Brad Davis is the producer of this Friday's episode with Dennis Murphy, Cold-Blooded. We sat down with him to get the inside scoop on the report. (Brad's responses have been edited for length and clarity.)
Dateline: Hey, Brad. Have a second?
Brad Davis, Dateline Producer: Sure.
Dateline: We know you’re producing this Friday’s Dateline. We have a few questions.
Brad: OK.
Dateline: How did you come across the case in this Friday’s report?
Brad: This case got a lot of coverage when it first broke, when this Florida law professor in Tallahassee was shot in his driveway. And it got a lot of national attention. And I jumped on the story pretty soon after that.
Dateline: Without giving anything away, tell us a bit about the story.
Brad: This Florida law professor, who was highly respected and beloved by a number of people, was shot point-blank, cold-blooded, right in his garage. Someone came up to his car and shot him. And it became this incredible mystery that would take all kinds of turns and involve a whole lot of people.
Dateline: What was the most unusual location you filmed at for this episode?
Brad: We shot in the Al Capone Suite in the Biltmore Hotel down in Florida, which is kind of hilarious. Bob Gilmartin, one of our producers, shot an interview there.
Dateline: Cold-Blooded takes place in Tallahassee, Florida. What’s your favorite restaurant in Tallahassee?
Brad: This place called Kool Beanz, which I think is on Thomasville Road there. And it’s a great, like, southern seafood restaurant. Really terrific. I must have eaten there about 20 times, honestly, over the course of this story.
Dateline: What is the one clue we should be on the lookout for?
Brad: Well, I think you need to look out for the car in this case, because it becomes the key to everything. Somebody sees a car, has a vague description, and the police take that and they run with it. And it takes a long time, but they finally put it all together.
Dateline: What’s the best thing about working on a story with Dennis Murphy?
Brad: Dennis is an incredible writer. He’s also just a congenial personality who is fun to be around. And he does great interviews. So it makes my job a lot easier.
Dateline: Thanks, Brad.
Brad: Thanks!