“Dateline” on NBC featured Joe Bischoff, the boyfriend of Katie Sepich, who was brutally murdered in 2003 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Katie’s Law, aka the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2010, is a federal law that allows states to receive funding to implement minimum and enhanced DNA collection procedures for felony arrests.
Katie Sepich was attacked outside her New Mexico home in August 2003, and the bill is named after her.
In an episode titled “The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream,” NBC aired a two-hour “Dateline” on the murder of New Mexico State University graduate student Katie Sepich.
Dateline: Who Is Joe Bischoff From New Mexico?
Joe Bischoff, the boyfriend of Katie Sepich, was one the first who discovered his girlfriend’s disappearance in New Mexico, according to “Dateline” on NBC.
Tracy Waters was awoken at a friend’s residence in 2003, as Joe was inquiring about his girlfriend Katie’s whereabouts. Katie Sepich, a 22-year-old business major, had been dating Joe for about eight months when she died.
Loved ones remember Katie Sepich #Dateline pic.twitter.com/cttbX73EZk
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) January 31, 2022
Doa Ana County Sheriff’s and Las Cruces Police investigators claimed that Joe Bischoff, the boyfriend of killed NMSU student Kathryn Jaye Sepich, acquired a Las Cruces attorney and ignored demands to submit DNA samples for use in the investigation.
Katie Sepich Boyfriend: Where Is Joe Bischoff Now?
Joe Bischoff, the boyfriend of Katie Sepich, has not disclosed many details about his whereabouts since the murder case.
After cops and acquaintances discovered the couple had gotten into an altercation the night she vanished, Katie’s boyfriend at the time, Joe Bischoff, was summoned for interrogation.
‘Dateline’ to feature 2003 slaying of NMSU student Katie Sepich https://t.co/rDvZsV4Xyx
— Las Cruces Sun-News (@CrucesSunNews) February 21, 2020
On the night of August 30, Bischoff was at the same party as Sepich, and investigators say he returned to his Gallup home the same day Sepich’s body was discovered.
Bischoff had refused to help the police in the inquiry into Sepich’s death, citing the advice of Las Cruces attorney Carmen Garza.
Katie Sepich Murder Case Update
The murder case of Katie Sepich led to the origin of Katie’s law, passed in 2006 that those arrested for a criminal crime should have a DNA sample taken.
The case remained unsolved for more than three years until DNA from a convicted felon revealed a partial match in 2006. Bischoff was later found not guilty.
Jan Sepich addressing the media, speaking about Katie’s Law. She is Katie’s Mother. What an incredible person! pic.twitter.com/PkkrxFsAeG
— NMSP (@NMStatePolice) June 29, 2016
The Katie Sepich murder case was covered on the show “Haunting Evidence” and filmed on Investigation Discovery’s “Dead of Night.”
Who Killed Katie Sepich?
Gabriel Avila of Las Cruces killed Katie Sepich in New Mexico in 2003. He was sentenced to sixty-nine years in prison.
Avila admitted to killing Sepich, claiming that on the night of her murder, he nearly hit her with his truck. He claimed he pulled over to check on her and then followed her home to ensure she arrived safely.
Gabriel confessed that he “suddenly lost it” and attacked Avila, abusing and strangling her. It was a “random encounter,” according to investigators.