had. >> where is your mom right now? >> up in heaven. >> do you think about her a lot? what kind of things you think about? >> her coming down. >> what happens when she comes down? >> she'll start being my mom. >> it's a reminder that your mom is with you. >> yes. >> one other shared treat, and that's what kept erica alive in the darkest hours, her mom's fighting spirit. >> what you had to battle, i guess she did have her earon's fighting spirit to pull through all of that. you know. so, thank god for that. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. for watching. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." hello, stigincredible that. and this is dateline. >> wanted the fs1 cares brought

someone over to be saying, this is our violent crime advocate. i was steeling myself for it already because of the massive police presence. they said they believed he had been murdered. >> craig rideout, father of seven, cared deeply about his kids. >> he was a loving man. provider, warm. >> so, it was puzzling and alarming when he vanished. >> to say craig is not here. here i said that's weird. >> i didn't know what was. happening >> i know something is wrong. i don't know how wrong. >> a disturbing discovery in the basement. >> blood articles found on the walls. >> he appeared there was some kind of ambush. >> revelations about craig's wife. >> craig didn't want to believe there was a romantic relationship between them. it became painfully obvious that there was.

>> and in the park, two young men acting strangely. >> they identified alexander rideout. >> the victims to --? >> the victims to. >> finally, a string of security videos would lay their the bone chilling truth. >> a diabolical plan is forming here. >> i was stunned. >> i was stunned, absolutely stunned. >> remember just holding him, crying. >> this is a family divided like no other. >> yeah. >> hello, and welcome to dateline. the rideouts appear to be a tight-knit family. so when parents craig and laura, told their seven kids they were divorcing, it came as quite a surprise. then craig went missing and a police investigation revealed more surprises. it was a mystery that led police to a horrific discovery, and a family secret as dark as they come. here's andrea canning with

devil's bathtub. >> this is devil's bathtub. a deep, dark pond formed by glaciers millennia ago. it's hidden and secluded. but beyond the tangle and the weeds, a secret was about to be discovered. >> we were ready for this. >> the sirens in my head, red lights going off in my head. >> the discovery would tell the tale of an all american family torn apart. and a twisted loyalty hard to comprehend. >> it was like hitting a brick walled. unlike just stopped. >> this is the ultimate story betrayal? >> yes. >> pittsburgh, new york. a pretty suburb of rochester. big houses, big families, and top ranked schools that make

the people who move here want to stick around. >> this community, i grew up in a bubble. this is the community is a bubble. >> the rideout family lived in that happy bubble. chelsea dated the whole this rideout boy, colin. >> i when member one of the first time i went over to his house in high school, he was cooking dinner. and i was like, oh, man, cooking dinner. very cool. >> irresponsible? >> oh yeah. that was one of the reasons why i fell in love with him. i loved his family. >> and it was a big one. three girls, four boys. the rideout household was always bustling. family dinners, holidays. colin's parents, craig and laura, embraced the chaos. this is craig, s sister, robbyn drew. clearly they like being player in this. they were enjoying this? seven kids. >> dad craig worked as a computer programmer and spent time entering kids at his

church. >> craig is an outwardly personable person. you meet craig rideout, you'll like him. >> paul tucci, better known as "pj", was craig rideout's best friend. his pj was there when craig fell in love with laura. >> laura is compassionate, she's also really intelligent. she double majored in physics and english. 4.0. >> as for the rideout kids, they were smart like their parents. hardworking, articulate. but while they thrived, family life took a toll on craig and laura's marriage. laura had been on bed rest for some of her pregnancies. and money was tight. >> it circles i back i believe to some financial hardships. >> it's understandable, seven children, bills. >> yeah. >> these are real life -- >> real life issues. >> craig and laura separated in 2014. craig took it really hard. >> he sent an email to me saying, well, it looks like i'm

getting divorced. because i don't think i can talk about it without crying. >> pj says he was surprised to see the marriages. >> sometimes you have a gut feeling. a lot of positives that came out of that relationship. there is also a lot of negatives. >> oldest son colin was a mirror at maritime college when his parents split. >> i asked him if he was going to be okay. and his response was, i'm going to be okay. i have you, but i'm more concerned about, you know, making sure my siblings are okay. >> he decided to put family first and help out his mother. he moved back to rochester and put aside college and his goal of becoming a navy seal. >> he loved his dream to put his siblings first. >> what is going to be the custody arrangements? >> the older kids were free to make their own choice. custody got sticky with the two youngest kids. >> their divorce still wasn't final in the summer of 2016. and robbyn says there was tension over this shared custody of the six the

