Louis Conradt (lost audiotape of assistant district attorney's final words and suicide; 2006)

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Louis Conradt.

Status: Lost

On 5th November 2006, a SWAT team entered the Terrell, Texas home of chief felony assistant district attorney Louis William "Bill" Conradt Jr., in response to search and arrest warrants imposed by the Murphy Police Department. This stemmed from Conradt being caught engaging in a sexually explicit online conversation with a 13-year-old male Perverted Justice decoy, as part of Dateline NBC hidden camera investigation series To Catch a Predator's Murphy, Texas sting. The attempted arrest ended disastrously when Conradt pulled out a Browning .380 pistol and shot himself in the head, which ended his life an hour later. It is known that an audiotape of Conradt's final words and subsequent suicide exists.

Background

Having grown up in Terrell, Texas, Louis Conradt ascended through the ranks of the Texas legal system, eventually becoming Kaufman County's district attorney.[1][2][3] Because of his almost-impenetrable knowledge of Texas law, he was universally credited as a formidable chief felony prosecutor, being deemed a tough opponent for any legal defence.[4][1] After serving Kaufman County from 1980 to 2002, Conradt began campaigning for the role of the county's district judge, representing the Democratic Party.[1][2] His opposition was Republican Howard Tygrett. Ultimately, despite an extensive county-wide campaign, Conradt was beaten by Tygrett, having received 7,899 votes (44.61% overall), compared to his opponent's 9,808 (55.39%).[5][1][2] The loss greatly affected Conradt, made worse by his campaign forcing him to resign as the county's district attorney beforehand.[1][2]

But after avoiding work for a year, and later fulfilling a fruitless role as a private defence lawyer, it appeared by 2006 that Conradt's career was back on track.[1][2] He had become the chief felony assistant district attorney for Rockwall County.[1][2][3] While a step down from his former Kaufman County position, it proved a positive move for he regained his passion as a prosecutor.[1][4] He also seemingly showed no hard feelings for Tygrett, as he publicly erected a sign backing his 2006 campaign.[1] Now aged 56, Conradt was still living in his childhood Terrell home, having acquired it and moved back in following the death of his father in 2000.[1][4][2][3] Conradt notably never married, lived alone, and was described as a quiet and reserved individual by friends and relatives.[1][3] Despite his career recovery, some friends suspected he never truly got over the loss from a psychological perspective.[1] This may have contributed to his actions in the days leading up to 5th November 2006.[1]

The Murphy, Texas Sting

On 22nd July 2006, online watchdog group Perverted Justice made contact with the Murphy Police Department.[1] Established as a foundation in 2003 by Xavier von Erck, Perverted Justice consisted of volunteers creating profiles of young male and female teenagers for popular social networking websites like AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace.[6][7][8] The motive was to attract online sexual predators who would initiate contact with the decoys.[6][7][8] They would typically engage in sexually explicit conversations with them, with the intent of meeting in person for a sexual encounter.[7][8][6] In its early years, Perverted Justice would expose these men on its website, which led to some individuals being convicted for attempted lewd acts on a person below the age of consent.[6][7] But starting in 2004, Perverted Justice teamed up with Dateline NBC to create a series which would expose these men on national television.[7][8][6]

Hosted by Chris Hansen, To Catch a Predator ran from 2004 to 2007.[2][6][8][7] It consisted of Hansen confronting the suspects about their graphic online conversations, in a sting house containing hidden cameras.[8][2] Hansen would later reveal to these unsuspecting men that they had walked into a Dateline NBC report and that the encounter had been recorded.[8][2] Beginning with the third sting, in Riverside, California, Perverted Justice began teaming up with local police departments, who began their own investigations that led to arrests - and often convictions of - numerous individuals following their interviews with Hansen.[9][2] Billy Myrick was Murphy's chief of police.[1] After learning about Perverted Justice's previous stings, he agreed to conduct an untelevised joint investigation.[1] This yielded a few arrests, most notably 61-year-old Dr. Ali Vagefi, an ophthalmologist in east Texas.[10][11][12][1] He was captured on 24th July and was later sentenced to five years in prison for attempted online solicitation of a 14-year-old girl.[12][10] Dr. Vagefi's Ford Expedition was seized during the sting; amazingly, Chief Myrick began driving it once it became Murphy property.[1]

