Episode
A Villainous Plan
1:22:38
Published: Tue Sep 21 2021
Description
A Connecticut bank executive is targeted by a crew of criminals who invade his home, take him and his mother hostage and order him to rob his own bank. If he doesn’t commit the crime, they threaten to blow him up with a bomb strapped to his waist. Investigators think it looks like an inside job but after a string of similar crimes in Tennessee, they learn the victims were picked based on social media posts. Dennis Murphy has chosen this episode as one of his most memorable episodes.
Chapters
In a terrifying episode of Dateline, a family is targeted by a criminal duo who were watching their every move, and gathering intel on their social media posts.
00:00 - 01:38 (01:38)
Summary
In a terrifying episode of Dateline, a family is targeted by a criminal duo who were watching their every move, and gathering intel on their social media posts. Meanwhile, a routine traffic stop in North Carolina turns out to be anything but routine, ending in a high speed chase with the police.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man shares his traumatic experience of coming home to find two masked gunmen holding his friend hostage and being held at gunpoint himself.
01:38 - 06:27 (04:49)
Summary
A man shares his traumatic experience of coming home to find two masked gunmen holding his friend hostage and being held at gunpoint himself.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
The speaker recounts a chilling experience where he was kidnapped and restrained with duct tape and explosives because his captors did not trust him to follow their orders.
06:27 - 11:08 (04:40)
Summary
The speaker recounts a chilling experience where he was kidnapped and restrained with duct tape and explosives because his captors did not trust him to follow their orders.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man claims he and his mother have bombs strapped to them by kidnappers while en route to his credit union, prompting him to contemplate what to do before the time bomb goes off in less than three hours.
11:08 - 15:12 (04:04)
Summary
A man claims he and his mother have bombs strapped to them by kidnappers while en route to his credit union, prompting him to contemplate what to do before the time bomb goes off in less than three hours.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
Members of the state police bomb squad were brought in to deal with a crisis situation.
15:12 - 18:53 (03:41)
Summary
Members of the state police bomb squad were brought in to deal with a crisis situation. Sergeant Makarski communicated with the suspect who had been identified with his license plate number and model of the car he was driving.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
This is a story about a kidnapping where the kidnappers demanded a million dollars from the victim's credit union, and instructed him to drop it off at a specific location before the bomb they'd attached to the victim goes off.
21:46 - 24:19 (02:33)
Summary
This is a story about a kidnapping where the kidnappers demanded a million dollars from the victim's credit union, and instructed him to drop it off at a specific location before the bomb they'd attached to the victim goes off.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
The speaker recalls when he accidentally dragged a fake bomb and caused a massive bomb scare with a multi-agency security operation.
24:19 - 31:48 (07:29)
Summary
The speaker recalls when he accidentally dragged a fake bomb and caused a massive bomb scare with a multi-agency security operation.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man retells his strange experience of being kidnapped by unorthodox and peculiar kidnappers who left his hands free and said they weren't there to hurt him.
31:48 - 34:44 (02:56)
Summary
A man retells his strange experience of being kidnapped by unorthodox and peculiar kidnappers who left his hands free and said they weren't there to hurt him.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
Matt was scheduled for a polygraph test after his credit union boss called the police.
34:44 - 37:46 (03:01)
Summary
Matt was scheduled for a polygraph test after his credit union boss called the police. Investigators found out more about his life by reaching out to people he knew well, making him fear the test results.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
An assistant U.S. attorney, Lewin, was assigned to help the FBI investigate a kidnapping case involving a Ziegler family, where two masked men wearing ski masks and guns drawn accosted a man outside his car.
37:46 - 41:09 (03:22)
Summary
An assistant U.S. attorney, Lewin, was assigned to help the FBI investigate a kidnapping case involving a Ziegler family, where two masked men wearing ski masks and guns drawn accosted a man outside his car. Investigators searched his house and car but found nothing, and are now planning a high-speed car chase to crack the case.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A family in Oklahoma was the target of a failed bank robbery and kidnapping.
41:09 - 45:04 (03:55)
Summary
A family in Oklahoma was the target of a failed bank robbery and kidnapping. Despite being held hostage, the family was able to take note of the suspects' description, leading to their eventual arrest.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man recounts the story of how he was forced to watch as his family was kidnapped, with his wife and child taken hostage and held for ransom by armed men.
45:04 - 50:21 (05:16)
Summary
A man recounts the story of how he was forced to watch as his family was kidnapped, with his wife and child taken hostage and held for ransom by armed men.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man orchestrates a bank heist with his girlfriend as they flee and attempt to outsmart the police.
50:21 - 55:07 (04:46)
Summary
A man orchestrates a bank heist with his girlfriend as they flee and attempt to outsmart the police.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
The speaker witnessed a police car chasing another car and making swerving gestures, implying that the driver was attempting to evade the police.
55:07 - 59:39 (04:31)
Summary
The speaker witnessed a police car chasing another car and making swerving gestures, implying that the driver was attempting to evade the police.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
Two bank robbery suspects were caught by law enforcement officials with black bags in their possession, a detail that matched the description given by eyewitnesses at previous robbery scenes.
59:39 - 1:05:28 (05:49)
Summary
Two bank robbery suspects were caught by law enforcement officials with black bags in their possession, a detail that matched the description given by eyewitnesses at previous robbery scenes. This led authorities to believe that they had captured the correct suspects in their investigation.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A police chase ended when a red pickup truck pinned the driver of a silver Pathfinder, who was fleeing from troopers, under its rear wheel at a construction site.
1:05:28 - 1:08:29 (03:00)
Summary
A police chase ended when a red pickup truck pinned the driver of a silver Pathfinder, who was fleeing from troopers, under its rear wheel at a construction site.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
A man with multiple felony convictions, including attempted murder of a police officer, has been convicted of using social media to plan a bank robbery.
1:08:29 - 1:15:52 (07:23)
Summary
A man with multiple felony convictions, including attempted murder of a police officer, has been convicted of using social media to plan a bank robbery. He and his accomplices would search bank executives' social media pages for names and pictures to aid in the robbery plot.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
Brian Witham, a serial killer who was responsible for killing eight women, was able to go undetected for so long because the police were too undertrained to recognize a serial killer, according to FBI profiler John E. Douglas in a podcast interview.
1:15:52 - 1:19:44 (03:52)
Summary
Brian Witham, a serial killer who was responsible for killing eight women, was able to go undetected for so long because the police were too undertrained to recognize a serial killer, according to FBI profiler John E. Douglas in a podcast interview. The killer often altered his appearance and used different locations to avoid leaving any physical evidence.
EpisodeA Villainous Plan
PodcastDateline NBC
Victims of cyberstalking can suffer deep emotional trauma and fear even after their stalkers are brought to justice, highlighting the importance of internet safety and privacy.
1:19:45 - 1:22:30 (02:45)
Summary
Victims of cyberstalking can suffer deep emotional trauma and fear even after their stalkers are brought to justice, highlighting the importance of internet safety and privacy.