♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, rideshare nightmare. a college student out on the town. >> she simply mistakenly got into this particular car, thinking it was an uber ride. >> her devastated parents. >> her dream was my dream, her death is my death. >> the killer facing justice. >> why is there blood in the car? >> the case that's changing ridesharing. plus sharkfest. one of the ocean's most storied creatures. >> should i be nervous? >> nat geo's deep dive into shark-infested waters with actor chris hemsworth's mission to undetaea'slppredator

you love rich, delicious ice cream. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream. (vo) imagine a visibly healthier pet in 28 days. purina one. natural ingredients... that will never mess with your stomach. in powerful combinations. for radiant coats, sparkling eyes. purina one. one visibly healthy pet. try these purina one true instinct formulas for dogs.

♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. for more than a week, a jury in a south carolina courtroom heard details of the horrific murder of a college senior who would never see her graduation day.

her parents in their grief working to make ridesharing safer and more accountable. >> as a mother, you worry and pray that your child will be safe, happy, and healthy. when she was sad, i was sad. when she was happy, so was i. her dreams were my dream. and her death is my death. >> reporter: a mother shattered, grappling with an unbelievable loss. >> the ache that spreads throughout my body hurts more each day. i cannot fully express how it feels to lose a daughter. >> reporter: a father broken by the weight of the nightmare he's still living. >> i look at my wife, and she's not even close to being the same. i have lost a huge piece of her. along with samantha. every day i look at her.

i only wish i could do something to take that pain away. >> reporter: in the eyes of the law, justice has been served. for the family of samantha josephson, killed after getting into what she thought was an uber, nothing can lessen the pain of her death. >> she was fabulous. kind, funny. very, very funny. a best friend to everyone. >> always smiling. >> always smiling. >> you smile when you say that? >> i do. >> reporter: samantha, known as sammi by friends and family, was a force, a 21-year-old at university in south carolina in columbia. she dreamt of become aguilar. >> she wanted to make a difference. she was actually interested in international law. >> reporter: but that dream cut short by tragedy. now more than two years after her death, her murderer, nathaniel roland, sentenced to life in prison this week. the national conversation about rideshare safety has been reignited. it was a typical thursday night. samantha was out with her

friends at a bar near usc's campus. >> she was so excited to go out because she hadn't been out locally with her friends for a couple of weekends. >> reporter: shortly after 2:00 a.m., she ordered an uber. >> she was being responsible going home, because she had to work in the morning. >> reporter: she can be seen walking outside alone, a black chevy impala pulls up, and samantha got in. >> we believe that she simply mistakenly got into this particular car thinking it was an uber ride. >> reporter: but roland wasn't an uber driver. the next day samantha's friends, concerned they had not heard from her, called her parents in new jersey. >> samantha's boyfriend called me and said, i just want to let you know that samantha didn't come home last night. and they called the police. and i just kind of froze. and called seymour. >> we were still talking to the police as we were in the car to drive, to drive down. we got there about 12:00, 12:15. they'd brought us into a conference room.

>> and told us. >> and at that point -- confirmed and told us. >> reporter: samantha had been stabbed to death. her body found by hunters in a wooded area in a rural part of the county. police tracked down the vehicle from surveillance video and arrested 25-year-old nathaniel roland at a traffic stop around 3:00 a.m. the arrest captured on police body cameras and played in court last week. >> i pulled your car over because it matches a suspect. get your hand out of your pocket, what, are you crazy? get over here. hey! >> reporter: roland fleeing on foot before being apprehended. >> he just bolts not even knowing what the suspect is accused of doing. that's what's called consciousness of guilt. and that's something the prosecution really harped on, that he knew the officers are looking for him for a heinous crime that was connected with that car. and he was not going to try to get caught in any way, shape or form. >> reporter: at the time, police say they found liquid bleach, cleaning wipes, and window cleaner in his car.

the prosecution's argument, roland kidnapped samantha, trapping her in the back seat using child safety locks, before killing her. >> she was found alone, in the woods, covered in her own blood, dead. she'd been stabbed multiple times from the bottom of her feet, throughout her torso, throughout her face, her neck, and her head. >> reporter: a forensic pathologist testified there were more than 100 stab wounds. the state presented incriminating evidence. cell phone tracking data showing roland and samantha's phones together when she disappeared. >> when her phone moved to a different area, did his phone also track in a different area? >> i believe so, it did. >> reporter: as well as video footage showing the suspect trying to use the college student's debit card. then later trying to sell her phone. >> do you see the person who tried to sell you the phone in the courtroom? >> yes, ma'am. >> where is he? please let the record reflect

that he has identified the defendant, your honor. >> reporter: maria howard, roland's ex-girlfriend, testified she saw blood in his car. >> i asked him, why is there blood in the car? did you hit a dog? >> what did he say? >> my bad. >> reporter: she watched as he cleaned the car wearing surgical gloves. >> it was bleach but it was so strong, it smelled like chlorine. >> reporter: she said she saw him cleaning blood off a multi-tool. prosecutors indicated it was the murder weapon. >> the testimony of maria was absolutely critical because you have to remember, this is, one, a moving crime scene. and two, a very unique murder onononap that apononon she saw this unique weapon with the defendant multiple times, seeing him clean it, and leave the scene of the murder, this connected nathaniel roland to this murder in a way i don't think any other witness could.

