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NBC Dateline episode, titled The Music Box, covered the gruesome murder of 24-year-old Lisa Ziegert in 1992. While the episode originally aired at 9/8c on July 9, 2022, fans who missed it can watch the same through reruns this week.
25 years after the heinous crime, advancements in DNA technology finally brought closure to the case by confirming the killer's identity. Gary Schara, who confessed to the abduction and murder, was charged with first-degree murder in 2017.
The discovery of Lisa's brutalized body sent shockwaves through the town of Agawam, Massachusetts, in 1992, yet the killer remained at large for over two decades. Eventually, DNA evidence and digital compositing enabled investigators to solve cold cases like Lisa's.
While fans wait for NBC Dateline's reruns, here are some facts about the murder that they need to know.
NBC Dateline: 5 facts to know about Lisa Ziegert's 1992 murder case
1) Lisa Ziegert was from Agawam, Massachusetts
NBC Dateline's The Music Box episode will cover the murder of 24-year-old Lisa Ziegert, who hailed from a sleepy town 100 miles southwest of Boston called Agawam, Massachusetts. She was a teacher's assistant by day and an employee at Brittany's Card and Gift Shoppe at night. She was last seen at the store on April 15, 1992.
Four days after her disappearance, Lisa's body was discovered in the woods by a hiker. Autopsy reports revealed seven stab wounds to her neck, shoulders, and left leg. Additionally, her clothes were pulled down to her ankles, and foreign DNA — including blood and semen — were found all over her clothes and body, suggesting that she was sexually assaulted.
The murder shook the town of Agawam and residents were overcome with fear. Girls began taking self-defense classes and asking others to escort them to their cars at night.
2) The 1992 murder case took 25 years to solve
Lisa Ziegert's case remained cold for over two decades due to the absence of technology that would provide any breakthrough. Finally, by 2016, DNA technology had advanced enough to allow investigators to reopen cold cases and bring them to justice. The NBC Dateline episode goes into the details of the investigation post advancements.
In 2017, detectives narrowed down their search to 11 suspects and finally arrived at Gary Schara through his own written confession of the crime and a conclusive DNA match. Having evaded justice for so long, he was finally charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape in December 2017.
However, the rape and kidnapping charges were dropped due to expiration of the statute of limitations surrounding the said charges. Schara is currently incarcerated at MCI Norfolk, where he will be serving his life sentence without the possibility of parole.
3) Gary Schara confessed to abducting and killing Lisa in a letter addressed to his girlfriend
NBC Dateline's The Music Box also delves into one of the most unimaginable ways investigators could have expected to solve the case. Gary Schara, the killer, confessed to the crime in a letter addressed to his girlfriend.
On September 15, 2017, Noelle DesLauriers found out that her beau was gone and had left behind a letter addressed to her. She read the letter and could not believe she had been dating the most dangerous person she knew for two years.
An excerpt from the letter read:
"I've never really been or even felt normal. From a very young age I was fascinated by abduction and bondage. I could never keep it too far from my mind for long. On that fateful day, I let myself do something terrible. I've never forgiven myself and that is only right."
She further said:
"I also never did anything of the like again. I hated what happened. I despised myself. I thought of turning myself in hundreds of times over the years, but I truly am a coward."
The other two pages of the letter included Gary's last will and testament and an apology addressed to Ziegert's family. NBC Dateline's The Music Box reveals even more about the surprising letter.
4) Noelle DesLauriers, Gary’s girlfriend, turned him in for his decades-old crime
NBC Dateline's episode will also feature an interview with Noelle DesLauriers, who continues to grapple with the fact that she was in love with a heinous killer. She was the one who handed over Gary's letter to the cops and was praised by them for her decision to turn in the confession letters.
For over two decades, since murdering Lisa Ziegert, Schara had managed to live a mundane life, working several jobs and being a "docile" and "nice" guy in the eyes of those who knew him. Even after reading his confession letter, DesLauriers was in disbelief and continued to love the man she'd come to know.
5) The reason behind Lisa Ziegert's murder was never revealed
In his confession letter, Gary revealed that he was fascinated by abduction and bondage from a very young age. However, he also revealed that he never intended to kill Lisa, but events spun out of his control after he grabbed her.
In his letter, he detailed his crime and apologized to DesLauriers as well as Ziegert's family, but he never specifically revealed why he targeted Lisa or why he killed her.
