‘Death in the Dorms’: Everything to Know About the New Hulu Docuseries Including Victims

Hulu’s latest true crime docuseries, Death in the Dorms, shares stories of college students whose lives were ended by violent crimes. Keep scrolling to learn what the show is about, find out who the victims were and when the show will be available to stream.

What Is ‘Death in the Dorms’ About?

Each episode of Death in the Dorms will focus on one victim who was killed on their college campus.

The show will tell the stories of UCLA student Andrea DelVesco, University of Florida student Christian Aguilar, University of Virginia student Yeardley Love, Baruch College freshman Michael Deng, University of South Carolina senior Samantha Josephson and Western Kentucky University student Katie Autry.

What Happened to Andrea DelVesco?

DelVesco was violently attacked and killed by Alberto Medina in her Westwood, California, apartment that she shared with her Pi Beta Phi sorority sisters in 2015.

In September 2018, Medina was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of murder, arson, burglary and animal cruelty in connection with DelVesco’s death.

During the trial, prosecutors said Medina burglarized another apartment in the complex before he broke into DelVesco’s unit. Once inside, he stabbed her and set the home on fire in an attempt to destroy any evidence.

Additionally, co-defendant Eric Marquez was charged with one count of murder, two counts of burglary and a count of being an accessory after the crime was committed. Marquez pleaded guilty to one burglary count and the accessory count. In June 2018, he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. He has since been released.

What Happened to Christian Aguilar?

Aguilar went missing in Gainesville, Florida, in September 2012. Following a 22-day investigation, his remains were found about an hour away in Levy County. Aguilar’s body was bound with duct tape and was placed face down in a shallow grave.

Just days before Aguilar’s remains were found, his friend Pedro Bravo was arrested and charged with the murder. The Miami Herald reported that authorities found blood in Bravo’s vehicle, while Aguilar’s backpack was hidden in Bravo’s apartment. Authorities also found a receipt for duct tape and a shovel, which he purchased just days before Aguilar’s disappearance.

It’s believed that Bravo killed Aguilar – who he had been friends with since the eighth grade – because Aguilar began dating Bravo’s ex-girlfriend, Erika Friman, during their freshman year of college.

At the time, authorities said that Bravo began researching alibis, fatal doses of sleeping medication and statistics about murder online after he learned about Aguilar and Friman’s relationship in August 2012.

In August 2014, Bravo was found guilty of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

What Happened to Yeardley Love?

In May 2010, Love was found unresponsive in her Charlottesville, Virginia, apartment. Later that day, Love’s boyfriend, George Wesley Huguely V, was arrested for her murder.

The pair – who both played lacrosse for the college – dated on and off for two years leading up to Love’s death. Throughout their relationship, Huguely exhibited aggressive behavior, often triggered by alcohol, which led to problems in their romance.

Huguely was convicted of second-degree murder in 2012 and was sentenced to serve 23 years in prison.

In May 2022, a jury found that Huguely was liable to pay $15 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. The suit sought to hold the former college athlete civilly liable in Love’s death, with the jury being asked to award $29.5 million in compensatory damages, as well as $1 million in punitive damages.

At the end of the trial, the jury ultimately awarded $7.5 million in compensatory damages to Love’s mother, Sharon Love, and her sister, Lexi Love Hodges. However, punitive damages were not awarded.

What Happened to Michael Deng?

In 2013, Baruch College student Chun “Michael” Deng died after being beaten as a result of a hazing ritual put on by the fraternity Pi Delta Psi.

In November 2017, Pi Delta Psi Inc. was found guilty on a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and assault. Months later in January 2018, the national fraternity was banned from operating in Pennsylvania for 10 years and was ordered to pay a $112,500 fine for Deng’s death.

Additionally, Kenny Kwan was sentenced to serve 12 to 24 months in prison, Raymond Lam was sentenced to 10 to 24 months, Charles Lai was sentenced to 342 days to 24 months and Sheldon Wong was sentenced to serve 10 to 24 months in prison for their involvement. Each defendant must also serve seven years probation when they’re released from prison. All four men have since been released from prison and granted parole.

What Happened to Samantha Josephson?

In March 2019, Josephson mistakenly got in a wrong car which she believed was an Uber that she ordered. The driver, Nathaniel Rowland, used childproof locks to prevent the college student from getting out of the car. Rowland then murdered Josephson and left her body near New Zion, South Carolina. Rowland was arrested the following day and was charged with kidnapping and murder.

The trial began in July 2021, while the jury found Rowland guilty of Josephson’s kidnapping and murder just seven days later. Rowland was ultimately sentenced to serve a life prison sentence.

The murder received national attention and led to the passage of Sami’s Law in Josephson home state of New Jersey, which enhances protections for drivers and passengers that use ride share services.

What Happened to Katie Autry?

In May 2013, Autry was raped and beaten in a dorm room inside Hugh Poland Hall at Western Kentucky University after attending a fraternity party with her friends. She died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, three days after the attack.

Stephen Soules and Lucas Goodrum, who were not students at the school, were arrested for the crimes. Soules pleaded guilty to charges of rape, murder, sodomy, arson and robbery during the 2005 trial. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange, Kentucky.

After Soules claimed in his testimony that Goodrum was the main perpetrator, Goodrum was acquitted.

Where Can I Watch ‘Death in the Dorms’?

All six episodes of Death in the Dorms will be available to stream on Hulu on Thursday, January 5.