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Murder Under the Friday Night Lights Recap for Homecoming Nightmare

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights focused on the 1982 murder of a cheerleader in Parsippany, NJ.

On November 23rs, 1982, the school was prepping for the big game and pep rally. One cheerleader named Amie Hoffman was planning on going to work at the Morris County Mall after practice.

Her friend Laurelle Ivey recalls her leaving practice dressed in a skirt and sweater, looking spectacular.Little did anyone know that this would be the last time they would hear from Amie.

Amie’s mom reported her missing and a search quickly began. Her car is found and evidence makes it look like she left in a hurry. Her things are still there and it seems like something sinister happened.

Another friend named Tim Day recalls the disappearance and how neither he nor Amie’s boyfriend Alex heard from her. A mutual friend named Paul Lupo remembers the incident as well as Alex and Amie’s relationship and how they were each other’s first loves.

The Thanksgiving game was hard for everyone involved. Coach Walter Daniw says it was hard for Alex to focus, while Laurelle remembers the cheerleaders having balloons for Amie to represent her missing status.

The team won the game, but it was bittersweet. Everyone went to celebrate the holiday with their families. Laurelle remembers watching Mary Poppins when her dad told her the news that Amie was found stabbed to death. She was also terrified that someone was targeting the cheerleaders.
Retired Sgt. Detective John Kinnecom describes finding the body and the disturbing details surrounding her death, which included her being sexually assulted prior to her murder.

Beth Thomas remembers the aftermath of the murder and compared her death to losing a sister.

The investigation into the murder begins and leads them to Lover’s Lane, a local place where teenagers would go to make out. Alex was briefly a person of interest but cleared of any wrongdoing.

Everyone was questioned about the murder and what they knew about her life, relationships and the like.

There would be weird calls from a man on the school pay phone, asking about the cheerleaders and trying to get information. This was reported right away and looked into immediately.

Assistant football Coach Callahan was said to have made the obscene calls and was considered a suspect. When questioned, he gave conflicting stories, which made him seem even more guilty.

The investigation goes deeper and mall employees are also questioned. They claim to have seen a creepy, mean looking man in a car. The car was blue green in color, possibly an early model Chevy. This cleared Coach Callahan as a suspect, but that didn’t make the girls feel any less uncomfortable around him.

On December 5^th, the police get a call about another young woman who claimed to be stabbed. A truck driver called 911 after the girl went to him for help.

The victim Deidre O’Brien said that the man was tall and slender with a beard and bushy hair. That was all they were able to get before she died from her injuries.

Police look for a connection between the two women and their murders. Deidre’s car was also found abandoned in a similar fashion to Amie’s.

The town was living in fear because they were afraid there would be another victim. People were even warned to be cautious when being pulled over in case this was used as a tactic to lure victims.

Tire tracks by where Deidre’s car was found led to investigators looking for a 1070s Chevy with a Z pattern tire.

On January 16^th, 1983, police got a call from a man named James Koedatich, who claimed he had been stabbed. He had claimed he was suddenly stabbed by a sharp object. He seemed to be in shock, but his newly shaved head and the kind of stab wounds seemed suspicious.

James’s car was searched and it turned out to be a match for the car in questioned. A search warrant was obtained and the investigation began. It turned out that James had prior convictions and had been released without parole or supervision.

Clothing fibers were found in the car matching the victims, which seals fact that James was the murderer. He was back in prison.

Everyone was shocked and upset over this turn of events. He grew up in the area, which is why he was familiar with it. It is also believed that he stabbed himself to throw police off the trail.

On October 9^th, 1984, James went on trial, which was an emotional experience for all involved. He was found guilty and sentenced to death, but in 1988, the death penalty in New Jersey was overturned, giving him two consecutive life sentences.

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