It was the spring of 2001, and Shandra Levy was in the prime of her life. She was about to graduate with a master's degree in public administration and was wrapping up a prestigious internship with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was dating a rich, powerful man, and it seemed like all her dreams were about to come true. Then one day, she just disappeared, vanished without a trace. Nobody knew where she went or what happened to her. The ensuing investigation captivated the public's attention like few stories ever did before. And what it uncovered would send reverberations through the nation's capital for years to come. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end, but you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon. And we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is murder: True Crime Stories, a crime house original show powered by Pave Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders. I'll be bringing awareness to stories that need to be heard with a focus on those who were impacted. At crime house, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible.

Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following murder, true crime stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. This is the first of three episodes on the murder of Shandra Levy, a 24-year-old government intern who was killed in May 2001. Today, I'll be taking you through Shandra's life, trying to understand who this young woman was, the people who were in her orbit, and the various elements that led to her sudden disappearance. Then part two will be dedicated to the likeliest suspects. I'll be highlighting who the investigators thought might be responsible and anything strange that happened along the way. Finally, in part three, I'll take you through the investigation until we arrive at a final answer or an enduring mystery. All that and more coming up. If there was one thing Robert and Susan Levy wanted to give their daughter, it was a life of adventure. On first glance, you'd think Robert and Susan were your average suburban couple. They lived in Modesto, California, a quiet little city in the heart of California's Central Valley. Robert was an oncologist while Susan ran the household and raised horses. But beyond their buttoned-up appearances, Robert and Susan were full of surprises.

Although they were both practicing Jews, the Levis incorporated many different religions and philosophies into their lives, such as Pentecostal Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, wisdom. When their daughter was born on April 14, 1977, they named their daughter Shandra, the Sanskrit word for moon. And throughout Shandra's childhood, her parents tried to still that same curiosity and adventurous spirit in her and her little brother Adam. As a family, the Levis traveled to the farthest corners of the globe. They were trips to explore the African jungle in Tanzania, the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, the ancient temples of Jerusalem, and the rainforest of Costa Rica, just to name a few. At first, it seemed like Shandra didn't share her parents' love of exploration. She tended to be fearful and cautious. Like on a trip to Yosemite, when she decided to sleep in the car parked at the campsite instead of a tent because she was scared of getting attacked by a bear. But as she got older, Shandra's parents started rubbing off on her. When she was 12, Susan signed her up for a 10-day rock climbing camp. And even though Shandra didn't want to be there, she stuck with it.

By the time it was all said and done, Shandra was the only girl who made it through all the way until the end. And as Shandra entered high school, that resilience turned into confidence. Shandra's teachers were impressed by her determination and focus. She was more concerned with making a future for herself than getting drawn into the day-to-day drama of high school life. Shandra zeroed in on a career in public service and volunteered as a police explorer with a police department in her hometown of Modesto, California. Most of the time, she was doing busy work like answering phones or delivering the mail. But there was one part of the Police Explorer program that was especially exciting, getting to go on ridealongs. Now, I can't imagine the Modesto PD was bringing high school volunteers along on anything too dangerous, but experiences like this help Shandra grow up fast. Witnessing crime and violence firsthand probably puts a lot of things in collective, and Shandra just couldn't be bothered to be concerned with things like getting a prom date and really dating in general, or at least dating boys her own age. Instead, Shandra was to older men, much older men.

Nothing untoward happened to our knowledge, but she did get close with a lot of the older, more mature officers on the police force, and her celebrity crush was Harrison Ford, who at this point was firmly in his 50s and more of a silver fox than a typical heartthrob. So when Shonda graduated from high school in 1995, she was probably ready to leave small Modesto behind her. She enrolled at San Francisco State University, and even though it was only 100 miles away, it must have seemed like a completely different world. Not only was she going to classes with more experienced classmates, but she was living in the heart of a city whose Metro population was over four times bigger than Modesto's. And as Shandra's world expanded, so did her ambitions. She still wanted a career in public service, but now she was thinking bigger, like joining the FBI or CIA. After getting her degree in criminal justice sometime around 1999, she was accepted as a graduate student at the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development. For an ambitious young woman like Shandra Levy, it was the perfect place to make a name for herself.

