Dateline NBC Talking Dateline: The Professor & The Poet
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Mar 11, 2026 Josh Mankiewicz, Dateline correspondent and reporter, returns to his Bethesda roots while recounting the Sue Marcum case. He discusses Sue’s relationship with Jorge Landeros, police misdirection, the hunt for a fugitive-teacher-poet, and chilling interviews with people close to the story.
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Smart People Can Miss Romantic Red Flags
- Even smart, accomplished people can have blind spots that lead them into dangerous relationships.
- Josh Mankiewicz describes Sue Markham as brilliant yet unable to see Jorge Landeros was never going to return her affection, which put her at risk.
Silence From Friends Amplifies Risk
- People often stop talking to friends about risky relationships to avoid confrontation.
- Josh notes Sue stopped discussing Jorge because she knew their reaction, leaving her isolated from corrective advice.
Stolen Car Led Investigators To A Misleading Suspect
- Investigators initially chased a thief who'd been driving Sue's stolen car and seemed like a hapless suspect.
- Josh explains Montgomery County police treated that lead seriously but suspected it didn't fit the profile of the killer.