Myrick agreed to conduct a second sting, this time alongside Dateline NBC.[1][2] The Murphy sting was the ninth conducted as part To Catch a Predator.[2] Over four days in early November, 24 men were arrested.[13][2] Unlike the previous stings, this investigation faced resistance from within the Texas legal system and from local residents.[14][1][13] Collin County district attorney John Roach felt Perverted Justice and Dateline NBC's involvement would negatively impact the sting's effectiveness and ruled himself out of its execution.[1][14] Some within the Murphy Police Department, including Detective Sam Love, believed the department would lack the necessary resources needed to resolve the sheer number of impending cases.[1] Elsewhere, local Murphy residents routinely protested the sting, disgusted with how the sting could result in various predators entering the town and possibly endangering children.[13][14][4] During the operation, some residents took to protesting outside the sting house.[13][14]

Contact with Perverted Justice Decoys

Still, the operation appeared to be successful.[1][14][13] Some prominent individuals were caught; among them included Stanley Kendall, a 54-year-old mathematics teacher caught chatting explicitly with a 13-year-old boy, who was discovered in 2014 working as a substitute teacher for at least six schools.[15][13] Another was oil drilling consultant Randall Wolford, who at age 52 solicited a 13-year-old girl.[16][13] In April 2008, he was caught in a separate sting and was handed a 292-month prison sentence.[16] However, these men paled in comparison to another using the screen name inxs00.[17][1][4][13] Initially, it was assumed that inxs00 was a 19-year-old male college student, who had begun a graphic conversation with a 13-year-old male decoy named Luke starting on 24th October.[17][1][13] But following a phone conversation, it was revealed via shared personal information that the "student" was actually Conradt.[1][4][13] Conradt had attempted to mislead a seemingly unsuspecting underage boy by harnessing a false identity.[1][17] A similar tactic was utilised by Richard Burnham in the subsequent Ocean County, New Jersey sting, where the 42-year-old pretended to be two different individuals to lure in a 14-year-old girl.[18]

As with most chatlogs, the pair's discussion rapidly became more graphic.[17][1][4] Over the next few days, Conradt sent pornographic images of himself and those he obtained online.[17][1] He also explained what he planned if he and the boy met, and asked if he could take sexual images.[17] The boy, chatting under noonezero93, agreed to this and confessed his love to inxs00.[17][1] What is perhaps less known is that Conradt contacted a second male decoy, under the screenname Fallouttboi93.[17] This chat, while brief, was also initiated by Conradt for sexual motivations.[17] From 4th November onwards, Conradt chatted exclusively with noonezero93, which was initially operated by Jay Alternative and later Don Pedro.[19][17][1] Conradt and the decoy had their first phone conversation later that day, which was handled by on-site decoy Dan Schrack, an actor who had also worked on the Petaluma and Long Beach stings.[1][17][13] Their first contact was brief, engaging in small talk before chatting about the images they exchanged.[17][1] The second call lasted over nine minutes; aside from further grooming the decoy, Conradt requested directions to Luke's house and when suspicious neighbours might be out.[17][1]

The final phone conversation was to the point; Conradt promised the decoy he would arrive within an hour.[17][1] However, plans to meet that day were scuppered when Conradt's sister Patricia made an unscheduled visit.[17] Instead, the pair chatted into the evening, before switching from AOL to Yahoo! so that they could initiate a webcam call.[17] Conradt stated he would phone Luke once more that evening.[17] But after assuring the decoy he obtained his cellphone number, Conradt suddenly went radio silent.[1][4][13][2] Not even repeated attempted calls and a sob story by Luke the following day could entice Conradt to resume contact.[1][17] Additionally, Perverted Justice informed Murphy Police that Conradt had also deleted his MySpace account.[20][1][13] For all intents and purposes, it appeared the assistant district attorney had soured on his illegal plans, and though it has never been proven, was covering up his tracks.[1][13][20]

