NBC Dateline: What happened to Shannon Melendi?

In the upcoming episode of NBC Dateline titled Shannon's Story, investigator Dennis Murphy will cover the harrowing disappearance and murder of Florida native Shannon Melendi. Last seen alive on March 26, 1994, the 19-year-old Emory University student vanished from a gas station.

The man who kidnapped, r*ped, and eventually killed Shannon was sentenced nearly 12 years later with no body or direct evidence linking him to the crime, making him the first man in Georgia to have been convicted in such a manner.

Through conversations with family, friends, community members, and law enforcement personnel, NBC Dateline: Shannon's Story will delve deeper into the journalistic and emotional aspects of the case. Tune in to the upcoming episode on August 12, 2022 at 10/9c to learn more about the case and the Melendis' ongoing battle for justice.

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NBC Dateline: Shannon's Story - The Murder of Shannon Melendi

On March 26, 1994, 19-year-old Emory University student Shannon Melendi was last seen keeping score at a softball game in DeKalb County. She then disappeared and her car was located the following day at a gas station with her keys inside.

Missing person fliers were put up and the search continued until one day a man called the Emory hotline claiming to have kidnapped Shannon. Detectives began investigating the claim and traced the call to a phone booth in McDonough. They found Shannon's ring wrapped in tape inside a pouch there.

Through microscopic evidence, investigators traced the tape and the pouch to Butch Hinton, who was an umpire at the softball game the day Shannon disappeared. He was the last person to have seen her alive and became a prime suspect in the case. On Friday night, NBC Dateline will further explore the events that led to a conviction 12 years after Shannon disappeared.

Hinton's criminal history as a s*xual predator didn't help his case even though he initially claimed to be innocent. In the absence of a body and a crime scene, prosecutors still managed to gather circumstantial evidence and statements from Hinton's former fellow inmates in which he had implicated himself. In 2005, he finally confessed to everything.

In his chilling confession, he admitted to having r*ped Shannon twice, saying that,

"she never lost control of her emotions. She didn't even try to scratch, no hitting."

He added that Shannon was cooperative throughout the process and that he tried to strangle her at about 2 am on March 27, 1994.

He revealed the following gruesome details right after,

"I came over on top of her real quick. I took the tie and put it around her neck…I think I crossed it…It happened a lot quicker than I ever thought."

He apparently believed she was asleep at the time.

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NBC Dateline: Shannon's Story - Who was Shannon Melendi?

Born on October 20, 1974, Shannon Melendi grew up in Miami, Florida with her parents and younger sister. At the time of her disappearance, Shannon was a 19-year-old student at Emory University. The upcoming episode of NBC Dateline will examine the tragic case of the bright and passionate young girl.

Monique Melendi, Shannon's sister, revealed that the latter had been her high school's junior and senior class president. She was a soccer player, captain of the debate team, and had spoken before the UN and the US Congress. She aspired to become a Navy JAG attorney and eventually serve as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.

She received a scholarship to study at Emory University and was working as a scorekeeper at a softball game when her dreams were cut short by a predator in the midst. Till date, the Melendi family has been signing petitions and making appeals to keep Butch Hinton behind bars and never grant him parole.

Catch the upcoming episode of NBC Dateline to learn more about the horrifying case and how the Melendi family continues to fight for justice for Shannon.