>> reporter: but the defense argued none of the dna found on samantha's body matched rolands. >> ladies and gentlemen, i want you to hear this number again. and that is, zero. that's the amount of dna on samantha josephson's body that matches nathaniel roland. zero. >> the defense made a strong argument that under samantha josephson's fingernails there was no trace of the defendant, nathaniel roland. however, the prosecution made a great point, that her dna was found on him. so there must be some sort of connective tissue between the two of them, leading toward a guilty verdict. >> reporter: the defense called no witnesses. after just an hour of deliberation, the jury found roland guilty of three counts. >> guilty. >> reporter: murder, kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. in the wake of their daughter's death, samantha's parents have made educating others on rideshare safety their mission. >> individuals need to be

accountable, and they have to look at the license plate. they have to look at the driver. >> reporter: they launched the "what's my name" foundation, sharing safety tips, urging passengers to ask drivers who they're supposed to be picking up before stepping into the car. now some police departments and college campuses are using signs created by the foundation to remind passengers to stop, ask, match, inform. >> sammi would have wanted us to do this. >> that's right. >> she really would have. >> because it was her goal to help change the world. >> yes. >> my heart breaks. i'm hoping whatever happened to her wakes people up. >> reporter: william evans is the chief of police at boston college, a former boston police commissioner. he's called for tighter regulation of ride-hailing companies and more public awareness about rider safety. >> when i talk to incoming freshmen and their parents, i'm always, be careful going into rideshares. >> give us that sales pitch you

give the students at bc, that short list of things you encourage them to do. >> don't ride alone, and always make sure someone tracks your progress when you get into one of these rideshares. >> reporter: in the wake of samantha's death, the rideshare company lyft announced it was adding two new safety features. continuous criminal background nhanced i lyft and uber have added features that allow riders to contact 911 through the app. in a statement to abc news, a spokesperson for uber said, we know this has been an extremely difficult time for the josephson family. our thoughts are with them. we are thankful that justice has been served for sammi. >> such a heinous, vicious crime. why? i spent the last two years asking myself that question. >> reporter: although nothing can bring back their daughter or lessen their pain, the family is satisfied that roland will spend the rest of his natural life in prison.

>> he cut out a piece of me. you don't see it. i try to move forward each day but forever will be broken. and up next, on the hunt for sharks and the great mysteries of the deep. well, geico's 85 years isn't just about time, you know. it means experience. i mean, put it this way. if i told you i'd been jarring raspberry preserves for 85 years, what would you think? (humming) well, at first you'd be like, "that has gotta be some scrumptious jam!" (humming) and then you'd think, "he looks fantastic! i must know his skin care routine." geico. saving people money for 85 years. beg your pardon. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible geico. saving people money for 85 years. with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪

rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for peopl with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrin neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration,

which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to what's possibl with rybelsus®. ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today.

[hippo groans melodically] [iguana belts major 3rd] [gator reverb] [splash] [singing indri sings] [elephant trumpets] [buffalo punish timpani] [cassowary crescendo] ♪ [goat does a sick vibrato] ♪

♪ sharks. the alpha predators of the wild blue. simultaneously eliciting fear and wonder. with so little known about them, national geographic explorers

took us on a mission trying to unlock secrets of the deep. here's "nightline's" ashan singh. >> reporter: somewhere in these waters lives nature's most feared predator. big, fast, fierce sharks. and today i'm going to try and find one. >> this is it, man. how predictable are sharks? >> not very. they're wild animals. so this is the bait. >> froze someone. >> yeah, like rock solid, yeah. >> actual shark bait right here. frozen. >> reporter: most people like me have never seen a shark up close. but today we're going to try and change that. i'm teaming upith encer, nation geographic explorers and s archers. >> where are we right now? >> so we're off miami beach,

