On Friday’s episode of “Dateline,” after well-known plastic surgeon and local musician Dr. Frank Buddy McCutcheon was killed in his Asheville, North Carolina, home, detectives find a trail of clues leading to an unlikely culprit.
Police film and rare TV interviews with key players in the case—Detectives John Ledford and Walt Thrower, Prosecutor Meghan Lock, Defense Attorneys Sean Devereux and Steve Cash, Buddy’s relatives, and others—provide new information.
A sample of Keith Morrison’s report is provided below:
A humid, steamy Friday night in July. Buddy McCutcheon and his spouse Brenda took a seat in the cool air. Brenda reported that while Buddy slept downstairs in front of the television, she was asleep upstairs in their bedroom.
Had it sealed by then? What destiny waited for them? 3 A.M., a loud bang akin to a violent thunderstorm. Her spouse of more than thirty years was snatched in a terrible instant, ending her life as she had knew it.
Sheriff’s deputies headed to the house hours before dawn. Naturally, the investigation had only begun. Was Buddy McCutcheon the victim of suicide? Was he shot killed by house invaders? Or was there a darker motive?
In its 32nd season, “Dateline NBC” is the longest-running primetime show in NBC history. With Lester Holt as anchor, Dateline includes Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison, and Dennis Murphy as correspondents.
The stories span a wide genre, from gripping mysteries to stirring documentaries and in-depth research. They respond to the scene of breaking important news, piecing together the details to provide the audience the whole picture. Additionally, they assist the actual persons who experienced the events in sharing their adventures with the audience in each narrative they tell.