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'To Catch a Predator': A Sting Gone Bad
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ShareSeptember 07, 2007 5:32 PM
Despite all of its success in bringing attention to the problem of adults sexually preying on children over the Internet, NBC's "Dateline" series, "To Catch a Predator," has raised some troubling questions for both law enforcement and the news media.
As six other police departments had done before, the Murphy, Texas police department made a deal with "Dateline": to allow NBC cameras to record the sting and to let people hired by "Dateline" actually set up and run the sting, much to the astonishment of a local district attorney.
In a letter sent to the Murphy police department in advance, Collin County District Attorney John Roach said the deal was a bad idea.
We're "in the law enforcement business, not show business," read the letter.
In an interview with ABC News, Roach explained his letter,"The police department, the professionals weren't in control of the entire operation. They weren't calling the shots; somebody else was."
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
But the district attorney's warning was ignored.
The sting set up by NBC and Perverted Justice -- a civilian watchdog group hired as a paid consultant by NBC -- brought in some 20 men, who were arrested as alleged sexual predators.
But the one man, the one very important man "Dateline" thought it had caught, did not show up.
William Conradt, 56, an assistant district attorney in a neighboring county, did not go to the sting house even after Dateline had one of its actors call him three different times to get him to walk into the trap.
Watch the Brian Ross Investigates Webcast
"There's no question that they wanted him," said Bruce Baron, the attorney representing the Conradt family in a lawsuit against NBC. "There's no question that they would take him at any price."
With Conradt not taking the bait, a decision was made to go get him at his home in the nearby town of Terrell.
It was a decision that would raise questions about why the rush to arrest him on a Sunday afternoon.
Former Murphy police officer Sam Love, who appeared on "To Catch a Predator" and has since left the force in disgust, says the decision was made at the suggestion of NBC's Chris Hansen.
"Their hope was that the man would come out to go to the store for something or the church or whatever, and Chris Hansen and his crew could confront him and interview him before the arrest was made," Love told ABC News.
NBC and the Murphy police deny NBC played any role in the decision to make the arrest, which involved a swat team breaking down Conradt's door when he did not answer.
Conradt's sister Patricia told "20/20" the police broke in and then headed down a hallway to the bedroom where her brother was waiting for them with a gun in his hand.
"They came in, and they see him," Patricia said. "He says, 'Guys, I'm not gonna hurt anybody.' And then he put the gun to his head and shot."
Police called in a helicopter to rush the critically injured suspect to the hospital.
William Conradt died shortly after the helicopter landed at a Dallas hospital.
"I understand he took his own life, but I have a feeling that he took his own life when he looked out the door and saw there were a bunch of television cameras outside," said former Murphy detective Walt Weiss, who like Love, left the force in disgust.
The two former Murphy detectives say many in their department shrugged off Conradt's death.
"It didn't matter that that person died because he was just, in their opinion, a child molester or a pervert, if you will," Weiss told ABC News. "I mean it was pushed aside and shoved under the rug."
NBC and Perverted Justice have both strongly defended their actions in the case, but no one from either organization would agree to appear on "20/20."
In a "Dateline" update broadcast just a few days ago, reporter Chris Hansen offered a new possible explanation for Conradt's suicide, saying "they found child pornography on his computer" after his death.
As for the other 23 alleged sexual predators arrested that day, the district attorney, John Roach, has thrown out their cases, saying the police's reliance on NBC "Dateline's" investigation compromised the evidence obtained.
Murphy police chief Bill Myrick adamantly denies this.
Watch the "20/20" Investigation on a Sting Gone Bad -- Part 1
Watch the "20/20" Investigation on a Sting Gone Bad -- Part 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NBC News Response to a 'Sting Gone Bad'
NBC News has now responded to this ABC News report about a "Sting Gone Bad" during a "Dateline" "To Catch a Predator" operation in Murphy, Texas last year.
Click here to read their response.
September 7, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (552)
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IMO, Dateline and their affiliates is offering child sex on the internet, and they are every bit as guilty as this person that did not show up!
Posted by: Rob | Sep 7, 2007 5:53:47 PM
There's something deeply creepy about people who watch police stings for "entertainment." This is just another kind of pornography and I find it sickening.
Posted by: Jackson | Sep 7, 2007 5:56:49 PM
These police forces need to stop depending on TV shows to do their work for them. Shame on NBC.
Posted by: Maximus | Sep 7, 2007 6:00:16 PM
There are no possible excuses for those that harm children. Dateline's Catch a Predator series is an excellent and necessary series. Pedophiles must be exposed to the widest possible audience because they DO NOT STOP being predators. The repeat rate for these sick people is horrible. ABC News should focus on developing shows to help society and not to try to gain news share on the tails of a highly successful series. Shame on you ABC.
Mr. Roach and all those in the chain of allowing over 20 child predators must be investigated by our FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT for dropping the all the charges against all those sickos. Something is wrong here. There has to be some level of public corruption there for dropping of charges. Is there a possibility that someone has either been paid off or someone in the prosecutors office is somehow related to one or more of those caught in the sting?
