5 chilling details about Mindy Morgenstern's murder

Mindy Morgenstern, a 22-year-old senior-year student at Valley City State University, was brutally attacked by one of her neighbors, Moe Gibbs, a corrections officer at the Barnes County Jail. It was alleged that Gibbs tried to r*pe Morgenstern, but when she fought back, he strangled her to death using a belt that made deep cuts to her neck.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of r*pe, murder, and abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.

The murderer was found guilty based on DNA evidence found under the victim's fingernails. Moreover, the investigation revealed that Gibbs had an extensive criminal background and was behind multiple s*xual assaults, including that of female inmates in prison.

Friday's Dateline episode on NBC will chronicle the 2006 case of Mindy Morgenstern from North Dakota. The all-new two-hour episode, titled Who Killed Mindy Morgenstern?, airs on the channel at 9 pm ET on February 10, 2023.

The synopsis for the upcoming episode reads:

"A college town is left in fear after a student is murdered. Detectives investigate neighbors, friends, and boyfriends before they find the killer hiding in plain sight."

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Mindy Morgenstern's murder: Five quick facts to know about the murder of the Valley City State University student

1) Mindy was found in a pool of blood with a belt wrapped around her neck

In September 2007, Mindy Morgenstern, 22, was found dead at her apartment. Two of her friends discovered the gory crime scene. She was lying in a pool of blood, and the apartment door was unlocked. The victim was fatally strangled with a belt still wrapped around her neck and had severe knife wounds on her neck. An autopsy confirmed that she died of asphyxiation and neck cuts.

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2) A DNA sample led authorities to one of Mindy Morgenstern's neighbors

Authorities managed to extract a foreign DNA sample from underneath Mindy's fingernails at the crime scene. The sample was sent for testing while authorities combed through all her neighbors and collected their DNA to rule out potential suspects. Later, it turned out to be the perfect match for 34-year-old Moe Gibbs, a corrections officer at the Barnes County Jail.

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3) Moe Gibbs claimed that he had lunch with his pregnant wife that day

Gibbs claimed to have spent the morning at home and had lunch with his pregnant wife. After that, he claimed that he packed and loaded boxes into the car as he and his family prepared to move out of the apartment.

Moe also mentioned to authorities about detecting the strong smell of Pine-Sol in the building. Mindy Morgenstern's body was reportedly soaked in the same substance. But when authorities confronted him with the DNA evidence, he asserted that he met Mindy briefly before the killing to help her with laundry.

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4) Gibbs had once served time in prison and was also connected to multiple s*xual assault cases

During the investigation, authorities discovered that Moe Gibbs, previously known as Glen Dale Morgan Jr., had even served time in prison from 1994 to 1998 for an unrelated attempted murder case. His DNA matched an unsolved r*pe case in Fargo in 2004, two years before Mindy Morgenstern's murder.

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5) He pleaded guilty to multiple s*xual assault charges and was convicted in Mindy Morgenstern's murder

On November 20, 2007, Moe Gibbs was found guilty of Mindy's murder. He allegedly murdered the 22-year-old while attempting to r*pe her as she fought back. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole about a month later. He was handed an additional 15 years in prison for s*xually assaulting inmates and for his involvement in the 2004 r*pe case.