And even though she wasn't the top student in her class, I think more like B pluses than straight A's, Shandra's drive and determination stood out to her professors. She secured increasingly prestigious internships, first with the mayor of Los Angeles and then with the governor of California. Chandra loved working in politics. As an intern with the governor, she spent her days in the state capital, witnessing the break neck pace and intensity of high-stakes deal making. And most importantly, she saw what impact she could make working in the highest levels of government. One especially memorable experience was a trip to Folsom State Prison for a tour that included sitting in on a parole hearing. It's not clear who the inmate was or what crimes he'd committed, but chances are it was pretty bad. Fulcum was one of the first maximum security prisons and housed violent criminals like Charles Manson and Eric Menendez. So Shandra was coming face to face with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. And it was an experience that seems to have really impacted her. In the summer of 2000, After Shandra's final semester of graduate school, a 23-year-old secured an internship with a Public Affairs Office of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Any internship in Washington, DC was like a crown jewel for an aspiring public officer like Shandra. For anyone hoping to join the FBI or CIA, it was a promising stepping stone to a greater career. So that fall, Shandra packed her eggs and moved to Washington, DC. The internship was the last thing she needed to complete her degree. Shandra's entire life had been leading up to this. It was her big chance to set herself up for the successful career she'd been planning for ever since high school. But upon her arrival, Shandra hit an unexpected speed bump. When Shandra showed up for her first day of work, she found out that her paperwork was snarled up in the bureaucratic gears of a department that had to deal with the logistics of over 200,000 inmates and employees within the federal prison system. It would take weeks to process, and she couldn't start working until she'd been fully screened. It was a frustrating setback, one that could place Shandra at the back of the pack of interns who were all just as ambitious malicious and eager as she was. But instead of wilting under the pressure, Shandra rose to the occasion.

Even though her job was mostly just to answer phones and make coffee, Shandra did everything she could to be helpful. She knew that the opportunity to stand out would come along eventually. She just had to be ready for it when it did. And that moment arrived in October 2000. One day, Shandra got a call from one of her friends, Jennifer Baker. Jennifer was a year older and in the same graduate program, but was still in search of that final internship to get her degree. She wanted Shandra to come with her to the Capitol building to put out some feelers with their representatives in Congress. Shandra thought that was a great idea. She was enjoying her internship, but it never hurt to widen her network and brush shoulders with powerful people. So the two of them headed to the Rayburn building, which is where most members of Congress have their offices. Their first stop was the office of Shandra's representative. Congressman Gary Condit. They checked in with his secretary, who told them to grab a seating the reception area until someone could come greet them. Chandra sat down, expecting to have a meeting with a board staffer who would take down their information and send them on their way.

Instead, congressman Condet personally came out from his office to say hello. Chandra was immediately taken with Condit. He had bright twinkling eyes, an easy smile, and immaculate hair. In that moment, he reminded her of her big celebrity crush, Harrison Ford. Despite his busy schedule, Condate insisted he always had time for his constituents. He offered Shandra and Jennifer glasses of white grape juice and escorted them on a personal tour around the Capitol building, including a stop in the gallery of the House of Representatives chamber itself. When they headed back to Condate's office, Jennifer asked him if he might be able to help her secure an internship. The congressman said he could do her one better. He offered her a job in his office right then and there. As for Shandra, of course, she didn't need a job at the moment, but Condit still wanted to help however he could. So he gave her his email address and the phone number for his office. He told her to call anytime for advice or anything else. Shandra couldn't believe her luck. She had just made personal contact with a powerful man in Washington, and she was determined not to let that connection go to waste.

So a few days later, she picked up the phone and called Condate's office. It was a call that would change both their lives forever. Gary Condit had always been a bit of a renegade. Even though he was a Democrat, he stood for some of the more conservative values of California's Central Valley. People appreciated his plainspoken direct style, and that he stood up for his constituent's beliefs even when it wasn't politically popular. Condate's instincts served him well, and he got elected to increasingly powerful positions, making it all to the US House of Representatives in 1989 when he was 41. He wasn't afraid to go against his own party when it came to economic policy, which made him a hot commodity when George W Bush was elected in 2000. By the time he met Shandra Levy later that year, Condate's star was definitely on the rise. For an ambitious young woman like Shandra, getting an in with someone so important must have felt like striking gold. His advice was extremely valuable, and so was his influence. When Chandra finally called his office, Condate Khandit was happy to be a Sounding Board. He told her that if she wanted to get into the FBI or CIA, she should probably learn another language.