One has to remember that Perverted Justice has aided in hundreds of successful prosecutions where they were nearly all found or pleaded guilty. There methods are not flawed as they have been successful both in state and federal trials. All defense strategies have been answered in every successful case. Parents and citizens must get involved and not allow a renegade prosecutor in Texas and everywhere to DROP ALL CHARGES for those caught trying to have sexual relations with minor children of any age.
Posted by: Bob Fox | Sep 7, 2007 6:03:41 PM
Although the "to catch a predator" series makes for great gotcha TV, there are some serious legal issues as far as the statements made by the offenders, leading questions from Hanson etc. The fact remains that these pervs are out there, stalking kids. I would welcome PJ in my town, but without the cameras and the talking head. This is the purview of the police and courts, and to ensure viable prosecutions should remain so.I think ABC news is upset because they did not launch this program first. ABC and NBC love the tabloid stuff too much not to have hurt egos. The Murray Texas Deputy District Attorney would have done himself in regardless. His secret was out he was a law enforcement official who was also a pedophile, camera or no camera he was done for.
Posted by: SO-CAL | Sep 7, 2007 6:13:00 PM
While I have no sympathy for these people and it is probably good that they are caught, there is just something unseemly about the whole "To Catch A Predator" thing, including the arrest of some folks who appear to be mentally ill. And the cops should never want anyone to see them make an arrest with all that damn yelling and the guns drawn and the "force".
Posted by: Francis Moran | Sep 7, 2007 6:13:47 PM
The only person that should be held responsible for anything in this whole mess is the man who was a pedophile and ultimately took his own life.
Posted by: Mike | Sep 7, 2007 6:15:32 PM
Good riddance to Conradt, people are more upset at knowing child predators are in their midst or someone that they put their trust in, such as Conradt as a district attorney. Other jurisdictions have had no promblem getting convictions, and yet the district attorney in Murpy would like to stick his head in the sand.......
Posted by: m | Sep 7, 2007 6:20:33 PM
This show is despicable. They should wait til someone breaks the law before they arrest him. Coming to a house where one has been invited is not a crime.
Posted by: boatman2 | Sep 7, 2007 6:21:41 PM
Conradt
Please update your story and tell the truth that Mr. Conradt ALSO had much child pornography on his PC. He chose to commit suicide apparently solely because of GUILT. Please stop trying to make it appear as though he was an innocent victim by error.
Posted by: Bob Fox | Sep 7, 2007 6:29:26 PM
The DA threw out the other cases? Why!?!?! The argument of compromised evidence??? Come on, there was no issue with the other counties prosecuting. Are we really supposed to feel sorry that a child molester/predator shot himself? Are we supposed to pity the man who abused our daughters, our sisters, our friends? I tip my hats to Chris Hansen for trying to expose a predetor for the person he was. The predetor shot himself. Dateline did not!
I, for one, am glad. One less man children have to live in fear from. One less man to poorly influence our children in the sickest fashion imaginable. John Roach, please tell the American public, the American mothers, the American daughters, why you would voluntarily release sexual predetors?!?!?!?! Is there something you are not telling us...
Posted by: Outraged | Sep 7, 2007 6:34:43 PM
It's a shame Conradt committed suicide, however, it does not appear he was innocent. I have three children and have more sympathy for possible victims.
Posted by: Jon | Sep 7, 2007 6:36:39 PM
I don't care how they catch the scum bags showing up to have sex with kids. The district attorney deciding not to prosecute is outrageous. The program shows that they were clearly there for sex with a child.
Posted by: Sarah | Sep 7, 2007 6:44:33 PM
This is what happens when you turn over law enforcement to mass media. This BS needs to stop.
Posted by: Disgusted | Sep 7, 2007 7:03:09 PM
It's only "troubling" to ABC because the show is on NBC.
Posted by: John Kantor | Sep 7, 2007 7:09:02 PM
It is beginning to look like crime pays for voyeur hustlers more than it does the criminals! What would the hyenas of television do with out the deviants of our nation? Create some? I feel pretty certain that those of the networks that think it is o.k. to exploit the criminals and the crimes haven't found their children's pictures on any computer hard-drives confiscated while they are drumming up ratings!
Posted by: Carla | Sep 7, 2007 7:18:21 PM
Wonder how many cops would have gotten caught if they weren't in on the deal and had already been forewarn. The largest group of sexual predators on the prowl out there are your everyday traffic cops. This "sting" operation was a joke from the very beginning, and everyone knew it. It was nothing more than a horse and pony show. ;-)
Posted by: wondering | Sep 7, 2007 7:28:12 PM
What's the problem? He killed himself because Dateline had cameras or because they went to arrest him on a Sunday? Since when do people suspected of felonies get a break? Of course the police should go arrest him (at any time & as soon as possible). Just becuase he is a DA doesn't matter, he was guilty as charged and chose to take his own life. He has no one to blame but himself.
Posted by: rfinnie66 | Sep 7, 2007 7:44:21 PM
Sounds just like cops -- they should issue brains with the guns and badges and maybe just a touch of empathy for people!
Posted by: Bill Hicks | Sep 7, 2007 7:50:34 PM
NBC better settle fast,Bruce Baron is relentless and will not leave one stone unturned.I have had cases with him and he is tough as nails.
Posted by: Jonathan T | Sep 7, 2007 8:03:39 PM
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