Attempted Arrest and Suicide

In Texas, it is a felony to solicit a minor by computer, even if no in-person meeting occurred.[21][1][4][13][2] Thus, the Murphy Police planned to promptly arrest Conradt, especially to avoid crucial evidence being destroyed.[1][4][2] Dateline NBC and Perverted Justice also remained motivated, as Conradt was the most prominent individual who ever featured in one of their stings.[1][13][2] Thus, on the morning of 5th November, ten Dateline crew members, including Hansen, travelled to Conradt's Terrell residence to confront him at his doorstep.[1][2][13][4] Previously, some encounters had occurred outside the sting houses. For instance, the Long Beach sting saw Hansen confront 48-year-old Frank Sierras at a local park, as Sierras had previously been caught by Perverted Justice in 2004 and refused to visit the decoy at her home.[22][23] That confrontation and arrest occurred in a public area.[22] What made the Conradt encounter controversial was that cameramen were situated at the residence when filming on private property requires the permission of its owner, in this case, Conradt.[1][2]

Meanwhile, Detective Walter Weiss was tasked to hastily complete the arrest and search warrants, the latter to ensure Conradt's electronic devices could be recovered.[1][2][4] The arrest warrant was completed at around 11 a.m., but it would take until 2:20 p.m. for the subsequent search warrant to be signed.[1] This delayed the police response, who originally aimed to carry out the arrest that morning.[1] But once completed, Myrick, Lieutenant Adana Barber, and Detective Snow Robertson swiftly drove to Terrell, alongside the Chief of Terrell Police Todd Miller, a local sergeant, and a local patrol officer.[1][13] The plan was to arrest Conradt at his home, with Dateline filming it.[1][4][14] Dateline informed Myrick that somebody was likely still residing in the home, as an issue of The Dallas Morning News strangely went missing outside Conradt's front door without anyone noticing.[1] The first arrest attempt began with the Terrell sergeant's vain efforts to gain entry.[1][13][4][14] All they heard in response was the barking of Conradt's Miniature Schnauzer, Lukas.[1]

A Terrell SWAT team led by Ken McKeown was then contacted, as forced entry was deemed mandatory.[1][13][2][14] Meanwhile, Robertson peered through a window and discovered a laptop on an armchair.[1][2] He planned his own intervention if he discovered Conradt utilising it.[1] Most Dateline and police resources were now solely focused on the Conradt bust.[13] Because of this, Dateline missed out on interviewing other men who arrived at the sting house that same day.[13][1] These men, including Edward Hollingsworth V and John Baker, were lured to the front door so that Murphy officers could easily arrest them.[13][1] Interestingly, this sparked a minor controversy of its own.[1] As the normal sting proceedings drew to a close, one predator yet to show up was reportedly travelling in a black Ford F-150.[1] Thus, when an F-150 approached the house, Murphy officers quickly dragged the driver out and put him in handcuffs.[1] They failed to realise until later that the man was actually Detective Jimmy Patterson, whom Dateline hired as protection against potentially violent suspects.[1] Patterson was released once matters calmed down.[1]

The same did not apply to the Conradt situation.[1][14][4][3] Lining in formation, the SWAT team forced their way into the back of the house.[1][13][14] Despite yelling their presence, the SWAT initially found no trace of Conradt.[13][14] A decision was made to split the team in two; one would investigate the living room, while the other went down the hallway.[1] The hallway team soon encountered Conradt on the other side.[1] The attorney, who was wielding a Browning .380, calmly informed them he would not hurt anyone.[1][13] He suddenly directed the .380 at his head and fired it.[1][13][4] The SWAT team attempted to ensure Conradt's blood continued circulating properly while radioing Barber to inform her of the situation.[1] After Barber assessed the scene, she would explain to Hansen the chain of events.[13][1] Conradt was airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he passed away an hour later.[1][3][13][14]

