New ‘20/20’ Investigates the Murder of a College Student Who Vanished From a Mall Parking Lot

On a November afternoon in 2003, Dru Sjodin, a senior at the University of North Dakota, was finishing some Christmas shopping when she vanished from the parking lot of her local mall. When authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered a chilling piece of evidence — the sheath of a handheld knife. In a new “20/20,” “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang reports on Dru’s disappearance, the investigation that led police to Alfonso Rodriguez — a local man with a violent history – and the trial that ended in North Dakota’s first death sentence in over 100 years that was later overturned.

The two-hour program includes an impassioned interview with Allan Sjodin, Dru’s father, who hasn’t spoken on national TV since Alfonso Rodriguez’s death sentence was overturned. The episode also includes interviews with Deputy Chief Bill Macki and former detective Orie Oksendhal, two of the original detectives on the case; Sven Sjodin, Dru’s brother, who was an instrumental part of the initial search efforts to find his sister; Britni Schmalz, Dru’s sorority sister; Jean Ann Bienek, Dru’s manager at Victoria’s Secret; and Shirley Iverson, who survived a previous attack from Alfonso Rodriguez. Additional interviews include Special Agent Chris Boeckers of the FBI; Maria Awes, an investigative journalist; Drew Wrigley, the current North Dakota attorney general who prosecuted the case while serving as the North Dakota U.S. attorney 20 years ago; and additional law enforcement officers and family and friends of the victim. “20/20” airs on Friday, Jan. 12 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC, next day on Hulu.

ABC News’ “20/20” is an award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts. A proven leader as a long-form newsmagazine for over 45 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. EST on ABC and are available to stream on ABC News digital platforms and Hulu.

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Sarah Jautz
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Bridgette Maney
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