In the 48 Hours episode “Killer App”, Peter Van Sant investigates the murder of Nicole Madison Lovell of Blacksburg, Virginia. The 13-year-old was lured to her death via the smartphone app Kik. Through the app she had developed a relationship with 18-year-old Virginia Tech college student David Eisenhauer. Prosecutor Mary Pettitt said Eisenhauer killed Lovell (she was stabbed 14 times) because he was afraid that she would expose their relationship. Eisenhauer’s accomplice, fellow Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers, told authorities Eisenhauer told her that he feared Lovell could be pregnant. (She was not.)
During the trial, Eisenhauer’s lawyers had two of his high school teachers from Riverside Christian School testify. His bible class teacher, Kathryn Anne Stoothoff, said he had trouble following social clues, that he was bright but “needed very clear rules to be successful.” She added, “He didn’t pick up on the normal social cues that everyone else just seemed to know.” Prosecutor Pettitt asked for a life sentence for Eisenhauer. In June 2018, Eisenhauer was sentenced to 50 years. In November 2018, Keepers, who was found guilty of helping to plan the murder and who pleaded guilty to helping dispose of the body, was sentenced to 40 years. 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 9 pm and 10 pm on CBS. [Stream all CBS shows through Amazon Prime or CBS ALL-ACCESS. Both options offer free trials.]
