(NBC News) — On Friday’s “Dateline,” investigators uncover a trail of clues pointing to an unlikely killer after prominent plastic surgeon and local musician, Dr. Frank “Buddy” McCutcheon, was murdered in his Asheville, North Carolina home.
New details come to light from police footage and exclusive TV interviews with insiders close to the case, including Detectives John Ledford and Walt Thrower, Prosecutor Meghan Lock, Defense Attorneys Sean Devereux and Steve Cash, Buddy’s family members and more.
Here’s a preview of Keith Morrison’s report:
A Friday night in July, sticky, hot. Buddy McCutcheon and his wife Brenda settled down in the air-conditioned quiet. Brenda said she was upstairs in their bedroom, asleep, while Buddy dozed off downstairs in front of the TV.
Was it sealed by then? The fate that awaited them?
3 a.m., a sound like a sharp thunderclap. In one awful second, her husband of over 30 years was taken, and life as she had known it was over.
Dawn was still hours away when sheriff’s deputies headed to the house. Of course, the inquiry was just beginning.
Did Buddy McCutcheon take his own life? Did home invaders shoot him dead? Or was it something more sinister?
But the clues that might tell them remained hidden — in plain sight.
Watch Friday’s “Dateline: The Day The Music Died” on NBC4 at 9 p.m.
About ‘Dateline’
“Dateline NBC” is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 33rd season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy.
The stories range from compelling mysteries to powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. When major news breaks, they go to the scene, putting the pieces together to bring the viewer the full picture. And in every story they tell, they help the real people who lived the events share their journeys with the viewer.