Who was Lisa Jennings and what happened to her?
Michael Green
Published Aug 21, 2026
CHRISTMAS morning turned into chaos when a family woke up to find their matriarch dead.
At first, police ruled Lisa Jennings' death a suicide but the case eventually evolved into a murder investigation.
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Who was Lisa Jennings?
Born on August 28, 1967, the late Lisa Jennings née Sample was an American hairdresser and computer technician from Lincoln, Nebraska.
For some time, she and her two sisters Shannon and Shawn owned and operated A Family Af'Hair Salon in Louisburg, North Carolina.
While living in Buffalo, New York, she worked at PIP Internet Service as a computer technician.
On August 18, 1988, Lisa married her second husband Brad Jennings.
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On December 25, 2006, Lisa died at her Missouri home at the age of 39.
She is survived by her three children, two daughters Laci and Amanda, as well as her son Dallas.
Her eldest daughter Laci was a product of her first marriage to Gary Deckard.
Meanwhile, Amanda and Dallas are from her marriage to Brad.
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What happened to Lisa?
The Christmas morning of Lisa's death, local authorities rushed to her residence after her husband Brad contacted them regarding his wife's supposed self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
When law enforcement investigated the scene, they ruled her death a suicide.
However, her case was reopened three years later because of doubts from her younger sister Shawn.
On July 27, 2009, police arrested Brad and charged him with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
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On August 19, 2009, Brad was convicted of the charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On July 12, 2018, the verdict was overturned and he was allowed to walk free due to an error in the investigation.
How can I watch Lisa's Dateline episode?
Lisa's tragedy is retold in an episode of Dateline NBC titled A Crack in Everything.
A Crack in Everything was originally broadcasted on March 30, 2018.
The episode is scheduled to be aired again on December 23, 2022.
That Friday at 9pm EST, viewers can tune in as people close to the case give their accounts of what happened to anchor Keith Morrison.
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For those that miss the special's initial Friday night airing, there are streaming options available.
Audiences that miss the initial airing can check out Lisa's episode through Hulu or Peacock.
