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Twenty-five years after a University of California, Davis (UC Davis) student was found dead in his fraternity dorm room with 29 stab wounds, a death officially ruled a suicide, a new true crime podcast is taking a fresh look at the case and the questions Andrew Wieman’s family says have never been answered.
Wieman, a 20-year-old junior and member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, was found dead inside his locked room on Jan. 4, 2001.
After a 13-month joint investigation involving UC Davis Police, the Yolo County Coroner’s Office and the California Department of Justice, authorities ruled Wieman’s death a suicide.
Investigators pointed to several factors supporting that conclusion, including the discovery of a handwritten note in Wieman’s room, the fact the knife believed to have caused the wounds belonged to Wieman and contained his fingerprints, and the lack of signs of forced entry or struggle inside the room.
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Andrew Wieman was 20 years old when he was found dead in his fraternity dorm room at UC Davis in January 2001. (“Love & Justice” Podcast via Wieman family)
Officials also noted Wieman’s room was locked, the windows were secured, and all keys were accounted for. According to investigators, there were no defensive wounds on Wieman’s body and no evidence another person had been present in the room.
In a statement released at the time, UC Davis Police Chief Calvin Handy described Wieman as a “troubled individual” and said investigators believed the evidence, taken “in totality,” was most consistent with suicide.
But Wieman’s family has never accepted the official ruling. For years, they have continued pushing for answers, raising concerns about whether all aspects of the case were fully examined.
Now, Emmy Award-winning producer Kyle Olson is revisiting the case in Season 2 of the true crime podcast “Love & Justice,” which premieres May 26.
The University of California Davis campus. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Olson said his team was immediately struck by several details in the case when they began reviewing investigative files and evidence.
“When you start to piece all these things together, and then you hear the determination is suicide, it’s inherently something that brings curiosity,” Olson told Fox News Digital.
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Olson said the case stood out because of several details investigators acknowledged at the time, including that Wieman suffered 29 stab wounds, several of them fatal, had no drugs or alcohol in his system, and was found inside a locked room.
“Those are all things that make you scratch your head,” Olson said. “That’s not something we normally see in a case like this.”
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UC Davis student Andrew Wieman was 20 years old when he was found dead in his fraternity dorm room in 2001. (“Love & Justice” Podcast via Wieman family)
The podcast host said another detail that surprised his team was learning Wieman was allegedly found “tucked into bed” and wearing earplugs — details Olson said were not widely discussed publicly at the time.
“What does it mean?” Olson said. “Does it mean something, or is it just a small tiny detail in a much bigger story?”
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The series also explores a roughly 60-hour gap between the last confirmed sighting of Wieman in the early hours of Jan. 2, and when he was ultimately found dead.
“Sixty hours is a very long time,” Olson said. “What was going on during those 60 hours, and does somebody know something that perhaps they haven’t shared in 25 years?”
Students are seen on campus at the University of California at Davis. (Getty Images)
According to Olson, the podcast does not attempt to force a predetermined conclusion, but instead re-examines the case using modern forensic reconstruction technology and fresh expert analysis.
“We’re interested in hearing from all sides,” Olson said. “There’s going to be some people that think maybe, with the evidence that we’ve seen, it could lead to suicide. There’s going to be others that say, ‘I disagree.’”
Olson said the investigation has involved forensic experts from around the world and focuses heavily on whether advancements in science and reconstruction technology can better explain the circumstances surrounding Wieman’s death.
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A view of the campus from the RMI North building which houses the wine and food department at UC Davis in Davis. (Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“One of the biggest questions for me always comes back to feasibility,” Olson said. “Is it possible that someone can inflict 29 stab wounds to themselves, especially when multiple of those stab wounds are fatal?”
Olson said the passage of time could also play an important role in generating new information.
Andrew Wieman with family members before his death at UC Davis in January 2001. (“Love & Justice” Podcast via Wieman family)
“There may be people that were too shy to bring up information 25 years ago that are willing to talk now,” Olson said. “Now might be the time to say something.”
Season 1 of “Love & Justice” focused on the murder of Olson’s childhood friend, Ashley Love, whose killer has never been found.
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Andrew Wieman’s family has spent decades questioning the official ruling in his death. (“Love & Justice” Podcast via Wieman family)
Olson said that experience helped him better understand how families continue living with unanswered questions long after investigations end.
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“For me, I would really like to find justice for Andrew,” Olson said. “We’re here to find out what the truth is.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
