FOX news program to focus on Giddings case
A murder mystery that has kept Middle Georgia captivated for more than three weeks is now getting national media attention.
A nationally televised cable news program will focus on the Lauren Giddings killing in a show set to air at 9 p.m. Saturday on Fox News.
“Justice with Judge Jeanine,” hosted by Jeanine Pirro, is devoting several segments of Saturday’s edition to the murder investigation of Giddings, a 27-year-old Mercer University law school graduate whose torso was discovered outside of her apartment at Barristers Hall, 1058 Georgia Ave., on June 30. The body had been dismembered and wrapped in plastic.
A segment of the show was taped Friday evening in front of Giddings’ apartment, across the street from the law school. The apartment complex was also the residence of Stephen McDaniel, who graduated with Giddings from law school in May and who has been arrested on unrelated burglary charges. He has been called a person of interest in the killing, but not identified as a suspect.
The “Justice with Judge Jeanine” staff interviewed Macon Police Chief Mike Burns and Telegraph reporter Amy Leigh Womack about the case via satellite.
Members of Giddings’ family also will be interviewed for the program. Those segments were taped in New York.
“Justice” marks the first national TV show to come to Macon to cover the Giddings investigation. Burns said NBC’s “Dateline” news program contacted him a couple of weeks ago about the investigation, but that show’s staff hasn’t visited Macon. Burns was also interviewed about the Giddings slaying by The Washington Post.
Burns said the only midstate event he could remember drawing similar national news coverage was when CNN came to Macon following the flood of 1994.
“This is the first time I can remember something like this in a while,” he said.
Despite the extensive media coverage and scrutiny, Burns said he and his investigators don’t plan to change how they conduct the investigation.
He said the Fox News show probably will put the case in an even brighter spotlight.
“We’re still going to be slow and methodical,” he said. “I think people realize we have a good track record with these cases. We’ve solved 36 of the last 39 homicides we’ve had.”
Investigators are still waiting for results from the FBI’s crime lab regarding several pieces of evidence that has been collected at the apartment complex by Macon police.
Before his segment taped Friday, Burns admitted that having such a high-profile killing could cast Macon in a bad light.
“There’s always that possibility,” he said. “I’m not sure what questions they’re going to ask.”
To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.
This story was originally published July 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "FOX news program to focus on Giddings case."