"20/20" Investigates the Cold Case Murder of Debbie Dorian, Solved After Two Decades
New episode of '20/20' chronicles the string of sexual assaults that finally led law enforcement to the killer in a 1996 cold case.
ABC News has announced an all-new two-hour episode of the award-winning newsmagazine 20/20 which will delve into the decades-long fight for justice in the case of a California college student's unsolved murder.
What’s Happening:
- 20/20: I’m Going To Get You, airing Friday, November 14 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC, is set to report on the shocking 1996 murder of 22-year-old Fresno State student, Debbie Dorian.
- Dorian was tragically found dead in her apartment in August 1996, her eyes, nose, and mouth covered with duct tape.
- The initial investigation led to a misstep: an early DNA test resulted in an arrest, but a more advanced test just two weeks later proved the person was innocent.
- Despite accumulating over 100 possible leads, the case went cold for over two decades.
- The breakthrough came years later when a string of sexual assaults provided new DNA evidence that finally pointed authorities toward the perpetrator.
- 'Nightline' Co-Anchor JuJu Chang reports on this intricate investigation, highlighting the perseverance of law enforcement in cracking the two-decade-old cold case.
- The episode streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Killer is Identified: Nickey Stane
- The persistence of law enforcement and advancements in DNA technology led to the identification and conviction of Nickey Stane in the murder of Debbie Dorian and a series of sexual assaults.
- In late 2019, new DNA technologies, similar to those used in the Golden State Killer case, linked Stane to the DNA profile found at the scene of Dorian's murder and to a "John Doe" warrant filed for multiple sexual assaults in the Visalia area between 1999 and 2002.
- The cases were consolidated, and in 2025 (as reported by later news coverage), Stane pleaded guilty to the 1996 murder and the sexual assaults, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- The 20/20 report is expected to explore the chilling connection between the separate crimes and how the later assaults were key to finally solving Debbie Dorian's case and bringing closure to her family.
- The use of forensic genealogy and DNA database comparisons is often credited for cracking such long-standing cold cases.
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