Dateline: The Motive - Who was Trent DiGiuro and what happened to him? Disturbing details of the 1994 murder, revealed

Dateline is a weekly American television news magazine reality and legal show that airs on NBC. The show has been on air since 1992 and is one of the most well-known news magazine shows on TV. Initially, Dateline used to focus on general interest news pieces but has now shifted to focus on true crime stories. The show is currently presented by Lester Holt.

Dateline: The Motive is an episode of the show that investigates the murder of Trent DiGiuro, who was a University of Kentucky football player. The series focuses on the circumstances of Trent’s murder and how it remained unsolved for years, before a confession came forward and led to the arrest of the perpetrator. Here is a quick look at who Trent DiGiuro was and what happened to him in Dateline: The Motive.

Dateline: The Motive - Who was Trent DiGiuro and what happened to him?

Dateline: The Motive looks at how in July of 1994, a group of friends at the University of Kentucky, decided to celebrate a birthday at an off-campus house. One of the people in this gathering was Trent DiGiuro, who was a senior and a talented football player. He even worked hard for a position in the Kentucky Wildcats and earned a position. According to NBC, friends called Trent a “big bear” and a “great protector”.

A few hours into the party, Trent and other friends were on the front porch when a loud noise caught everyone’s attention. Trent slumped over in his chair, bleeding. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at 3 AM. Don Evans was a Lexington police detective and one of the first ones to investigate the case. Even with so many people at the party, everyone claimed that they didn't see anything.

Eventually, there were more questions than answers and apart from a few leads, the case got cold. While other friends and family members had accepted that Trent’s murder would go unsolved, his father made a plea in a local newspaper article and mentioned that “Somebody knows what happened.”

Eventually, a young woman came forward and told a story where one year after Trent’s murder, she was at a bar with her then boyfriend and conversation led the person to reveal that he had indeed killed Trent. However, the woman was in love and did not think much about it. When the woman saw Trent’s father’s plea in the newspaper, she felt compelled to share the truth.

The woman went to a friend and attorney as she did not want to reveal his identity. Her friend, Tom Bullock, understood who she was talking about. As the woman was frightened that her ex-boyfriend would endanger her life, Bullock went to Evans with the information without revealing the source. He gave the name of the alleged killer, Shane Ragland, who also attended the University of Kentucky during Trent’s time.

Even the motive was revealed: Ragland blamed Trent for being blackballed from a fraternity. Eventually, Evans met the woman and a risky sting operation was undertaken so that Ragland would talk about the murder and be caught on tape. The woman resumed contact with Ragland and he began exchanging mails and talking with her. They met at the Lexington airport and the woman wore a wire and was surrounded by undercover cops and FBI.

The woman got Ragland talking and he eventually confessed that he regretted what he had done. Even though Ragland got suspicious for a moment, the woman kept her cool and the police got the information they needed. Eventually, Ragland was arrested and charged with murder. The witness at the trial was his ex-girlfriend and the evidence was the airport recording.

Dateline: The Motive – How did the Trent DiGiuro murder proceed afterwards?

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Eventually, the defense tried to attack the ex-girlfriend’s credibility and questioned her about why she stayed with Ragland for a year, even after his confession. Ragland’s lawyer also questioned how incriminating the airport recording was since he never directly admitted to killing Trent. However, Ragland was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. After a few years, his conviction was overturned and he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, and is now serving five years in prison. The Dateline episode is a thrilling look into this captivating old case.

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