NBC later received death scene photographs and an audiotape that consisted of Conradt's last words.[2][1] A common misconception, even stated during a court case, was that Dateline themselves captured gunshot audio.[2][1] In reality, all the cameras captured was Lukas' barking, with Hansen himself stating in the episode that nothing of interest was captured during the Conradt confrontation.[1][13][4] Most have probably confused the SWAT team breaking entry as being the supposed gunshot.[24][13] As part of the investigation, all three of Conradt's computers, his mobile phone and CDs were seized.[2][1][20] Additionally, a book titled "Investigation and Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse" was found, indicating Conradt had full knowledge of the legal situation surrounding online solicitation of minors.[1][2] Post-sting, a police officer allegedly bragged "That'll make good TV" to a Dateline producer.[25][2]

Aftermath

Conradt's suicide and the Murphy sting overall attracted extensive media attention and condemnation.[1][14][4] The Murphy City Council called a town meeting, where some residents alleged that the investigation had prompted pursuits, aggressive police takedowns and even items being thrown into their gardens.[4][14] Among those who spoke was Conradt's sister Patricia; she heavily criticised the police, Dateline, and Perverted Justice for their actions, stating they did it to "line the pockets of an out-of-control group and a TV show pressed for ratings and a deadline."[4][13][2][14] She also refused to consider her brother's death as a suicide, stating in a later interview that the three parties were directly responsible for his passing.[4][13]

On 25th July 2007, it was reported that Patricia had sued NBC Universal for $105 million, alleging that Dateline had failed to guarantee the safety of Louis despite its major influence on the arrest, thus being liable on wrongful death grounds.[25][2][1] NBC filed for the case to be dismissed, having argued that it did not violate the Fourth Amendment nor had any responsibility to prevent Conradt from committing suicide.[26][2][25] Judge Denny Chin ultimately dismissed most claims but deemed that a reasonable jury could uphold the intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil rights violation claims.[2][26] NBC defended itself in the case, but an agreement was settled on 24th June 2008, the details of which have never been publicly released.[27][28][26] Additionally, NBC was also sued by former Dateline producer Marsha Bartel, who alleged she was terminated from her role because she raised ethical concerns surrounding the handling of To Catch a Predator.[25][1] Ultimately, this lawsuit proved unsuccessful.[29]

In February 2007, NBC aired both episodes of the Murphy sting.[13][2][14] It enabled Hansen to provide a detailed narration from the perspective of Dateline, Murphy Police, and Perverted Justice.[13][2] He explained how Perverted Justice was able to determine inxs00 was Conradt, reiterating that Louis had deleted his MySpace account.[13][20] It also allowed Myrick to defend himself from allegations that he emphasised the reality show over the actual legal side, particularly by Ray Sumrow, the Rockwall County district attorney and Conradt's employer.[13][4] Myrick claimed he took the arrest procedure seriously and that it was reviewed by both Murphy and Terrell Police Departments beforehand.[13][20][1]

While To Catch a Predator suffered a dented reputation, Conradt's suicide did not immediately cause its cancellation.[28][27] Instead, three more stings were held in Flagler Beach, Florida;[30] Ocean County, New Jersey;[31] and Bowling Green, Kentucky.[32][27][28] However, the Conradt aftermath and the show's general controversial nature had severely strained its relationship with advertisers.[29] By June 2008, it was reported that no new stings were being planned as NBC News executives believed they had become "too highly charged", with some insiders revealing the general consensus was that the show had become stale.[28][27] New York Post raised speculation that the successful Conradt lawsuit also played a role in To Catch a Predator's end.[28] Hansen, who expressed no regrets nor responsibility over Conradt's death during interviews, and stated police were entirely involved with the arrest, would not conduct another investigation with Dateline, though restarted his confrontation of predators in 2015 with Hansen vs. Predator.[33][34][4] He and other Dateline personnel also insisted that Conradt was ignorant of the media's presence in the sting, despite other sources claiming their presence was obvious and likely influenced the assistant attorney's actions.[4][2][1]