And he was happy to just shoot the breeze, too. They quickly bonded over living in California's Central Valley, and before they hung up, Condate gave Shandra his private phone number. It's impossible to know what was going through Shandra's mind at that point, but a moment like this must have felt like one of her childhood fantasies about Harrison Ford was coming to life. Condate was interested in getting to know Shandra better, and she felt the same way. Just before Thanksgiving, Shandra gave Condit a call, and he invited her to come over to his apartment that night. You'd think a 50-something conservative congressman would be staying in a stately townhouse on a quiet street. But that just wasn't Gary Condit's style. He lived in a thriving urban neighborhood called Adams Morgan, that was best known for its restaurants and nightlife. Life. But at the same time, it was close to nature, too. Condit's building was on top of a hill that overlooked Rock Creek Park, an 1800-acre oasis full of wooded trails and quiet corners. After that first night, the affair took off quickly. Chandra would spend the night at Condate's apartment two or three nights a week.

Condate would cook for her, or they'd order takeout, then they'd watch a movie and go to bed together. If you didn't know any better, it would seem like they had been dating for years and had settled into an easy, comfortable routine. But it took a lot of work to keep their relationship secret. Even though Shandra had conned its personal phone number, they almost never spoke on the phone directly. She would leave a message and then wait for him to call her back when he he was somewhere he wouldn't be overheard. On the rare occasions, they did go out. Shandra would get a cab, then Condit would follow her a few minutes later with a baseball cap pulled over his eyes. But Shandra didn't mind all the cloak and dagger mystery. If anything, it was probably pretty exciting, and she found herself really falling for Condit. She kept her calendar clear, saying no to drinks with friends and colleagues, just in case Condit got in touch with her. It was very much a one-sided relationship, but Shandra was willing to put up with it because Condet was making big promises. He said that when the time was right, he'd leave his wife, even give up his seating Congress, just so he could be with Shandra and start a family with her.

And Shandra was ready to believe him. But it was all balanced on a razor's edge. Condit was extremely paranoid about getting caught. He told Shandra that if anyone else was in the elevator when she was going up to his apartment to hit the button for a different floor, if anyone struck up a conversation with her, she had to say she was there to visit a sick friend. And if she ever told a soul about their relationship, he would end it and cut her out of his life completely. Shandra did her best to follow all of Condit's rules. She made sure nobody ever saw her going into his apartment. When a friend asked her why she never went out, she told them she had started dating an FBI agent and was busy with him. But it's hard to keep something so exciting to yourself, no how high the stakes are. And Shandra couldn't stop herself from telling one person, her aunt, Linda Zamski. Shandra certainly knew that telling her aunt about her affair with Condit was a big risk. Linda could alert Shandra's parents or accidentally let some detail slip that unraveled the whole thing. But Linda promised to keep Shandra's secret to herself, and she was true to her word.

For months, Shandra and Condit kept their affair under wraps, and nobody was the wiser. But it was only a matter of time until Will Shandra's secretive behavior began to raise her friend's suspicions. Dating a congressman, even in secret, came with certain perks. In January of 2001, Chandra scored a pair of tickets to George W. Bush's inaugural ball. Of course, Condit wouldn't be going with her, but he'd gotten a ticket for Chandra and encouraged her to bring a plus one. In fact, throughout their affair, Condit told Chandra that she was free to date other men. It was probably a not-so-subtle way of telling her the affair wasn't that serious, despite what he was telling her about starting a life together, but Shandra only had eyes for Condit. With that being said, she wasn't about to go to the inaugural ball on her own, so she called up a friend named Robert Kirkjian and asked him to go with her. Like everyone else in Shandra's social circle, Robert didn't know much about her personal life. All he knew was that she was always too busy to go out, and he assumed whom she was probably dating someone.

So he figured her invitation was strictly platonic, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to go to an event like this. But from the moment he picked Shandra up, something just seemed a little off. Shandra told Robert that they had to pick up the tickets from her boyfriend's place in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. But instead of stopping in front of the building, she made Robert park at a gas station. Before he could ask any questions, Chandra ducked out of the car and said she'd be right back. By itself, that was already a little odd. But what made it even stranger was that they were in the middle of a snowstorm, and Chandra was only wearing an evening gown. Robert didn't know what to make of it. He wondered why Chandra had to be so secretive about it all. But clearly, it was worth braving the freezing weather just to keep Robert from knowing where this guy lived, much less who he even was. But he figured that was Shandra's business. And when she showed back up about 10 minutes later, he didn't pester her about it. The whole night, Shandra was in a funk.

