Where is Amber Smith's assaulter Stefan Moon now? Details explored ahead of Dateline: Unforgettable

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Unforgettable, which is slated to premiere on February 15, 2024, will focus on the assault of Amber Smith at the hands of Stefan Moon. The 20-year-old mother from Fort Collins, Colorado, was found by police officers in a park, naked, bound, and gravely injured. It was a miracle that she survived that night, but it took another miracle for her to get justice years after the attack.

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Unforgettable is titled Left for Dead, which aptly sums up Amber's situation. This episode will cover this case in detail when it airs at 8 pm ET on Thursday, February 15. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"The survivor of a horrible attack is convinced the police on the case have the wrong suspect. Keith Morrison looks back on his heart-wrenching interview with the victim and her courageous quest to uncover the truth."

Though the assault took place in 2013, and the DNA of the attacker was found right away, it was not until 2017 that police narrowed down on the perpetrator. It turned out that Stefan Moon, who was already a friend of Amber's by the time he was arrested, had physically and sexually assaulted her.

He was arrested and convicted of two counts of s*xual assault, among other charges. He is serving a life sentence at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado.

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What did Stefan Moon do to Amber Smith in 2013?

A still of Amber Smith (Image via Dateline/NBC)

In the early hours of August 31, 2013, Officer Dane Stratton, who was patrolling the region, heard a distress call about a woman screaming. He reached Fort Collins’ Cottonwood Glen Park to find Amber Smith with her hands and legs bound in duct tape. She had grave injuries, including a broken jaw, and she was completely naked. It was evident that she had been assaulted.

On further investigation, it was revealed that she was beaten, raped, and strangled before being left in the park. She also suffered from intracranial hemorrhage. Though the DNA of the perpetrator was found both in the duct tape and her body, her lack of recollection and no DNA match from the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) meant that the police could not do much.

Meanwhile, Stefan Moon, who seemingly got away with his heinous crime, even befriended his victim after she moved to a co-living space, where Moon also resided. Moon allegedly got close to her, and she even spoke about her trauma from that fateful night to him. However, one small slip-up finally broke this case wide open.

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How did the police catch Stefan Moon?

In 2017, four years after the attack, Stefan Moon was caught trying to pawn off his friend’s bicycle after stealing it. While it’s not confirmed how the police got his DNA in the system, this was likely the crime for which Moon’s DNA was taken.

It immediately matched that of Amber’s attacker. The police swiftly arrested and charged Stefan Moon, who pled not guilty to the charges.

Though he tried to redirect the investigation in several ways, including accusing his roommate Bryce Bailey and making up a story about a Craiglist ad, he was found guilty of two counts of s*xual assault and a count each of second-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault.

He was sentenced to 128 years to life in prison. He continues to remain incarcerated at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado.

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The upcoming episode of Dateline: Unforgettable will cover this episode in more detail.