20/20 and Esquire Investigations

In September 2007, ABC newsmagazine program 20/20 and the magazine Esquire released their investigations into Conradt's suicide.[14][1] 20/20 explored allegations on how To Catch a Predator overshadowed the actual criminal cases.[35][14] It interviewed former Murphy detectives Weiss and Sam Love, who participated in the operation but quit in disgust over its handling.[14][1] Weiss and Love alleged they received continual instructions from Dateline on handling the interrogations, including ordering suspects not to cover their faces.[14] Any requests from Dateline were quickly dealt with, but the cases themselves became recklessly handled.[14] Love accused Hansen of making the suggestion Conradt be confronted at his home, something that was strongly denied by Hansen and Myrick.[14][33]

Chief Myrick, who was also interviewed by 20/20, denied Dateline had control over the investigations.[14] He also insisted that NBC had no input on the Conradt situation and was observing from afar, despite unaired footage showing Hansen providing him Conradt's phone number.[14] Myrick also disapproved of 20/20's investigation tactics in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.[35] Meanwhile, Collin County district attorney John Roach heavily criticised the sting on practical, professional and ethical grounds, and stated he was unable to affirm whether he ever received the full transcripts, as Murphy Police only partially read the chatlogs themselves and were forced to depend on Perverted Justice's word.[14]

On 11th September, NBC responded to the claims, summarising them as "seriously flawed".[36] It reiterated that Hansen had no influence on the arrest procedure, he was only reporting on it in the footage shown and that the police themselves made the decision to call Conradt.[36] It also accused ABC of harnessing footage out of context, stating protests and the town hall meeting occurred following the sting's conclusion.[36][4] Most Murphy residents, it claimed, were supportive of the operation and future stings.[36] Finally, it rebuked Roach's concerns regarding the evidence's validity, citing the Dr. Vagefi sting among other successful Perverted Justice operations in Texas, including with Murphy Police.[36][12]

A detailed Esquire report published in September 2007 also questioned various aspects of the investigation.[1] It noted a key motivation for the swift arrest of Conradt was that he was allegedly deleting evidence, including his MySpace account.[1][13][20] However, when it requested a saved version, Von Erck provided a web link to a page untouched since August.[1] Von Erck supposedly later claimed Conradt had multiple profiles, but did not provide evidence of him wiping any of them.[1] Weiss stated he had no knowledge of Conradt's deleted MySpace page but was still instructed at night to complete arrest and search warrants for the following morning.[1] The hastily written search warrant contained critical errors, where it stated that it would be issued to "The City of Euless Police Department in Tarrant County, Texas", on 30th July.[1][4][2] Furthermore, the Judges who signed the warrants, Cathy Haden and Mark Rusch, were not informed Dateline was involved in the sting.[1][2] They were aghast upon learning this and stated they would never have signed the warrants had they been informed beforehand.[1][2] These issues likely would made the warrants be declared void, thwarting any case against Conradt had the arrest circumstances been different.[2][4]

