Crime show features 2020 assault on youth in downtown Cape Girardeau

An assault in Cape Girardeau captured on a viral Facebook livestream was recently the focus of an episode of "Crimes Gone Viral."

Investigation Discovery's TV show featured the 2020 assault of dancer Ethan Hagler in an episode that aired Monday night.

On July 3, 2020, a 29-year-old man from Cape Girardeau approached Ethan as he danced in downtown Cape Girardeau and punched Ethan's face. The boy was 12 years old at the time of the assault.

Ethan's dance instructor, Micheal Crank Curry of Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio, had a Facebook livestream video running at the time of the assault. The footage garnered more than a million views. The assault then captured national news attention.

Producers of the "Crimes Gone Viral" show asked Ethan and his mother, Stephanie Hagler, to take part in the show about eight months ago, according to Hagler.

Hagler said participating in "Crimes Gone Viral" was a way to secure closure for a difficult time in her son's life.

"That was kind of our big finale," Hagler said. "This chapter of our life is lost, and we are going to move on."

Footage of the assault and interviews with Ethan, Hagler and Curry appeared in the second half of an episode called "Danger on the Street."

In May, a judge sentenced Cedric Charles Moore Jr. of Cape Girardeau to seven years in prison for the assault. He's currently held at Eastern Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Ever since the attack, Hagler said her son, now 15, struggles at times. He has a gap in his memory from the time he was hit to when Hagler took him to a nearby hospital, she said. He suffered from a significant concussion due to Moore's blow and now has permanent eye damage. His mother said he is in counseling.

However, the assault did not hamper Ethan's passion for dance.

"Dance is really the only thing Ethan cares about," Hagler said.

Ethan dances five nights a week and travels on weekends to compete in dance competitions. This weekend, he'll go to Florida for a dance battle.

According to Curry, Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio students stopped performing on public streets after the attack. They have restarted, though. The Parade of Lights in November was their first public street performance since the attack.

Curry said Ethan has started to pick up professional dancing gigs.

"He's getting a lot of good experience, and he's continuing to grow," Curry said.

"Crimes Gone Viral" may be viewed through a subscription on www.discoveryplus.com and is free through certain TV subscriptions. The episode featuring Hagler is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.