Exclusive: Documents detail McDaniel investigation

In the days since Stephen McDaniel pleaded guilty to killing and dismembering fellow law school graduate Lauren Giddings, The Telegraph has reviewed thousands of pages of documents and hundreds of photos and videos included in the case file against him. Among the findings:

-- A Wal-Mart security video showing McDaniel during a shopping trip June 23, 2011, when police say he was looking at boat anchors and buying rope and a pair of rain ponchos.

-- Statements from Giddings' friends that describe their fruitless search for her on June 29, 2011, and how McDaniel seemed to lend a helping hand.

-- Photos and a video that document Giddings' home as police found it on June 30, 2011, the day a detective also found her torso in a trash can outside her Georgia Avenue apartment.

-- McDaniel's interviews with police that show the transition of the now-28-year-old from Giddings' concerned neighbor to murder suspect.

-- McDaniel's apartment also is preserved in photos and videos recorded during multiple searches for evidence.

-- Police reports that document investigators' efforts to solve the crime.

That material is presented here. Click here to read more about the McDaniel investigation in a story by Amy Leigh Womack and Joe Kovac Jr.

This story was originally published April 27, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Exclusive: Documents detail McDaniel investigation."