Flaws with evidence was a common theme for the Murphy sting.[37][1] Put simply, Colin County prosecutor Doris Berry's review of evidence indicated almost all cases were unlawful.[1] Only a few suspects resided in Murphy or other Colin County areas; for cases to be pursued in Colin County, the perpetrator and/or decoy needed to have lived in the region, but no evidence existed supporting this.[1][14] Additionally, Berry found a critical legal flaw with every arrest bar Conradt's: Not once was an arrest warrant filed.[1] Thus, for the subsequent warrantless arrests to be lawful in Texas, there needed to be crucial evidence of crimes occurring.[38][1] But because Murphy Police had mainly relied on Perverted Justice's own investigations, with Myrick even admitting his officers only partially read the chatlogs, the cases' validity became questionable at best.[1][14][25] Roach, upon reviewing the evidence himself, reluctantly made the decision not to pursue any cases.[37][1][14][25] He summarised that Perverted Justice and Dateline had overstepped the boundaries by assuming control of law enforcement operations, compromising the evidence as police relied on "amateurs" for it.[37][14][1][25]

Thus, regardless of Conradt's fate, it is almost improbable that the majority of cases would have resulted in convictions.[1][37] In the end, only one individual, 27-year-old Asif Khokhar, was convicted, being sentenced to two years imprisonment and lifetime registered sex offender status as Harris County remained interested in pursuing cases against any of its residents.[39] Nevertheless, Chief Myrick remained "proud" of the operation, while Murphy Police and NBC continued defending the Conradt arrest. One aspect cited as justification came when investigators allegedly found child sexual abuse material on Conradt's computers, mobile phone, and CDs.[40][20] The state report could not fully confirm this, though stated the unidentified male individuals depicted in the imagery might have been underage at the time.[40] Accounts differed greatly on the allegations' validity; attorney Buck Wood, who was also Patricia's husband, stated the investigators informed him they could not confirm the images were illegal and that prosecution would have been improbable under the circumstances.[40] Esquire also claimed a search on one computer found no illegal content.[1] Regardless, analysis of Conradt's laptop confirmed he indeed initiated the chat.[1][40][20]

Release of Chatlog and Phone Calls

Meanwhile, Perverted Justice defended itself on multiple fronts.[41][39][14][19] It heavily criticised Roach's decision to drop the cases, citing that its investigation helped convict Khokhar, revoke Kendall's teaching licence, and resulted in numerous suspects confessing their intentions during police interrogations.[41][39][13] It also accused Roach of repeated lies; it demanded that the cases be presented to a grand jury for scrutiny, as this would help verify the evidence's validity.[41][39] Roach reportedly stated he would do so in a Law.com article, but Perverted Justice claimed he reneged on the agreement.[42][41] Additionally, it cited its recent conviction of Jose Antonio Guevara, which occurred in Colin County at the same time Roach insisted prosecutions on Perverted Justice cases were impossible.[43][41] It labelled Roach and his office "inept and incompetent" for dropping the cases.[14] Similarly, the organisation accused Sumrow of attacking them to avoid attention on public servant thefts for which he was arrested and later sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in June 2008.[44][41] Von Erck later dismissed the Esquire article as fictional and that it failed to properly assess the case's facts.[45]

On 20th February 2007, after intense internal discussion, Perverted Justice publicly released Conradt's chatlog and three phone calls.[17][19] It did so under "Other Resolutions",[19] where chatlogs are posted on suspects who passed away before their trials, which also included Charles Harding and Ernest Timmons of the Riverside and Ocean County stings respectively.[46][47] The chatlog remains active on the website, while the phone calls have since been uploaded to YouTube.[17][19] The organisation summarised that it never wanted Conradt to commit suicide, as it sought prosecutions for individuals caught in its stings.[19][41][1] Decoy operators Jay Alternative and Don Pedro believed Conradt was a dangerous individual and serial groomer, and that he would almost certainly have been prosecuted had the arrest gone to plan.[19] As part of its final statement in April 2008, Perverted Justice cited the chatlog, calls, and alleged child sexual abuse material Conradt possessed as justification for the attorney's arrest.[41][40]

