A High School Love Story Turns Deadly in Episode Three of ABC News’ “Bad Romance”

A high school love story turns deadly in the third episode of the new eight-episode limited true-crime series from ABC News’ 20/20 – Bad Romance.

What’s Happening:

  • Bad Romance returns with the third episode, “Shot in the Dark,” featuring a high school love story turned deadly. They seemed like quintessential high school sweethearts. Riley, a football player, and Emma, a cheerleader, began dating while attending high school in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  • But not long into the relationship, the romance went from sweet to sour as Emma’s parents and friends said Riley started to act overly possessive and tried to control her every move. After Emma decided to finally break up with Riley, a strange and bizarre chain of events ensued: Emma receives text messages from an unknown number claiming someone kidnapped Riley, a man all in black arrives at Emma’s home while she is there alone, and Riley’s grandfather’s gun mysteriously disappears.
  • In a shocking twist of events, Emma is then shot in her sleep from outside the house, through the walls. Who is behind the deadly shooting? A sting operation with local police uncovers the killer and much more.
  • “Shot in the Dark” includes interviews with Emma’s parents, Jill and Mark Walker; friends of Emma and Riley; police detectives; and the defense and prosecuting attorneys in Riley’s trial.
  • Hosted by ABC News contributor Ryan Smith, Episode 3 of Bad Romance airs Monday, February 5th (10:01-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.
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Luke Manning
Luke is a fan of all things theme parks and self-proclaimed #1 fan of Joffrey’s Coffee, who lives in Kissimmee, FL