Alexandra “Alex” Kogut was the 18-year-old college student who was found dead in her upstate New York, Brockport State College dorm room in September 2012. While her roommate was away visiting family, Alex and her boyfriend, Clayton Whittemore from Utica College, returned to the room after a party. Whittemore said they argued and accused each other of cheating, and then he snapped. Whittemore confessed to beating Alex to death with his fists and a curling iron.
During his trial, Whittemore’s defense claimed “he was under extreme emotional disturbance at the time due to years of abuse at the hands of his father.” A jury found Whittemore guilty of murder and he was given the maximum sentence of 25-years-to-life in jail. In court, Alex’s mother Becky Kogut asked Whittemore for two things: she wanted her daughter’s eyeglasses and wanted to know the time of her death. He could not provide either. Dateline’s investigative report “After Midnight” will air on TLC on April 23 at 8pm.
