Deadly Engagement

About Deadly Engagement

Denita Smith was about to fulfill her dreams. Just months away from getting her master’s degree, Denita had recently gotten engaged to her college sweetheart. But her future vanished in a puff of smoke with one gunshot from a mysterious assailant. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz takes you to North Carolina for a twisted story of sex, lies and betrayal that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Publisher

NBC News

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Sept 2025

Latest episode

29 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

12 of 15 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   29 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   What happened to Zelig Williams? Preview Dateline: Missing In America Season 5

   Josh Mankiewicz interviews about the mysterious disappearance of Broadway performer Zelig Williams, exploring the events leading up to his vanishing.

2. 

   22 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing an all-new season of ‘Dateline: Missing In America’

   Correspondent Josh Mankiewicz introduces Season 5 of Dateline: Missing In America, exploring compelling new missing person cases through the voices of those left behind.

3. 

   10 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Dateline Presents: Trace of Suspicion

   Josh Mankiewicz interviews Cindy Sommer about the suspicious death of her husband and the ensuing investigation into her alleged poisoning for life insurance.

4. 

   3 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: Trace of Suspicion

   Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz interviews Cindy Sommer about the suspicious death of her husband and the ensuing investigation into her alleged poisoning.

5. 

   2 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Dateline Presents: Something About Cari

   Keith Morrison interviews guests about the chilling disappearance of Cari Farver and the escalating terror that follows, revealing a shocking twist.

6. 

   25 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: Something About Cari

   Keith Morrison interviews guests about the chilling disappearance of Cari Farver and the disturbing events that follow.

7. 

   4 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder

   Veteran journalist Andrew Goldman interviews Michael Skakel about the Martha Moxley murder, uncovering new details and firsthand accounts of the confounding 50-year-old case.

8. 

   6 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: The Last Appeal

   Dateline's Lester Holt interviews key figures in Robert Roberson's case, exploring doubts about his conviction and the potential for an innocent man's execution.

9. 

   2 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   A Command Performance

   Host Ashley Flowers investigates as Denita Smith’s accused killer faces trial, reuniting former lovers in a courtroom drama.

10. 

    30 Sept 2025

    Good Neighbors

    Host Sarah Ferris interviews Detective John Smith about how a discarded knife impacts a crucial witness's testimony in a murder investigation.

11. 

    25 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

    A Knife in the Night

    Host John Doe interviews Dr. Jane Smith, a renowned psychologist, about the psychological impact of trauma.

12. 

    23 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Homecoming

    Investigative journalist Soledad O'Brien explores the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Denita Smith just before her funeral.

13. 

    16 Sept 2025

    He Said, She Said

    As they dig deeper into the case, detectives begin to focus on two people with very different stories about one another.

14. 

    16 Sept 2025

    The Telltale SUV

    When Denita Smith, a talented North Carolina graduate student, is gunned down outside her home, investigators hunt for witnesses and clues.

15. 

    5 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Introducing: Deadly Engagement

    Denita Smith was about to fulfill her dreams. Just months away from getting her master’s degree, Denita had recently gotten engaged to her college sweetheart. But her future vanished in a puff of smoke with one gunshot from a mysterious assailant. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz takes you to North Carolina for a twisted story of sex, lies and betrayal that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Inside a recent episode

What happened to Zelig Williams? Preview Dateline: Missing In America Season 5

Published 29 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] You're right. You're definitely right. Zelig Williams was one of those rare success stories. I literally looked at him while he was dancing. I was like, you're going to be a star. I just knew it. Zelig was just 19 and attending college when he landed a role in the ensemble of a little musical you may have heard of. Hamilton. What was that like seeing him on stage? Amazing. A legit triple threat. He wanted to perfect his craft, whether it was dance, acting, singing. He truly studied it and wanted to just be the best version of himself. By the time he was 28, Zellig was a Broadway veteran and ready to share what he had learned with the next generation. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

552 ratings

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Dateline Originals

• 

  Trace of Suspicion

• 

  20/20

• 

  Dateline NBC

• 

  48 Hours

• 

  Something About Cari

Questions about Deadly Engagement