She didn't want to drink, she didn't want to dance. She just went up to the balcony and moaked while she looked out over all the people having fun on the dance floor. Eventually, Robert had to find out what was going on and asked who this mysterious boyfriend of hers was. She sighed and turned to Robert, and much to his surprise, she said she was dating a congressman. When Shandra Levy began an affair with congressman Gary Condet in October 2000, their relationship came with a lot of rules. Most importantly, Condet didn't want Shandra telling anyone that they were seeing each other. And except for mentioning it to her aunt, Shandra didn't tell a soul. But on the night of George W. Bush's inaugural Ball in January she came dangerously close to revealing the affair to her friend, Robert Kirkjian. She admitted to him that she was dating a congressman, but that was all she would say. Seeing how sad Shandra was honestly made Robert feel a little bad for her. He got the feeling that whoever this mysterious congressman was, he was probably down on that dance floor having the time of his life while his secret girlfriend watched, wishing she could be down there with him.

Robert didn't push the issue further, and Shandra probably learned after that night to keep her cards a little closer to her chest. Especially because Condate's career was really starting to take off. George W Bush's inauguration was a huge opportunity for Condet. The margins in Congress were razor thin, and the Republicans needed help from moderate representatives like Condate to pass the legislation they wanted, most notably, a $1.6 trillion tax cut. They needed all the numbers they could get and Condit was the ring leader of a conservative group of Democrats called the Blue Dogs. All of a sudden, Condate found himself firmly in the spotlight. He was essentially a swing vote for the new President's first major legislation, which meant a lot of promises were being made on both sides of the aisle. If he played his cards right, he could secure millions of dollars of benefits for his district in exchange for his vote. And in the three months following the inaugural ball, Condit was being heavily courted by both parties. But all that attention came with a downside, because now Now, Condit was really under the microscope, which motivated him even more to keep his affair with Chandra under wraps.

But Condit could only control so much. And on the other side of the country, His secret was about to be exposed. Back in Chandra's hometown of Modesto, California, spring was in full bloom. And on a beautiful morning in April, 2001, Chandra's mom, Susan, struck up a conversation with her handyman, Otis Thomas, while he tended to some rosebushes at the Levy's home. Susan had known Otis for years, and the two of them love to talk about their daughters, who are both about the same age. Otis asked how Shandra was doing, and Susan couldn't help but smile. She told Otis that Shandra was doing great at her intern relationship. The PR Department at the Bureau of Prisons had been especially busy lately. A high-profile execution was coming up, and Chandra had fielded a ton of calls about it. And she was making a ton of great connections, too. Susan bragged that she'd heard from her sister-in-law, Linda, that Chandra had even become friends with a congressman, although she didn't know which one. When Otis heard his expression darkened. He said he thought he knew who it was because seven years earlier, his own daughter, who was 18 at the time, had become friends with a congressman, too.

His name was Gary Condet. Otis went on to say that his daughter had met Condet at a local political rally, and the two had begun an affair, but it had not ended well, to put it mildly. Otis claimed that his daughter had been told in no uncertain terms to keep the affair secret. He didn't have a lot of details beyond that, but his daughter had been scared enough to go into hiding. Otis told Susan that if Shandra's mysterious congressman was Gary Condit, she needed to call off the relationship immediately. Immediately. Susan thanked him, then headed straight inside and picked up the phone. When Shandra picked up, Susan didn't beat around the bush. She asked her directly if she was seeing Gary Condit. Shandra didn't try to deny it. She just wanted to know how Susan had found out. Susan told her the story about Otis's daughter and told Shandra she was worried about her and to please to end it with condit. But Shandra didn't want to hear it. She told Susan to stay out of her business and she could date whoever she wanted to. And most importantly, she told Susan to keep what she had found out to herself.

Susan was facing a huge quandry here. On one hand, she was afraid for her daughter and wanted to protect her. But on the other hand, Chandra was 23 years old, and it wasn't Susan's place to meddle in her personal life. In the end, she decided to respect Shandra's wishes and stay quiet about the affair with Gary Condit. She didn't tell anyone, not even her husband, Robert. But thankfully, Susan would be seeing Shandra in person soon. Susan and Robert were flying out to the East Coast in about a week to celebrate Shandra's birthday with her. Susan could try and talk some sense into her then. On the night of April 14th, the Levie's all got together to celebrate Shandra's 24th birthday. There was a lot to celebrate. Shandra was doing great at her internship, and she was going to finally graduate with her master's degree in just a few weeks. And when Susan found a quiet moment to talk to her daughter, she asked her again about the affair with Gary Condit. Shandra promised her that everything was okay. She talked to Gary about what Otis Thomas had told Susan and that Condet had explained it all.

