Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘I’m Going To Get You’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ delves deep into the tragic 1996 murder case of 22-year-old Debbie Dorian. Spanning more than two decades, the investigation ultimately led the detectives to the perpetrator responsible for the killing, thanks to genetic genealogy. Covering all the intricate details related to the case and the decades-long investigation, the documentary also features insightful interviews with Debbie’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Debbie Dorian Was Found Bound and Strangled by Her Father
Sara Loven and Peter Dorian welcomed Deborah Sarah Dorian into the world on June 20, 1974, in California. Lovingly referred to as Debbie, she was raised in a warm and supportive household, where her mother and father showered her with all their love and care. She grew into a free-spirited young woman who was admired for her compassion and overall zest for life. Debbie aimed to pursue a career in economics and was working hard at California State University, Fresno, also known as Fresno State, to achieve her goals. She was grateful for her parents, who offered her immense support and guidance every step of the way.
Since she went to college in Fresno, Debbie had found a place in the northeast part of town, near Cedar and Teague avenues. She deeply cherished the time she spent with her parents and looked forward to hanging out with them. In August 1996, she was prepping for a father-daughter trip and eagerly anticipated the adventures they were about to embark on. Unfortunately, the family trip never came to be, as the life of the 22-year-old was brutally cut short on August 22, 1996.
When she didn’t turn up for the trip and her father’s multiple attempts to reach her failed, he stormed into her second-floor apartment only to be greeted by a heartbreaking sight. Peter found his beloved daughter dead with her ankles, feet, and wrists bound tight with duct tape. According to reports, her head, eyes, nose, and mouth were also bound with tape. The authorities were immediately called to the residence, where they wasted no time in beginning their search for evidence to identify the perpetrator/s. The cause of death of the 22-year-old was determined to be asphyxiation. Further examination of Debbie’s remains also revealed signs of sexual assault.
Debbie Dorian’s Killer Was Also Responsible For Multiple Sexual Assaults in Visalia
Initially, the detectives took a suspect into custody when an early DNA test linked him to the murder of Debbie Dorian. However, further DNA tests concluded that the suspect they arrested was not responsible for the crime. Due to a lack of evidence and advancement in technology, the authorities couldn’t get to the bottom of the case for several years. They also tried running the suspect’s DNA found at the crime scene through the law enforcement database, but it didn’t lead anywhere. Between 1999 and 2002, the authorities noticed that a string of sexual assaults in Visalia, California, were similar to Debbie’s case. In 2002, the detectives concluded that the suspect’s DNA from Debbie’s case matched the DNA found at a sexual assault crime scene in Visalia. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to identify the suspect’s name.
A few years down the line, a Jane Doe complaint was filed against the suspect’s DNA profile, accusing him of being involved in numerous sexual assaults in the area from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. More than two long decades after Debbie’s murder, the investigators got a break in the case, thanks to genetic genealogy, in 2018. The following year, they managed to link a man named Nickey Duane Stane to the crime through the DNA evidence collected from an unrelated sexual assault case. According to the detectives, Nickey was not only responsible for the rape and murder of 22-year-old Debbie in 1996, but also for at least five sexual assaults in Visalia. Armed with enough evidence against him, he was arrested in late 2019. Eventually, the accused was charged with the rape and murder of Debbie and other sexual assaults.
Nickey Duane Stane is Currently Incarcerated at a California Prison Facility
In order to avoid the trial and death penalty, on May 15, 2025, Nickey Duane Stane surprisingly pleaded guilty to 12 felony counts, including the murder of Debbie Dorian and multiple sexual assaults that he committed between 1999 and 2002. During his hearing, one of the victims also testified against him, claiming that she was only 19 years old when the accused had sexually assaulted her while she was returning home from her job at a Visalia ice cream parlor. She added, “I wish he did kill me. It would have been a lot better than having these thoughts in my head and flashbacks of the night playing over and over again in my head. I wish I did more to bite him or kick him in the balls. I wish I could show him how much pain he caused me.”
Before his sentencing, Debbie’s mother, Sara Loven, also took the stand and opened up about her loss. She stated, “I lived in a world of hard work, love, and kindness. I believed that if you worked hard and did all the right things that evil wouldn’t come into your life. I was naive. I was wrong. Evil is closer than we realize, and enters our lives when we least expect it.” Finally, on June 12, 2025, Nickey was formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During an emotional victim impact statement, Sara added, “We have waited and searched for this murderer for 28 years and 10 months.” As of today, 58-year-old Nickey Duane Stane is serving his sentence at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California.
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