New Film Revives Memory of Texas Prosecutor Who Died During 2006 Sting

A24 film Primetime starring Robert Pattinson has brought renewed attention to the 2006 suicide of Texas prosecutor Louis William Conradt Jr during a sting operation by NBC's To Catch a Predator.

Background

Born on January 30, 1950, in Kaufman County, Texas, Conradt grew up in Terrell and later earned his law degree from Texas Tech University. By age 30, he became the district attorney for Kaufman County and served for more than 20 years before losing a judicial election in 2002. He later returned to law as the chief felony assistant district attorney in Rockwall County.

The 2006 Sting

In November 2006, Murphy police teamed up with NBC News and Perverted Justice to target Conradt after an online user named "inxs00" exchanged sexual messages with a decoy. Although Conradt stopped messaging and never went to the sting house, Dateline producers pushed police for arrest and search warrants. On November 5, 2006, tactical officers and the TV crew went to his home. When officers forced entry, Conradt shot himself and was later pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Lawsuit and Fallout

In July 2007, Conradt's sister Patricia filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against NBC Universal, alleging the network cared more about profits than pedophilia. NBC settled the case with the family in June 2008 for an undisclosed amount, subsequently cancelling To Catch a Predator in 2007 and parting ways with host Chris Hansen in 2013.