Chris Hansen is standing by his reporting on a controversial To Catch a Predator operation that ended with a man’s death.
The former NBC correspondent discussed the case in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, following the Venice premiere of Primetime. The movie stars Robert Pattinson as a fictionalized version of Hansen and revisits the incident in its final act.
Asked whether he had experienced sleepless nights, second thoughts or a change of heart afterward, Hansen replied, “No. We continued to conduct investigations after that.”
What happened during the sting?
In November 2006, Texas prosecutor Louis William “Bill” Conradt Jr. exchanged sexually explicit messages with a Perverted Justice volunteer posing as a 13-year-old boy, according to the background provided by THR.
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Conradt did not arrive at the house being used for the operation. Police subsequently obtained warrants and went to his home in Terrell, Texas, where he died by suicide as officers entered. Hansen and other Dateline crew members were outside, preparing to cover his arrest.
When asked whether he regretted going to Conradt’s home, Hansen maintained that the decision belonged to law enforcement.
“We were covering what the police were doing. We didn’t have a role in the decision,” he said. “The police decided to do it, and we covered it like any other arrest we would cover in the course of reporting the story.”
What happened after Conradt’s death?
Conradt’s sister, Patricia, filed a $105 million lawsuit against NBC.
THR notes that a judge allowed the principal claims to proceed in February 2008, but that ruling did not establish the network’s liability. NBC reached a settlement with the family that June for an undisclosed amount.
Hansen defended the team’s handling of the aftermath, saying they reported what they knew on Today the following day.
Has Chris Hansen watched Primetime?
Hansen said he had not seen the movie at the time of the interview, following a disagreement over a nondisclosure agreement for a screening.
His objections were based on the trailer and what he had read about the film. However, he separated his criticism of the production from his feelings about its star.
“I have no issue with Robert Pattinson. I think he’s a great actor and a nice guy, and he has been very gracious in his comments about me,” Hansen said.
Directed by Lance Oppenheim, Primetime opens in select theaters September 25 before expanding in October.
Find out how Robert Pattinson reacted to Hansen‘s criticism over playing him in Primetime.
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