Susan asked Shandra what that meant exactly, but Shandra didn't want to talk about it anymore and change the subject. The conversation left Susan feeling more uneasy than ever. And despite what Shandra had said, her relationship with Condit was becoming increasingly uncertain. By April 2001, Condit had really made a name for himself in politics. Ultimately, he decided to side with the Republicans on the massive tax cut package, which earned him an invite to a luncheon celebrating George W. Bush's first 100 days in office. And not only that, he'd be at the President's personal table with his wife, Caroline, by his side. Caroline Condet rarely came to visit her husband in Washington, But when she did, Chandra naturally had to stay away. So Chandra and Condet spent one last night together on April 24th, four days before Caroline was scheduled to fly in. It wasn't a particularly pleasant evening because Shandra had some bad news. She told Condit that her internship had come to an abrupt end. Apparently, she officially completed her coursework in December, and because she was no longer a student, she wasn't allowed to continue working as an intern. But that wasn't exactly the truth.

In reality, Shandra's supervisor had terminated appreciated the internship because Shandra had gone around her to ask for a raise. But ultimately, the result was the same. Shandra had to leave Washington, and she wasn't sure when she'd be coming back. But Shandra wasn't ready to call it quits on their affair. Even though they'd only been seeing each other for about seven months, Shandra said Condit was still promising that he would leave his wife so they could be together. With all the other uncertainty going on in her life at that moment, this relationship was something she could still cling on to. For the moment, though, they had to say goodbye. Condit had to be with his wife, and Shandra was heading back to California for her graduation from USA. The next few days must have been really hard on Shandra. Her life had changed unexpectedly, and she couldn't lean on Khandit for emotional support. She didn't really have any close friends in DC, but she needed to talk to someone. So on the night of April 27th, she called up Robert Kurchin, her date to the inaugural ball. She told him it was her last weekend in town and wanted to see if he wanted to go out to a bar.

Robert was surprised to hear from Shandra They hadn't seen each other in the three months since the ball, and he didn't really feel like going out. But he told her she was welcome to come over and have some pizza with him and his roommate. To his surprise, she said yes. They all put on a movie, and Shandra told Robert all about the abrupt end to her internship. Robert asked her how come her mysterious congressman boyfriend wasn't trying to help her get a job. Shandra didn't really have an answer for that, but she insisted he was still planning on leaving his wife for her. Robert was skeptical. He still didn't know anything about this boyfriend of hers, but he felt like a sitting congressman should be able to help her find some entry-level position in the federal government. In his opinion, the guy was playing her and was probably happy to see her go. By this time, it was nearly 1:00 AM. Robert was ready to call it a night, but Shandra wanted to stay up and keep talking. It was probably a relief for Shandra to actually share her problems with someone, even if she couldn't really say anything specific about them.

But Robert was just too tired. He told Shandra that he was ready for bed and walked her outside, then flagged down a cab. He wished her luck, then watched as she climbed into the cab, and it vanished down the street. The next morning, April 28th, Shandra sent a quick email to her landlord to let them know she had to cancel her lease and was planning to move out on May fifth or sixth. Their time in DC was well and truly coming to an end. Without much else to do, she started planning her move home. And three days later, on May first, she emailed her mom a few potential flight options. She never followed up with her final plans. Robert and Susan probably didn't think much of it. They knew Shandra was going through a lot. Must have figured that she'd call once she finalized her plans. But a few days went by and they didn't hear from her. By May sixth, her parents were officially worried, and they called the Washington, DC police. An officer went over to her apartment, and Shandra wasn't there. It looked like she had been in the middle of packing.

There were a couple of suitcases on the floor, and personal items like her wallet were scattered around the apartment. Wherever Shandra had gone, it seemed like she hadn't been planning to be out for long. The Levis tried calling her work, and even the FBI, but nobody had heard from Shandra or knew where she was. There weren't any hospitals in the area with unidentified patients either. Robert and Susan were desperate for some hint of what happened to their daughter. They still paid Shandra's cell phone bills, so they had access to her records and the calls she was placing. As Susan looked through Shandra's most recent calls, there was one number that popped up more than the others. Susan knew in her heart who this number belonged to, but she had to be certain. After ringing a few times, the call went to voicemail. She had reached the office of US congressman, Gary Condet. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy, and this is murder, true crime stories. Come back next time for part two of our series on Shandra Levy. Murder, true crime stories is a crime house original powered by Pave Studios. Here at crimehouse, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support.

If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at crimehouse on Instagram, at crimehouse studios on TikTok, and at crimehousemedia on X. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow, murder, true crime stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. Murder, true crime stories, a crime house original podcast powered by Pave Studios, is executive-produced by Max Cutler. This episode of murder, true crime stories was sound designed by Ron Shapiro, written by Alex Benadon, fact-checked by Katherine Barner, and included production assistance from Kristen Acevedo and Sara Carroll. Murder: True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy.