Viswa Vanapalli
CBS’ ‘48 Hours: The Life and Death of Nikki Kuhnhausen’ and Hulu’s ‘How I Caught My Killer: Social Media? Yeah, it was her thing’ focuses on the sudden disappearance and death of 17-year-old Nikki Kuhnhausen in Vancouver, Washington. When she didn’t come home after going out one night in June 2019, her loved ones called the police straight away. But what came to light was a tragic tale of murder, with David Bogdanov at the center of it all. So, if you’re curious to learn whether he was brought to justice or not, we’ve got you covered.
Who is David Bogdanov?
David Bogdanov became an immediate person of interest when authorities learned that he was the last to meet Nikki before she went missing. According to her friends, she left home on June 5, 2019, to meet an older Russian guy after arranging the date through social media. The police thus executed search warrants for their Snapchat accounts and confirmed they did indeed have plans with the possibility of engaging in sexual activity. However, they had difficulty talking to David because they didn’t know where he was.
Towards the end of June, the authorities managed to talk to David’s brothers in Vancouver, Arthur and Stanislav, but both stated they didn’t know Nikki. Therefore, in September, they reached out to David again via Snapchat, and he finally replied before sitting down for an interview sometime in October. He then proceeded to provide his version of the story by claiming he’d first met Nikki in downtown Vancouver and asked if she wanted to join him and his brothers for drinks. According to him, they parted ways before meeting again during the early hours of June 6.
David and Stanislav were in the latter’s van, and they took Nikki to a house, where she picked up her cell phone. The trio then drove to Artur’s apartment. Over there, David said that while they were outside alone, she revealed the fact she’s a transgender person. At this point, he claimed that he was uncomfortable and asked her to leave. He also added he did not have any contact with her from this moment on because it is unacceptable in Russian culture.
Yet, when the authorities looked at David’s phone records, they found a lot of incriminating activity. His cell actually placed him outside his brothers’ houses at different points on June 6, but then it also pinged in the Larch Mountain area a few hours later; this is the place where Nikki’s remains were found. The police also believed that David was looking to have sex that night because he made calls to an adult video store and several escort services.
David Bogdanov Remains in Prison
27-year-old David Bogdanov hence stood trial for murder in August 2021, where he took to the stand to provide a much different version of events. He admitted to having brief sexual contact with Nikki in the back seat of his car and said that at that point, he found out Nikki was a transgender person. David then claimed he yelled at her to leave the vehicle, but Nikki allegedly went for the gun close to the driver’s seat. So, in the act of self-defense, David admits that he strangled her with a charging cord.
The prosecution, though, pointed to David’s inconsistent statements. He never told detectives that Nikki had attacked him. He had also booked a one-way flight ticket to Ukraine on the day of the incident prior to asking a friend to “get rid” of his car. They claimed that David killed Nikki when he found out she was a transgender person. Ultimately, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and malicious harassment. In September 2021, he was sentenced to 19 and a half years behind bars — the maximum as a first-time offender. Therefore, according to prison records, David is currently incarcerated at the medium-security Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, Franklin County, Washington.
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