youngest. kids though greg craig told her he was trying to be the best of a difficult situation. >> one of the phrases that he used most recently was that he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. but it was stressing him out. >> and on top of that, something weird happened to craig that summer. someone broke into the town house where he had recently moved. he thought it was no big deal. maybe one of his sons playing a prank. but his sister was worried. she urged him to report it to police. >> my name is craig rideout >> what happened? >> i wake up at midnight with a sharp pain in my arm. i jumped up -- this will sound crazy. a hood black figure -- not a black man. was running out of the room. the reason i have to file a police report, is my blackberry, which was taken that night. >> robbyn made a point to talk to her brother every day. july 19th, just a few days after the break in, was no

exception. >> i said i will call you in the morning. check in on you in the kids. >> but morning came and craig wasn't returning robbyn's calls. >> if he had been in a meeting and felt his phone go off he would've sent a response. in a meeting, call you later. >> concerned, robbyn decided to pay a visit to craig's town house. inside that house, the beginning of a dark family drama that could never be unwritten. >> i know something is wrong. i don't know how wrong. >> what was going on with craig rideout? a discovery in the basement was about to provide an ominous clue. coming up -- >> we found will appear to be blood splatter on the walls. >> what they found next would change everything. >> this is a big moment in this case. >> it is. >> when dateline continues. dat

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i think i'm late on my payment. it's okay, the general gives you a break. yeah, we let you pick your own due date. good to know, because this next scene might take a while. for a great low rate, go with the general. andrea canning: robbyn drew couldn't imagine next scene might take a while. where her brother craig was. it was a warm summer morning, wednesday, july 20th, 2016. >> robbyn drew couldn't imagine where her brother craig was. it was a warm summer morning. wednesday, july 20th, 2016. >> you can't reach him at work. you can't reach him at home. >> right. i'm getting no response. >> that break in was fresh in robbyn's mind when she decided to leave work at lunch and head to craig's town house. his soon to be ex wife laura

was there. she couldn't find him either. >> she says, oh, i figured it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for him. i don't know where he is. >> laura told robbyn a had been craig's night with the two youngest children. but that morning, laura said the kids texted her to say dad was not there when they woke up. she sent colin over to get them. >> colin was always picking up his siblings. he would drive them places. >> robbyn decided to look around her brother's house. she went upstairs to his bedroom. the door was locked. >> i thought, that's really odd. >> did you worry that he might be in the bedroom? >> i was worried that he might have been in the bedroom. >> it happened to him? >> yes. >> exactly what she didn't know. she called 9-1-1. >> my brother has not been answering texts or cell phone calls, or emails -- and i could be making a mountain out of a molehill. >> deputies from the monroe county sheriff's office arrived

at craig's. but they stayed outside. >> robbyn would need a warrant to search the harris. after all, her brother was a grown man and this was his private property. dave fulton was one of those investigators. he spoke to robbyn briefly. >> she called a number of times and this made her nervous. not being able to get a hold of him by email or text. >> laura had gone home but came back to the town house with the two young kids to see what was going on. did she express that she has any idea where craig might be? >> she didn't. she said that she had no idea where he might be. >> laura told the deputies craig was home when the kids were dropped off the night before. >> obviously we are little bit concerned about him, i guess? >> i don't know where to -- >> what to think -- >> because his personality wouldn't be the one to -- >> then the investigator asked the kids some questions. first, the six-year-old daughter. >> was he there when you woke up? >> no. that's when he will come and dad wasn't there. >> the last time you saw your

dad was when, honey? >> a, yesterday. he was playing video games on the computer. he went to the bathroom and then he went downstairs. and then that night he was downstairs and then he disappeared in the morning. >> the 12 year old son told the same story. >> when was the last time you saw him? >> 11:30 last night, when he was going to bed. >> and then what happened this morning? >> he wasn't there. so, i was just guessing he went to work. >> no one could find craig. laura texted pj tucci >> she said craig's not here. i said that's weird. >> colin called chelsea. >> were you concerned just for him? >> yeah, i was concerned. you know? nobody wants to hear somebody went missing in their family. i just assumed he had to step outside, or go on a quick trip. >> late that night, investigators finally had their search warrants. >> you go inside. >> you can we go inside. what do you find? >> an initial walk through, the house was very neat, very well put together.

