2001 Dartmouth College Murders - Half and Susanne Zantop

Half and Susanne Zantop

Half and Susanne met while studying at Stanford University in the mid-1960s. Fascinated with geology, Half had earned a bachelor's degree from Freiburg University, while Susanne was working on her master's degree in political science. After Half earned a geology Ph.D. in 1969 and worked as a field geologist, he and Susanne were married in 1970 . They had two daughters, Veronika and Mariana. Susanne taught in the German department at Dartmouth College and was chairwoman of that faculty. Half was popular among many of his students. They had begun contemplating retirement in the months leading up to their murders. The homicide investigation was led by the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit and at times consisted of as many as 50 investigators from numerous police departments as well as the FBI.