College Football Player, 20, Murdered in Drive-By, Family Gets $63 Million

The Dateline episode “The Motive” investigates the 1994 murder of University of Kentucky college football player Trent DiGiuro. The 6’2”, 277-lbs. walk-on offensive lineman was shot dead outside of his home in Lexington. He was days away from turning 21.

Sixteen years after DiGiuro was murdered, in 2000, Aimee Lloyd said her boyfriend at the time, Shane Ragland, confessed to the killing. She said Ragland told her that, at the time of the murder, Ragland was upset because DiGiuro had prevented Ragland from becoming a member of a campus fraternity. Ragland told Lloyd he rode a bicycle to DiGiuro’s house, and from across the street shot DiGiuro in the head while he sat on the porch.

In 2002, Ragland was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His conviction was overturned (due to trial errors) in 2006. Ragland later pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter and was released in 2006 (after time served).

The DiGiuro family sued Ragland and in 2008 they were awarded $63,341,708 ($3,333,912 for destruction of the power to labor and earn money, $7,796 for funeral and burial expenses, and $60,000,000 for punitive damages).

Dateline‘s Keith Morrison travels to Lexington, Kentucky to interview DiGiuro’s family and friends, retired Detective Don Evans, and District Attorney Lou Anna Red Corn, among others. Dateline airs Saturdays at 8 pm and 9 pm. [Stream any NBC show watch LIVE on any device with NBC UNIVERSAL app available here. Download is FREE.]