it is a appear to be any forced entry. >> the investigators unlocked the monster bedroom. it was undisturbed. no craig. they looked around, how nothing, then headed to the basement. what do you find? >> there is boxes on the shelves. everything is stacked. everything is kind of in his home. on the other side, is kind of disheveled. >> it was messy, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a basement. until they notice something alarming. >> we more closely examined the area and found will appear to be blood splatter on the walls and the shelving. >> crime scene techs spare spray the basement with luminol and found even more blood. blood that someone tried to wipe away. then a discovery inside a garbage bag. >> we find what appears to be a rod with two handles, with para cord knotted so that you could hold on to both handles and use

it as a ligature. >> a weapon used for strangulation. the evidence was telling them a story. one that wouldn't end well for craig rideout. >> we were pretty sure we had our murder scene. >> this is a big moment in this case. >> it is. >> coming up -- a bombshell about craig rideout's soon to be ex-wife. >> craig didn't want to believe that there was a romantic relationship between them. i think overtime it became painfully obvious that there was. >> and then, just off a country road, a passer by sees something that will transform the case. >> in the woods, there is a body under a tarp. >> when dateline continues. p. >> when dateline continues.

andrea canning: it was late afternoon, july 20th, 2016. craig rideout, father of seven, had been missing >> it was late .afternoon, july 20th, 2016. craig's rideout, father of seven, had been missing since early that morning. investigators had discovered a horrid scene in craig's basement. a scene that told them he wasn't coming home. >> we're starting to find more and more blood on them. >> craig's sister robbyn was waiting outside, watching the police action unfold in front of her brothers town house. >> and then one of the monroe county investigators brought some buddy over to me saying, this is our crime advocate. >> did your heart sink when -- >> it did and they told me that they believed that he had been

murdered. >> murdered in his own home? investigators surmised a happened overnight, while his young children's left. who would do such a thing? craig's sister told investigator bolton about that break-in at craig's home a few days earlier. days earlier. in the middle of night, he was woken by somebody pulling a hair from his arm. the male ran out of the bedroom and ultimately out of the house. andrea canning: craig told his sister he thought it was a prank, didn't know what to make of it. >> mail right out of the bedroom, and ultimately out of the house. >> reporter: craig told sister he thought it was a prank. he did know what to make of it. nor did robbyn. but she had some other information for the investigator , details about her brother's marriage. how long had craig rideout and laura rideout been separated for? >> about two years. >> and it hadn't been a good separation? >> no, it hadn't been. >> reporter: the reason? laura had a new man in her life, and it was, awkward would be an understatement. her brother was craig's old buddy, p.j. tucci.

paul tucci goes from being craig rideout's best friend to being craig rideout's estranged wife's boyfriend. >> yes. >> reporter: so that does not always work out so well for relationships. >> certainly not between the two of them. >> reporter: greg and laura had been close friends with p.j. and his wife, jennifer, for many years. >> all of the kids really grew up together, they would go out together. they had parties together. >> reporter: but around the same time that laura and craig's marriage was falling apart, p.j.'s wife died from liver disease. p.j. says he leaned on laura for support, and laura began confiding in p.j. . >> his best friend, his former best friend, yes. >> reporter: in a romantic relationship now? >> at first, craig did not want to believe that there was a romantic relationship going on between them, and i think, over time, it became painfully obvious that there was. >> i didn't know i was gonna fall in love with laura.

but that happened over time. >> does craig know about this? >> craig sent me an email. >> reporter: what did it say? >> it said, i don't know if you found yourself in a damsel in distress situation or you're just helping, or you have romantic feelings towards laura . either way, i'm happy. >> reporter: that's big of him. >> i thought it was an interesting thing. i don't know what he was trying to illicit. >> reporter: it was certainly interesting to the homicide detective. but before investigator bolton should run down that bolted juicy lead, he got news. two counties over, a shovel had been left by the side of the road, and 50 feet into the woods, a man's body was discovered. >> 9-1-1. >> i'm we discovered that in the woods, there is a body above the tarp. okay, is it near your home? >> it's down the road. >> reporter: could it be craig? the victims identity was not obvious right away. his killer or killers had used some kind of acid to intentionally disfigure his face

