‘20/20’ and ESPN Explore the 2018 Murder of University of Utah Student-Athlete Lauren McCluskey

When Lauren McCluskey, a student-athlete at The University of Utah, met a bouncer at a local bar, it seemed like the start of a fairy-tale romance. However, Lauren’s friends grew concerned by his increasingly controlling behavior and urged her to stop seeing him. Soon after, Lauren discovered that her boyfriend wasn’t who he said he was ― his real name was Melvin Rowland, a 37-year-old sex offender who had recently been released from prison. Shocked and afraid, Lauren ended the relationship and contacted campus police when he began extorting and harassing her. After over a week of repeatedly asking campus police, local law enforcement and school officials for help, Lauren was kidnapped on her way back from class and later found dead in a car. In a new two-hour “20/20,” anchor David Muir and ESPN journalists T.J. Quinn and Nicole Noren explore the events leading up to Lauren’s murder and investigate the institutional failures of the systems she trusted to protect her.

 

This two-hour episode of “20/20” includes interviews with Lauren’s parents, Jill and Matt McCluskey; Sean Reyes, Utah attorney general; Miguel Deras, former campus police officer; former Utah Assistant Attorney General Paul Amann, who prosecuted Rowland for two sex crimes; and Megan Thomson, Rowland’s parole agent. The program also features interviews with Courtney Tanner, the lead Salt Lake Tribune reporter on the story; Todd Reed, former KTVX/ABC4 (Salt Lake City) news director; Diamond Jackson, Lauren’s university housing adviser and friend; two of Lauren’s closest friends; and a woman who dated Rowland. “20/20” airs on Friday, March 31 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC, next day on Hulu. “20/20: Running Out of Time” is part of ESPN’s four-year investigation into McCluskey’s murder. ESPN’s “LISTEN,” a 90-minute investigative documentary on the reporting and revelations of the murder of McCluskey, debuted on Tuesday, March 28, and is available to stream on ESPN+ and ESPN+ on Hulu.

 

ABC News’ “20/20” is an award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir. A proven leader as a long-form newsmagazine for over 40 years, “20/20” features unforgettable, character-driven true-crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports and in-depth coverage of high-profile stories. Janice Johnston is the executive producer. The two-hour “20/20” events air Fridays from 9:01-11:00 p.m. EDT on ABC and are available to stream on ABC News digital platforms and Hulu.

 

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ABC News Media Relations
Sarah Jautz
sarah.jautz@abc.com

 

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