Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Justin Michael's homicide, revisited

On September 11, 2015, NBC's Dateline informed the wider public about a shocking incident that rocked the community of Grimes, Iowa. On May 8, 2014, police officers found 30-year-old Justin Michael's body. They arrived at Michael's house in Grimes after receiving a call about the shooting inside the house. The perpetrator of the crime was caught the very next day, on May 9, 2014.

The man who shot Justin Michael was none other than the then 27-year-old David Moffitt. While he made the crime scene look like a theft, Moffitt had a personal vendetta that he wanted to settle with 30-year-old Justin Michael. More people learned about this case because of the Dateline episode The Shadow. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"A man from Iowa is shot to death while sleeping in bed next to his fiancée; coincidences and quick thinking lead to surprising information regarding the killer's motive."

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Five important details from Dateline's Justin Michael case:

Here are the five major facts that the general population learned about the Justin Michael case thanks to the Dateline episode:

• The Crime

On May 8, 2014, David Moffitt broke into Justin Michael's house as his fiancée, Angie Ver Huel, and his mother, Marie Michael, were present. Gunshots were heard from Michael's house at approximately 03:30 AM as everyone was asleep. Moffitt ensured the crime appeared to be a robbery gone wrong by deliberately unplugging the DVD player and placing it on the floor.

Then, he entered Marie's room and then went on to enter his prey's room, i.e., Justin. Justin was fast asleep with his fiancée by his side when Moffitt shot him four times. The 30-year-old man was shot on his temple, neck, and face. He did so with an assault-style rifle, according to the investigators. After shooting Michael, David Moffitt escaped the scene of the crime in a red Ford Taurus.

• A police officer finds a crashed car

Cory Rose, an off-duty police officer in Boone's police department, spotted a crashed red Ford Taurus roughly 5.5 miles away from Justin Michael's residence in Grimes. Rose found the crashed vehicle somewhere close to Highway 141 and 102nd Street at 04:00 AM, roughly half an hour after Moffitt shot Justin. Rose helped David Moffitt out of the car, where he identified himself to the officer.

Soon, they called a cab to transport Moffitt to Pleasant Hill, where he resided. Further investigation of the crash site linked the vehicle involved in the accident to the murder in Grimes. Investigators found two magazines with ammunition. The ammunition inside the magazines matched perfectly with the shell casings found in Michael's house in Grimes.

Also found were a pair of earmuffs and a receipt in the name of Andrew Wegener. Andrew Wegener was another man whom Angie Ver Huel dated shortly. Investigators searched at Moffitt's house. There, they unearthed the evidence that Moffitt had created a fake ID in Wegener's name. Moffitt purchased the firearm from Sigourney using the fake ID. Who is Andrew Wegener, and why did David Moffitt kill Justin Michael?

• David Moffitt's motives

The investigation unearthed the reason why Moffitt killed Justin. The reason behind this Dateline murder case simply boils down to jealousy. Moffitt and Michael's fiancée, Angie Ver Huel, casually dated a year before meeting Justin. Ver Huel told the investigators that she and Moffitt dated for three months in spring 2013. She further told that Moffitt had sent her vulgar messages after the breakup.

The prosecutors argued that Moffitt killed Justin out of resentment towards Michael's blossoming relationship with Angie. As for Andrew Wegener, turns out, he was another one of Angie's former romantic partners before Moffitt. He was caught and charged on May 9, 2014, with first-degree murder and burglary.

• Moffitt's lawyer claimed insanity

The trial began on June 23, 2015. At that time, the news reported on both the prosecution and the defense sides of this murder case. Some of these points were later seen in the Dateline episode that aired months after the trial's conclusion. The prosecutor pointed out that David Moffitt had planned out the crime, as seen in the distraction in the form of the unplugged DVD player.

The defense claimed insanity alternatively. Moffitt's lawyer, J. Keith Rigg, claimed that his client did not understand his actions the day he committed the crime. The lawyer further revealed that Moffitt's mental health declined after learning about Justin Michael and Angie Ver Huel's engagement. During one of his visits to his therapist's office in January 2014, David Moffitt told the former that he was contemplating murdering someone. But it looks like Jury did not buy his defense.

• Moffitt is convicted

A week later, in July 2015, a jury of twelve people agreed with the prosecution's argument and found Moffitt. He was later sentenced to life in prison without parole the same year.

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You can learn more about the Justin Michael case through the Dateline episode The Shadow, which might be available on Peacock.

Also Read:

Dateline: The Shadow – Who was David Moffitt and what crimes was he convicted of? Details from the true crime show, explored

Dateline: The Shadow – What happened to Justin Michael? Disturbing details from the true crime episode, explored