Trent DiGiuro’s Killing Went Unsolved for Years Until the Murderer’s Ex-Girlfriend Finally Came Forward. Here is the NBC’s dateline case profiled
Who Was Trent Digiuro?
Trent Digiuro was a professional footballer.bHe was from Goshen, Kentucky and earned all-district honors at South Oldham High School.
He enrolled at the University of Kentucky as a walk-on offensive lineman in 1991.
Through hard work and perseverance, he began earning playing time in 1993 as the Wildcats advanced to the Peach Bowl. In the off-season, he posted the best bench press on the team and he finished 1994 spring practice as the starting right guard.
Trent earned a place on the 1993 Southeastern Conference All Academic Team. He epitomized the work ethic required to excel not only in sports, but in life.
Trent DiGiuro was shot and killed as he sat on his front porch, three days shy of his 21st birthday, on July 17, 1994.
It was on his 21st birthday when Trent was sitting on his favorite chair on the front porch when he was shot.
Dateline: Murder Case Update – Who Killed Trent Digiuro?
According to NBC News, in July 1994, just a couple of months before the start of the season, DiGiuro was at a house celebrating a birthday. However, while at that party, someone shot and killed him.
A detective later showed up, but to his surprise, no one had seen what happened.
“With each and every person that I talked to, they didn’t see anything,” former Lexington police detective Don Evans said, according to NBC News.
After the death of Trent DiGiuro went unsolved for years, his father’s plea that “somebody knows what happened” changed the course of the case. https://t.co/JhVrAyMxBm
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 23, 2019
Friends and family had begun to accept the hard truth that DiGiuro’s killing would remain unsolved. Then, five years after his death, a local newspaper published an article about him in which his father made a plea for information to the public: “Somebody knows what happened.”
And somebody did come forward: A young woman with an unbelievable story. About a year after DiGiuro was killed, she was at a local bar with her then-boyfriend. The conversation turned personal. What was the worst thing they had ever done?
“I killed Trent DiGiuro,” the boyfriend said.
But the woman was in love, she said, and didn’t want to think he was capable of something so awful. She put it out of her mind, and their relationship continued.
On the five-year anniversary of Trent’s death, the woman saw an article in a newspaper where Trent’s dad was quoted as saying “somebody knows what happened.” Now, years later, she felt compelled to share what she knew.
So she went to an old friend, an attorney in Lexington, for advice. She was vague at first, asking if she could she report a crime without revealing who she was. “She eventually came around to say it was a very high-profile murder,” said Tom Bullock, her friend. “I knew which one it was.”
But the woman was frightened to go public, fearing her ex-boyfriend would come after her.
Bullock went to Evans with information without revealing his source. He gave him the name of the alleged killer: Shane Ragland, who attended the University of Kentucky the same time as DiGiuro.
And he told him the alleged motive for the shooting. It was astounding — Ragland blamed DiGiuro for being blackballed from a fraternity.
Evans realized he might be on to something, and knew he had to meet this anonymous source to continue his investigation. The woman eventually agreed to cooperate with him. That involved taking part in a risky sting operation with the goal of getting Ragland to talk about killing DiGiuro — and to get it on tape.
So she resumed contact with Ragland, and he took the bait. After exchanging emails and talking on the phone, they arranged to meet at the Lexington airport, where she said she’d be passing through on business.
Nearly six years to the day after DiGiuro’s death, the pair met and she wore a wire — and was surrounded by undercover cops and undercover FBI. They talked about old times for a while, and then she subtly brought up the terrible secret he had confessed to her.
“I regret it,” Ragland said.
“You do, now?” she asked.
“Of course, I do,” Ragland responded.
As the conversation continued, he grew suspicious. “Let me ask you a question: You’re not setting me up, are you?” he asked.
But the woman kept her cool, and the conversation left police “with what we really needed,” Evans said.
Killer Shane Ragland-What Happened To Him?
According to NBC, Ragland was eventually apprehended and charged with murder.
The prosecution’s star witness at his trial was this ex- girlfriend. The key evidence? The airport recording.
The defense fought hard to attack the ex-girlfriend’s credibility, questioning why she stayed with Ragland for about a year after his confession. His lawyer also questioned just how incriminating that airport recording was since he never directly admitted to killing DiGiuro.
Ragland was found guilty of intentional murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, according to the Courier-Journal, Ragland’s conviction was later overturned because an FBI bullet analyst lied during a pretrial conference.
Ragland pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter instead, serving up to five years in prison.
Ragland subsequently pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter. According to the Courier-Journal, he was released in 2007.
As of now, there are no details about Shane, as he has become anonymous.
Shane was released in 2007, and since then there has been no news about him, or where he could be.
Trent Digiuro Wikipedia And Family Detials
Trent DiGiuro, a football player at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, worked hard to get to where he was.
He decided to try out for the team as a walk-on but quickly worked his way up to a starting spot.
He loved football and being with his friends. He was described as a large teddy bear who protected his friend group.
Trent DiGiuro Foundation pledges $100,000 to South Oldham to honor the memory of the fallen football player: https://t.co/GzuWTWSCOn pic.twitter.com/zEKeSSUdHT
— Oldham Era Sports (@OldhamEraSports) August 11, 2020