. >> reporter: that sounds like someone had a major grudge with this person. >> it certainly seems like they were not interested in him being found. >> reporter: but even though the victim was unrecognizable, deputies were able to i.d. him pretty quickly. the answer was found in his pocket, when the body was found, the victims phone was ringing. the person popping up on the collar i.d. was robbyn drew, craig's sister. >> as i was trying to reach him, the cell phone was ringing in his pocket. >> reporter: your, calling the phones ringing, and your brother's -- >> and my brother is dead. yeah. >> reporter: it sounds like some really dumb criminals, to leave the cell phone in the pocket when they have gone to these great lengths of pouring possibly acid on this man. >> it does seem that they overlooked a pretty obvious thing. >> they had a crime scene, a body, and a marriage with a soap opera ending. and the next bit of evidence would lead this

story to an even darker place. a place called devil's bathtub. >> 1 million things must be going through your mind. >> it gets stranger quickly. >> reporter: coming up, a chance sighting, and a call to police. >> saw couple of meals in the parking lot, and saw garbage bags getting thrown out. >> reporter: when dateline continues. ♪ ) ( ♪♪ ) emergen-c crystals. go to 1-800flowers.com, find the perfect gift and wow the people you love. these are the best way to say i love you. i love you, too! happy birthday! so cute! thinking of you. wow! gorgeous! woof! 1-800flowers does flowers and gifts. thanks, babe! happy valentines.

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>> reporter: hi, i'm richard louis with you our top stories. overnight, the united states conducting what it calls a strike in self-defense against a hooty anti ship cruise missile in yemen. this came just hours after the u.s. -- hitting 36 who targets across 36 locations. officials say at least 46 people were killed by forest fires and chilly, that number is expected to rise. the fires breaking out after a heat wave. that affected multiple south american countries, at least 1100 homes have been destroyed so far. now back to dateline.

>> reporter: welcome back to dateline, i'm craig melvin. detectives were looking into whether craig rideout had been murdered. then a tip called into 9-1-1 led them to craig's disfigured body, his cell phone still in his pocket. with, it police quickly started connecting dots. and they were about to get another tip. one that would lead to two unlikely suspects. here again is andrea canning with devil's bathtub. >> reporter: the case of the missing dad was now a murder investigation. investigator dave fulton had been up for 36 hours working to critical crime scenes. the basement where craig was likely killed, and the woods where his body was found. and now, the investigator was about to be called to another location, that place called devil's bathtub. it's a place called a secluded

pond that is set deep in a park. what is going on here? why are you called to the scene? >> there were some markers in the park, they saw something that they thought was suspicious. they saw a couple of males in the park in a car parked up in the parking lot, and they saw what they believed to be garbage bags getting thrown out. >> reporter: why was a homicide detective getting a call about a case of suspicious littering? when deputies on the scene detained the two young men, they recognized their last name, rideout. the same name as the murder victim in the case being worked by investigator bolton. >> they identify colin rideout and alexander rideout. >> reporter: the victims two sons? >> yes. >> reporter: colin was in the park with his 19 year old brother alex, who had just graduated from high school. investigator bolton pulled out his iphone, pressed record, and he and another investigator began to ask the brothers some questions. younger brother alex was first.

>> what's going on? when your brother out for a walk? >> yeah, basically that's -- i, mean we were just, like out, and then people shot but it's like, well that's -- i've never really encountered police before, so it was like -- >> you've never been in trouble before? >> no, i -- i don't really do drugs, or drink, or party. >> how old are you? >> i'm 19. >> reporter: investigator bolton 's radar was up. he knew craig thought one of his sons might be behind that we are break-in, and now, here were his sons acting suspiciously in a secluded park. the investigator decided to ask what they thought happened to their dad, but without telling the boys that craig had already been found brutally murdered. >> he always said, i could just disappear. and i figured he was on the next flight to mexico. >> reporter: colin said he did know where his dad was either. >> have you heard anything from your dad? >> well, i emailed him last night. i don't hear from.

