That is Talking Dateline for this week. Thanks, everybody, for listening to us. And remember, if you have any questions for us about our stories or any cases that you think we should cover, you can reach out to us on social at at Dateline NBC. Or you can send us an audio message. for a chance to be featured in our next Talking Dateline episode.

And remember to listen to my all-new podcast, which is called Deadly Mirage. The first three episodes are available to listen to now, or if you subscribe to Dateline Premium, you can listen to the first five episodes ad-free wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, everybody. See you Fridays on Dateline on NBC.

And remember to listen to my all-new podcast, which is called Deadly Mirage. The first three episodes are available to listen to now, or if you subscribe to Dateline Premium, you can listen to the first five episodes ad-free wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, everybody. See you Fridays on Dateline on NBC.

Hi, everybody. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and we are talking Dateline today with Andrea.

Hi, everybody. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and we are talking Dateline today with Andrea.

This episode of yours is called The Room Downstairs. And if you in the audience have not listened to it, it's the episode right below this one on your Dateline podcast feed. So go there and listen. Now, for this talking Dateline, Andrea has two extra interview clips that did not make it into the broadcast.

This episode of yours is called The Room Downstairs. And if you in the audience have not listened to it, it's the episode right below this one on your Dateline podcast feed. So go there and listen. Now, for this talking Dateline, Andrea has two extra interview clips that did not make it into the broadcast.

So to recap, this was March 2011 in suburban New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan in New York City. A house was engulfed in flames. Firefighters found a body in a basement bedroom, belonged to a 59-year-old guy named Robert Cantor. And police did have a feeling that it was more than a standard house fire.

So to recap, this was March 2011 in suburban New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan in New York City. A house was engulfed in flames. Firefighters found a body in a basement bedroom, belonged to a 59-year-old guy named Robert Cantor. And police did have a feeling that it was more than a standard house fire.

Turned out they were right because he had been shot in the head and that the fire was a kind of a cover-up. So this case sort of takes us to the oldest motive in the book, which is jealousy, passion, revenge, and a love triangle, familiar shape to anybody who watches Dateline, that went very, very wrong. So let's talk Dateline.

Turned out they were right because he had been shot in the head and that the fire was a kind of a cover-up. So this case sort of takes us to the oldest motive in the book, which is jealousy, passion, revenge, and a love triangle, familiar shape to anybody who watches Dateline, that went very, very wrong. So let's talk Dateline.

You know, everything about this from the beginning, from when you first, you know, the guy first sees the smoke coming from across the street, the guy who's fixing his tire, like you immediately think, yeah, there's going to be more to it than just somebody dies in a fire.

You know, everything about this from the beginning, from when you first, you know, the guy first sees the smoke coming from across the street, the guy who's fixing his tire, like you immediately think, yeah, there's going to be more to it than just somebody dies in a fire.

And I thought it was very interesting what the fire investigators said, that when you see a healthy person, not somebody who's, you know, confined to their bed or something, a guy who's 59 years old, they don't stay in the bed. They're trying to get out. You find them near the door or they're,

And I thought it was very interesting what the fire investigators said, that when you see a healthy person, not somebody who's, you know, confined to their bed or something, a guy who's 59 years old, they don't stay in the bed. They're trying to get out. You find them near the door or they're,

clearly trying to get out of the place where the fire is happening and that that didn't happen in this case. And that was in itself suspicious.

clearly trying to get out of the place where the fire is happening and that that didn't happen in this case. And that was in itself suspicious.