How the “bathtub murderer” and serial rapist Dale Scheanette was caught

When a brutal serial rapist known as the “Bathtub Killer” attacked a series of unsuspecting women in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington region of Texas, it spread fear and terror throughout the community, Date line.

“They are not afraid. They are not worried – they are in absolute panic,” said former Arlington Police Department detective Tommy LeNoir Date line, like in a frightening preview of “Dark Intentions”, a brand new episode debuts Friday on NBC.

In poignant detail, survivor Chima Benson recalled the horrific moment when she came face to face with the elusive rapist who often attacked “in the middle of the night.”

“He said, ‘Don’t scream and I won’t kill you,'” Benson says in the episode.

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Adriane Fields, another surviving victim of the serial rapist, said she heard “breathing” and a whooshing sound during her harrowing encounter with the man. She told Date line She believed she was going to die during the brutal attack.

“Everything in me knew I would be part of this story,” she said.

When two women were killed in the same apartment complex in Arlington, Texas, that same year, in 1996, “panic broke out” in the city, according to a summary of the incident.

“He’s evil,” LeNoir says in the episode. “He’ll strike again.”

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But despite the increasing number of attacks, investigators were at a loss as to how to track down the killer until they finally made an unexpected discovery that solved the case.

“Three years later, forensic evidence from two consecutive rapes provides a breakthrough and brings the murderer and serial rapist to justice,” said the Date line is the synopsis of the episode.

When the killer was finally exposed, his own girlfriend was shocked at how close she had come to evil.

“(The) most surprising moment was when the killer’s girlfriend told me she had lived in fear of the bathtub killer for months and then realized she had moved in with him! She had no idea he was the killer.” Date line Correspondent Andrea Canning shared NBC Insider.

The suspect’s arrest was due in part to the willingness of his surviving victims to tell their stories and leave evidence.

“The hardest part of this story was that the women were reliving their worst nightmare,” Canning said. “My deepest sympathies go out to them and their families who were also affected by the evil actions of this man. Their lives have been changed forever.”

In addition to Fields, Benson and LeNoir, the episode also includes interviews with Joel Stephenson, Hiep Vu and others who help piece together the story.

Canning hopes that Date line Viewers will walk away with a sense of hope that they say has grown among the survivors despite the tragic ordeal.

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“One thing people, especially women, should learn is that as hard as it is … with time you can recover from sexual assault,” Canning said. NBC Insider“Each and every one of these survivors showed such strength and resilience. I was impressed by how they have moved on with their lives in remarkable ways and how some of the women have used their horrific experiences to help others recover.”

To learn more about the case, see Date line Stream Friday, June 7 at 9/8 p.m. on NBC or the next day on Peacock.

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