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When 17-year-old Nikki Kuhnhausen mysteriously disappeared from Vancouver, Washington on June 6, 2019, her mother intuitively knew that something bad had happened to her daughter. Her intuition proved to be right when, six months later, Nikki's remains were discovered on Larch Mountain by a hiker.
During the initial stages of the missing person's case, an investigation revealed that David Bogdanov was the last person to meet the deceased. He informed the police that upon finding out her true identity, he had asked the trans woman to get out of his car, and claimed it was the last time he saw her. However, incriminating evidence put the 25-year-old man on trial, where he was found guilty.
On Saturday, June 25, CBS' 48 Hours is scheduled to revisit the shocking murder case in an episode titled The life and death of Nikki Kuhnhausen.
Ahead of the episode, here are some bite-sized facts about Nikki Kuhnhausen's murder case
1) A dreamer who took pride in her identity
Born Nikolas, Nikki Kuhnhausen came out as transgender when she was in the sixth grade. Her mother, Lisa Woods, even claimed that she never had a conflict with her identity. The 17-year-old loved applying makeup and wanted to ultimately work for her hero and icon, Nicki Minaj, as a hair and makeup stylist. She was well-liked for her makeup skills, particularly among the cheerleaders.
Friends and family regarded Nikki as being energetic, enthusiastic, compassionate, and always brimming with vitality.
2) A Snapchat tryst
According to Nikki's friends, the 17-year-old went to meet a person she had messaged on Snapchat, but never returned from the meeting.
The investigation revealed that David Bogdanov was the last person Nikki saw before her strange disappearance. A few months later, Bogdanov disclosed that the last time he met Kuhnhausen, he requested her to leave his car once she revealed to him that she was transgender. He asserted that he never saw her again.
3) Evidence discovered on Larch Mountain
A hiker found Nikki's remains on Larch Mountain. The victim's belongings included a few rings that matched those from one of her social media pictures, along with a neon jacket. The murder weapon, a cable that had hair extensions stuck to it in a knot was also discovered, following which, a medical examiner identified strangling as the cause of death.
4) Victim of a hate crime
David Bogdanov was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder case when cell tower data traced the 25-year-old's phone to Larch Mountain on the morning of Nikki Kuhnhausen's disappearance.
During his trial, Bogdanov pleaded not guilty and testified, claiming that he murdered her in an act of self-defense. He stated that when he refused her for being transgender, she lunged for his firearm, which scared him so much that he had to kill her. He also said that he had felt "disgusted" upon learning the truth about her identity and found her "disturbing", just like he found other LGBTQIA+ people.
5) Nikki's Law
The victim's mother, Lisa Woods, claimed that her daughter's murder was the result of a hate-crime against her identity as a transgender. Although Bogdanov claimed that he did not murder Nikki Kuhnhausen because of her identity, reports state that defendants often rely upon the "gay or trans panic defense" as an excuse to justify their discriminatory and violent behavior against the community.
Kristen Arnaud, a Clark County prosecutor, said,
"The trans panic defense is where someone says that they were so out of control when they found out that someone was trans that it establishes what's called diminished capacity. So, you essentially aren't culpable for your actions because you are not in the right state of mind."
Lisa Woods and the Justice for Nikki Task Force began working to make certain that the state of Washington would make the use of this argument illegal. As a result, a piece of legislation known as "Nikki's Law" was created, and was adopted with an overwhelming majority of approvals in March 2020.
Catch Nikki Kuhnhausen's murder case in the upcoming 48 Hours episode on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 10 pm ET.
