Dateline to Explore Katie Sepich's 2003 Murder and Its Impact on DNA Law

The 2003 murder of Katie Sepich, which remained unsolved for three years, led to the enactment of 'Katie’s Law' in New Mexico, mandating DNA submission for violent crime arrests.

• Dateline's upcoming episode, 'The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream,' will delve into the 2003 murder of Katie Sepich, a New Mexico State University student, and the subsequent investigation that led to her killer's conviction.
• Katie Sepich was found dead in a landfill in Las Cruces, having been sexually assaulted, strangled, and her body burned; her murder remained unsolved for three years until a DNA match identified Gabriel Avila as the perpetrator.
• Avila, who had no prior connection to Sepich, confessed to impulsively attacking her after a chance encounter, leading to her rape and murder; he was sentenced to 69 years in prison.
• The case prompted the enactment of 'Katie’s Law' in New Mexico in 2010, mandating the submission of DNA samples from individuals arrested on suspicion of violent crimes, aiming to aid in solving similar cases.
• The Dateline episode airing on February 1, 2024, will explore the case's impact, including the introduction of Katie's Law, which has been adopted in most states to improve the chances of solving violent crimes.

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