Ultimately, the Conradt situation impacted multiple people and organisations beyond the assistant attorney and his relatives.[1][4][14][41][2] Aside from Love and Weiss' resignations, with the latter later stating he was "ashamed" to be involved in the sting, Murphy city manager Craig Sherwood also had his contract bought out by the city council.[1][14][37] It was revealed he had approved the sting without consulting the mayor or council beforehand.[37] While it was never confirmed whether Conradt's suicide caused the show's cancellation, speculation persists that it was a contributing factor.[28][24] The fallout also impacted the reputations of Perverted Justice, Chief Myrick, the Murphy Police Department, and NBC, with the latter facing a costly lawsuit from Conradt's immediate family.[1][4][14][2] Considering the extensive reputational and legal damage it caused, Conradt's botched arrest has since been considered among the darkest and most controversial moments of television history.[24]

Availability

Since the Murphy sting's airing on NBC, most media relating to the Conradt bust has been publicly released.[13][17][2][14][1] This includes the segment, unaired footage that appeared in court and later was used in 20/20's programme, the chatlog and phone calls, and death scene photos that were later published in Esquire.[13][17][2][14][1] However, as detailed in the lawsuit, an audiotape of Conradt's final words and presumably the fatal gunshot was recorded by police, and later obtained by Dateline NBC.[2] But whereas the death scene photos NBC acquired were circulated, the audiotape has not.[2][1] It is not even precisely clear what Conradt said in his last moments, as eyewitnesses had slightly different accounts.[1] However, common consensus indicates he likely said "I'm not going to hurt anyone!".[48] As the case itself proved a legally and reputationally damaging affair, it is highly unlikely the audiotape will ever leak to the public from any involved parties.

Gallery

Videos

To Catch a Predator's Louis Conradt segment, also containing a Fox News report on the suicide.

Chris Hansen discussing Louis Conradt in a May 2022 Law&Crime Network podcast.

KING TAZER documentary on Louis Conradt and its possible connection to To Catch a Predator's cancellation.

First phone call between Louis Conradt and the decoy.

Second phone call between Louis Conradt and the decoy.

Third phone call between Louis Conradt and the decoy.

20/20 investigation (part 1).

20/20 investigation (part 2).

