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On the morning of September 11, 2008, a quiet Albuquerque house became the scene of a violent attack that would change several lives. Seventeen-year-old Brittani Marcell was found badly injured when her mother, Diane, opened the door to welcome her home. An unknown man stood over her with a shovel, entered the house, threatened Diane with a knife, and escaped through a broken window when she ran outside screaming.
Brittani suffered severe head trauma, multiple fractures, loss of sight in one eye, and deafness in one ear. Doctors feared she might not survive. This account looks back at five details that shaped the investigation and the legal outcome in Dateline.
Local news and national programs later picked up the story, and Dateline ran segments that followed key moments of the case. Those programs traced how a small piece of evidence, therapy sessions, and new forensic tools led investigators to a suspect years after the attack.
The mix of science, memory work, and legal choices that closed one chapter of the case left family members and observers with hard questions. This article revisits the most significant elements in the Dateline episode and shows how they connect to the verdict that followed.
A sudden, violent attack altered daily life
A routine afternoon became a nightmare when Brittani’s mother opened the door to only find her daughter wounded. First responders rushed Brittani to a hospital, where medical staff reported minimal brain activity in the earliest hours.
Surgeons performed multiple operations, and long rehabilitation followed. What had been ordinary days filled with school and friends turned into long hospital stays, therapy sessions, and ongoing medical needs. The attack’s physical impact reshaped schooling, work, and the family’s routine for years.
Witness accounts and police reports described the scene in stark terms, i.e., a broken rear window, a shovel stained with blood, duct tape, and a kitchen knife. Those details marked the start of an investigation that would pause for years until science and memory work reopened questions about who had done this and why.
A single drop of blood became the central piece of evidence
Among items collected at the scene was a small droplet of blood on a shard of glass from the broken window. At first, that sample did not match any profiles in national databases. The evidence remained preserved in the lab, cataloged with other items from the scene.
Years later, when new methods and renewed attention were brought to cold cases, the preserved sample would be compared against DNA drawn from other sources. That tiny piece of biological material proved to be the thread that linked the scene to a person.
Keeping careful records and evidence custody allowed Dateline investigators to return to the sample when new tools became available. The sample’s survival in evidence storage illustrates how small items can matter long after the immediate case appears to stall.
Hypnosis and therapy produced a name to follow
Brittani could not recall the attack for quite some time. The severe trauma to her brain had removed many memories. As she progressed through therapy, clinicians used hypnotherapy under controlled conditions to help her recover blocked memories.
During those supervised sessions, Brittani described features of the attacker and repeatedly offered a single name that stood out to her: Justin. Her reference to that name connected to someone she had seen several times at a mall where he worked. Her sisters also recalled that there was a handsome man named "Justin Hansen."
Dateline investigators treated those recollections carefully and used them as one line of inquiry among many. Coverage of the case noted both the therapeutic setting for those sessions and the caution investigators took when treating hypnotherapy material as a lead rather than as conclusive evidence.
DNA phenotyping and covert sampling linked the material to Justin Hansen
When the case slowed, Dateline investigators turned to forensic phenotyping, which uses DNA to predict likely traits such as skin tone and hair type. A private lab produced a composite image that resembled Justin Hansen, who was linked to the area where Brittani mentioned coming across this man.
Hansen refused to give a voluntary DNA sample, so detectives retrieved discarded material, reportedly a fast-food cup, to obtain one. Testing showed a match to the crime-scene droplet, leading to his arrest. Dateline later highlighted how phenotyping offered investigators a new lead but stressed its limits.
Supporters say the technique helps revive stalled cases, while critics argue it is not precise and should only guide, not replace, solid forensic evidence. In this instance, the confirmed DNA match, along with investigative work, gave prosecutors the foundation to move forward, a development Dateline revisited in its coverage.
A no-contest plea led to a lengthy sentence and mixed public reaction
In 2018, the man charged in the attack entered a no-contest plea to attempted first-degree murder and aggravated burglary. He did not enter a formal admission of guilt but accepted the plea terms. A judge later imposed an 18-year prison sentence, the maximum within the agreement that prosecutors and defense reached.
The defendant explained in court filings and public statements that he accepted the plea to avoid a riskier trial and the chance of a longer sentence that could separate him from his family for an extended time. Family members and others continued to voice questions about aspects of the investigation and the technology used to develop leads.
These mixed reactions reflect how a legal resolution can bring closure for some people while leaving doubts or grievances for others. To be precise, the name that emerged during therapy and later during the investigation identified Justin Hansen as the person charged. The plea and the resulting sentence ended the criminal case in court, even as debate over procedures and evidence persisted.
How did Dateline trace a 2008 attack from cold case status to conviction and continuing questions?
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Dateline shared the Brittani Marcell case to demonstrate how a case that was a cold case due to a violent attack in 2008 changed to a conviction years later. Eventually, the DNA evidence linked Justin Hansen to the crime, and he was arrested and pleaded no contest, sentencing him to 18 years in prison.
To Brittani and her family, the result provided partial responsibility and did not answer all questions. The story covered by Dateline after the investigation, legal procedures, and further discussions of the forensic tools indicates that a single act of violence still spans the life of a survivor and influences the broad discourse about the nature and matters of memory, evidence, and justice.
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