Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Conrad Truman case, revisited

NBC's Dateline- As Night Fell revisited the disturbing details of a September 2012 case, when a young woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her Utah home.

It's been over a decade since the tragic death of 25-year-old Heidy Truman in her Orem, Utah, home sent shockwaves through her community. The investigation that followed her death left more questions than answers. Conrad Truman, her husband, was first convicted of her murder, only to be acquitted years later in a second trial after measurement inaccuracies turned the case in Conrad's favor.

On September 30, 2012, when the investigators entered the Truman home, the scene spoke volumes. Heidy was found in the bathroom, completely unclothed, drenched in blood, and dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The brutality of the scene raised immediate suspicion. It wasn't just the violence that stood out, but a weapon nearby, and a husband who was spiraling in panic and confusion.

Continue reading to know more

5 harrowing details about the Conrad Truman case as per the Dateline episode

1) A 911 call that worked against Conrad Truman

In September 2012, Conrad Truman made a frantic 911 call after he discovered his wife dead in their Utah home (Image Via Facebook/@DatelineNBC)

When police arrived at the Truman home on September 30, 2012, they encountered a distraught Conrad threatening to kill anyone who could't save his wife. In court, his threats were used to paint him as volatile and dangerous. His behavior during the 911 call became a focal point of suspicion. Dateline shows how emotional outbursts, when misinterpreted, can be used as evidence rather than a sign of grief.

Conrad Truman's demeanor and statements the night of Heidy's death became a central piece of the prosecution's case. Initially, Truman said that he was in the kitchen when he heard the shot. Later, he changed his statement and said he was in the living room, watching TV, and drinking. These inconsistent statements fueled suspicions.

Worse, Conrad told the authorities that the gun found in his home belonged to Heidy when in reality, it was sanctioned in his name. The prosecutors pointed out that Conrad was trying to hide his crimes and hence was changing his sentences often. Truman's defense countered that these were disoriented ramblings of a man in shock.

2) Initial evidence led to Conrad Truman's conviction in 2014

Conrad Truman was convicted of Heidy Truman's murder in 2014 (Image Via Facebook/@DatelineNBC)

One of the most damning details presented at the trial came from an autopsy report: Heidy's wound was a contact gunshot-the gun had been pressed directly to her skull when fired. These details carried several implications. Suicide? Murder? Staged accident?

Prosecutors argued Conrad Truman had killed his wife for financial motives, as they had nearly $900,000 in life insurance policies. The defence, however, challenged this theory and said that Heidy's wounds had been self-inflicted due to the marital tensions between them.

Conrad Truman was convicted in 2014 of the murder of his wife, Heidy Truman. However, the case turned in Conrad's favor when a judge in 2016 granted him a new trial when the jurors found some inaccuracy in the evidence submitted.

3) A measurement error that changed everything

The most jaw-dropping development came years later after the initial trial: the prosecution had miscalculated the hallway distance between where Heidy was found and where Conrad claimed to be. The state insisted that the hallway was 13.9 feet too far for Truman to have seen or heard what he claimed. However, it turns out that the actual measurement was 11.7 feet, a difference that completely changed the narrative. This minor fault had major consequences.

In the second trial, jurors visited the scene and measured the accurate layout. The measurement error, so small in inches yet so significant in interpretation, planted reasonable doubt. And that doubt was enough to dismantle the state's case. According to Dateline, in 2017, Conrad Truman was acquitted after serving three and a half years in prison.

4) The medical examiner's testimony-and its turnaround

Initially, a medical examiner testified that Heidy Truman couldn't have moved the distance the state claimed after being shot, reinforcing the theory of murder. But once the hallway measurements were corrected, the medical examiner changed Heidy's manner of death from homicide to undetermined, as reported by KSL News.

This reversal suggests that the case's forensic foundation may have rested on more flawed assumptions, which Dateline underscores in its reexamination of how powerful misrepresentation can be in the courtroom.

5) Acquittal doesn't mean vindication

Conrad Turner sued the prosecutor and Orem police officers after he was exonerated based on measurement inaccuracies (Image Via Facebook/@DatelineNBC)

According to KSL News, Truman sued prosecutor Craig Johnson, alleging that he knowingly submitted inaccurate evidence about the crime scene layout to secure a conviction. While a lower court dismissed the case, according to KSL News, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals revived it in 2021, ruling that if proven, Johnson's actions could amount to arbitrary executive action.

Though the jury found Conrad Truman not guilty in 2017, his public image remains stained. He filed a federal lawsuit claiming wrongful prosecution and civil rights violations, but the claims against the Orem police officers were dismissed on procedural grounds.

The legal fight is far from over-but the emotional toll is already lifelong. As Dateline revisited the Conrad Truman case, it reveals how easy it is to get justice wrong and how difficult it is to make that right.