trying to get hammerheads and bull sharks for our respective dissertations. >> and how exactly are we doing that? because i'm looking around, i'm not seeing any sharks. >> so we use a special sort of permitted scientificmethod. we have about a 40-pound weight. we put on a long line that sits at the bottom. it also has bait. and hopefully will attract a shark. then we put five of these out. we put them out, let them hang out for about 45 minutes, then pull each one of them up and see if we have any bait. >> reporter: laura and erin have dedicated their lives to studying sharks, a critically needed understanding as the global fishing industry and demand for their fins worldwide kills millions of sharks every year. >> what is it about sharks that you guys decided to make this your life's work? >> we still know so little about them. everyone thinks, we know a lot bu t truthis,here's studied. or ale

an 50 5 sharkocn, know ptt much anything about them, except that they exist. >> many sharks are really threatened. their populations are threatened. with the great hammerheads, for example. that's a critically endangered species. every additional piece of information we can get about like where they're going, what they're doing, that kind of thing, it helps us have a better understanding of how the species behaves and then hopefully how we can protect it. >> reporter: if you listen to hollywood, it's easy to see why sharks are such feared animals. films like "jaws." >> you're going to need a bigger boat. >> first we're gonna seal off -- >> reporter: "deep blue sea." >> we're going to throw bombs

into the tornados. >> reporter: and i can't believe i'm saying this, "sharknado." they've made sharks out to be ferocious hunters of humans. while that may be silver screen fiction, this has sometimes been a reality. >> the shark attack. >> shark attack. >> shark attack. >> shark attack. >> shark warning off long island, new york. >> a lifeguard bitten in the waters off jones beach. >> reporter: according to the university of florida, last year sharks attacked 129 people worldwide. just this week, a lifeguard reported being bitten by a shark in long island, new york. local beaches were shut down. >> sharks are something people are really passionate about, also something people are really afraid of. >> yeah, i mean, sharks are wild animals. you know, i think because the ocean is a different medium than we're used to living in, we live on land, so they're asharks are. 99.99% of the time, all of them just ignore us.

they're not really into, you know, whatever it is we're doing in the water. >> reporter: but we are definitely interested in them. so much so that abc's sister company national geographic dedicated six weeks to shows all sn >> i'm a total diving novice. >> reporter: featuring shows like "shark beach" starring the mighty thor himself, chris hemsworth. >> should i be nervous? >> reporter: now chris was a little busy being the god of thunder to chat with me for this piece, so i spoke to his partner in crime. an og in the shark world, valerie taylor. she's been diving with sharks for more than 60 years. >> unfortunately, there is nobody young today who will ever know how absolutely magnificent nature made the ocean.

i saw the great gift that nature had given us, which was a sea life, full of everything. >> reporter: a lifetime of exploring our oceans, captured in the "sharkfest" documentary "playing with sharks." >> i feel sad because it's a marine world that nature gave us, and it doesn't exist in its original state. the best we humans could do is to leave it alone. nature is a great healer. >> reporter: back on the water, i'm still trying to see a shark up close. but so far -- no luck. >> we've been out here a few hours. i'm still confident we're going to get a shark. i'm optimistic, i'm ti >> reporte i'mta one. uph pl ""

it's not the same. but it's definitely safer. yeah, i guess i'm almost satisfied. >> our thanks to ashan. "sharkfest" is available on national geographic, nat geo wild, and disney plus. all divisions of our parent company, disney. up next, celebrating the king of infomercials. tackling tough messes can take more time than you have, but mr. clean clean freak delivers the power of a deep clean in minutes unlike bleach sprays, ...clean freak starts deep cleaning on contact with three times the cleaning power to break down tough messes in seconds it quickly cleans your home's toughest messes so, for a deep clean in minutes, get mr. clean clean freak available in easy to switch refills and now get the cleaning power of mr. clean in a wipe to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.

tums vs. mozzarella stick when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast heartburn relief in eveb. crunchy outside, chewy inside. ♪ tums, tums, tums, tums ♪ the dove beauty bar makes my skin feel fresh. i've encouraged serena my best friend to switch. tums chewy bites feels moisturized and clean. my friend stefanie, her skin was dry. i'm like girl you better get you some dove. with a a quarter moisturising cream, dove cleans effectively and cares beautifully. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™

♪ and finally tonight, you may not recall his name, but if you're of a certain generation, chances are you will remember his classic commercials. >> ladies and gentlemen, i'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made. >> ron popeil, the king of the late-night sales pitch. >> you buy them in the stores, they come in a very fancy box and you pay a very fancy price. >> popularized what became known as the infomercial. over the years he sold, get this, more than $1 billion worth

of gadgets, including classics like mr. microphone -- >> hey, good looking, we'll be back to pick you up later! >> reporter: peel pocket fisherman, and hair in a can. his catch phrase -- >> set it and forget it! >> reporter: could always get you to buy. ron popeil died today with his family at his side. he was 86. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.