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.000 1.001 1.002 1.003 1.004 1.005 1.006 1.007 1.008 1.009 1.010 1.011 1.012 1.013 1.014 1.015 1.016 1.017 1.018 1.019 1.020 1.021 1.022 1.023 1.024 1.025 1.026 1.027 1.028 1.029 1.030 1.031 1.032 1.033 1.034 1.035 1.036 1.037 1.038 1.039 1.040 1.041 1.042 1.043 1.044 1.045 1.046 1.047 1.048 1.049 1.050 1.051 1.052 1.053 1.054 1.055 1.056 1.057 1.058 1.059 1.060 1.061 1.062 1.063 1.064 1.065 1.066 1.067 1.068 1.069 1.070 1.071 1.072 1.073 1.074 1.075 1.076 1.077 1.078 1.079 1.080 1.081 1.082 1.083 1.084 1.085 1.086 1.087 1.088 1.089 1.090 1.091 1.092 1.093 1.094 1.095 1.096 1.097 1.098 1.099 1.100 1.101 1.102 1.103 1.104 1.105 1.106 1.107 1.108 1.109 Esquire providing a detailed account of Conradt's life and the botched arrest. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 Conradt ex rel. Conradt v. NBC Universal, Inc. where claims on intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of civil rights were deemed to have merit. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 The New York Times reporting on Conradt's suicide. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 Columbia Journalism Review documenting the botched arrest of Conradt and the controversial history of To Catch a Predator. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  5. ↑ Texas Secretary of State providing the results of the 2002 General Election. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Perverted Justice Foundation Incorporated About Us page. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The New York Times' detailing the operations of Perverted Justice. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Rolling Stone summarising the typical operations of a To Catch a Predator sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  9. ↑ Archived MSNBC summarising the Riverside sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 KLTV reporting on Dr. Vagefi's arrest. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  11. ↑ KLTV reporting on further details surrounding Dr. Vagefi's arrest. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Perverted Justice summarising the Dr. Vagefi case and providing a press release concerning his conviction and sentencing. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 13.21 13.22 13.23 13.24 13.25 13.26 13.27 13.28 13.29 13.30 13.31 13.32 13.33 13.34 13.35 13.36 13.37 13.38 13.39 13.40 13.41 As shown in the two Murphy To Catch a Predator episodes. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  14. ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 14.32 14.33 14.34 14.35 20/20 investigation into the Murphy sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  15. ↑ WSBT reporting on Stanley Kendall working as a substitute teacher despite being caught in the Murphy sting eight years prior Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Dairy State Degenerates detailing Randall Wolford's Murphy arrest and his subsequent conviction in another sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  17. ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 17.13 17.14 17.15 17.16 17.17 17.18 17.19 17.20 17.21 Perverted Justice providing Louis Conradt's chatlog. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  18. ↑ Perverted Justice summarising Richard Burnham's conviction in the Ocean County sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 Perverted Justice summarising its decision to post Conradt's chatlog onto its website. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7 Archived MSNBC providing an update on the Conradt situation, included the revelation that he may have possessed child sexual abuse material. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  21. ↑ The Law Offices of Ned Barnett summarising Section 33.021. of the Texas Penal Code, which makes online solicitation of minors a felony regardless of whether an in-person meeting occurs. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Perverted Justice summarising the Frank Sierras case and how his 2006 bust occurred in a local park. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  23. ↑ Perverted Justice providing Frank Sierras' 2004 and 2006 chatlogs. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Nick Crowley's "The Darkest Moments in TV History 2" summarising the Conradt suicide. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 The Guardian reporting on a $105 million lawsuit being filed in the wake of Conradt's death, and an unfair dismissal lawsuit filed by Bartel. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Reuters reporting on the Conradt lawsuit being approved by Judge Chin. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 The Los Angeles Times reporting on the Conradt lawsuit being resolved. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 New York Post reporting on the resolved Conradt lawsuit and the end of To Catch a Predator. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Chicago Tribune reporting on Bartel losing her case. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  30. ↑ Archived MSNBC summarising the Flagler Beach sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  31. ↑ Archived MSNBC summarising the Ocean County sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  32. ↑ Archived MSNBC summarising the Bowling Green sting. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Dallas Observer reporting on Hansen defending the Murphy sting in 2022. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  34. ↑ New Republic reporting on Hansen launching Hansen Vs. Predator. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Archived Variety reporting on ABC's 20/20 investigation. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 Archived MSNBC responding to 20/20's claims. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 NBC News reporting on most Murphy cases were dropped due to flaws concerning evidence. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  38. ↑ Texas Criminal Defense Group explaining the circumstances required for a lawful warrantless arrest in Texas. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Perverted Justice summarising the Asif Khokhar case, the only Murphy arrest that resulted in a conviction. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 My Plainview reporting on child sexual abuse imagery allegedly being recovered from Conradt's devices. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 41.7 41.8 Archived Perverted Justice Foundation Incorporated providing its final defence of the Murphy sting in April 2008. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  42. ↑ Archived Law.com reporting on Roach claiming he would allow the cases to be presented to a grand jury. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  43. ↑ Perverted Justice summarising the Jose Antonio Guevara case. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  44. ↑ My Plainview reporting on Sumrow's imprisonment for public servant thefts. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  45. ↑ Archived Chron reporting on Von Erck dismissing Esquire's article as fictional. Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  46. ↑ Perverted Justice summarising Charles Harding under "Other Resolutions". Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  47. ↑ Perverted Justice summarising Ernest Timmons under "Other Resolutions". Retrieved 20th Oct '23
  48. ↑ Predators I've Caught podcast on Conradt, which deemed Conradt's final words were "I'm not going to hurt anyone!". Retrieved 20th Oct '23
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