i heard from monday, a pick to my brother and sister, i think, tuesday. >> reporter: the investigator wanted to keep cog token, if you did. what is colin opening up to about? >> colin starts talk about the family dynamic, and how he believes his father might be having some sort of mental issues, or some sort of breakdown. >> i've been worried about him for stuff that's been freaking me out. >> reporter: then the investigator asked him directly . what was in the garbage bags they were trying to get rid of? >> i'm worried about what's in that bag. if you tell moved in that bag before i see what's in that bag, it'll be better for you. >> you know, i don't know what's in the bag. >> reporter: investigators didn't think colin was being honest. >> do you believe that? we seek truth. >> yeah. >> i'm hoping that we can maybe be a little truthful today, okay? >> reporter: all that talk about truth worked. the boys admitted something big. they've been at their dad's house the day before, and

listen to this. >> is anything you need to tell me about? >> while there was -- there was a lot of blood in the basement -- you know, and i was -- i was worried that, you know, something had happened. >> and there's a lot of blood in the basement? >> yeah. >> they just placed themselves at the scene of the crime. and when the investigator opened up those garbage bags -- >> bloody clothing, there is a bloody sneaker. there's some work gloves that have blood on them. what would appear to be evidence of a murder. >> reporter: colin, the would- be navy seal who always put family first, and his book smart brother alex with plans to go to college were taken down to the sheriff's office and arrested. they weren't charged with murder, but with tampering with evidence. something to hold the boys while the investigation continued. how do you process that? >> to be honest, shell-shocked would be the best word for it. >> reporter: colin called chelsea from jail.

>> hey, hi. >> colin. oh my god. what? >> i was arrested. my lawyer says i'm just not supposed to talk about anything. >> reporter: what was the state of mind like? >> he's confused. he loves his family. it was like hitting a brick wall, and life just stopped. >> reporter: was there any part of you that said maybe i don't know colin as well as i think? >> he's just a guy that had everything ahead of him, he wouldn't have thrown it away for nothing. >> reporter: did you wonder then how he ended up with the garbage bags and with that evidence? >> i think it would give anyone to pause to think about it, just question. but we also know him. and we know the man that he is. >> reporter: investigator bolton did not know the rideout kids, but he knew there had to be more to the story than two nice boys deciding to kill their dad. his investigation turned to their mom, laura

rideout. the woman who had been married to craig for more than 20 years, and who had raised those sons. robin had been telling investigators about the divorce, and it was not pretty. >> there is a contentious separation and custody battle going on, where they are not really supposed to see each other even at drop off. >> reporter: at the same time, laura and her new significant other, craig's former best friend, p.j. tucci, we're preparing for a big change. >> their intention was to move as a family down to north carolina, that move was supposed to happen within a couple of days. >> reporter: but craig had primary custody of the two youngest, and would not let laura take them out of state. >> reporter: so then how is laura rideout moving to north carolina? >> that's a good question. >> reporter: robin was suspicious of laura from the moment she arrived at her brothers town house. remember, the day craig went missing, laura was there, and she was inside, tidying up. >> when i get, in and i open

the sliding glass door, it's laura, standing in his kitchen, cleaning. >> reporter: that would be odd. >> it was odd. in my head, i'm thinking, what are you doing here? >> reporter: cleaning up a crime scene, that's what investigator bolton suspected. in fact, the boys admitted that it was their mother who gave them the bags of bloody clothes . >> it was just something my mom told me, you know. >> when did your mom give you the bags? >> this morning. >> that you give you the bag? >> yeah. >> reporter: just hours after arresting the two sons, investigator bolton headed to the home that laura shared with p.j. tucci. >> i was stunned. i was absolutely stunned. >> reporter: security video from days before craig rideout's murder leads to a sickening revelation. coming up . >> reporter: a diabolical plans forming here. >> yes. >> reporter: when dateline continues.

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andrea canning: laura rideout wasn't expecting sheriff's deputies to show up at the front door that evening, >> reporter: laura rideout was not expecting sheriffs deputies to show up at the front door that evening, wasn't dressed for a trip to the county jail. but that is where she was going. >> they told me to get shoes. and laura loves to wear heels, and they said, you're gonna need a different kind of shoe. so she throws on a pair of nike golf shoes. and they came down, and then i watched them arrest her. scariest thing i've ever seen. our kids are there, our kids are sitting there watch their mother get arrested. >> reporter: did she say anything? >> they said, what for? and the arresting officer said,

you had to have been expecting this. and she was like, no, what? she said, if i were expecting this, i would've had makeup on. >> >> reporter: boyfriend p.j. said he thought to be in a terrible mistake or misunderstanding. >> reporter: had laura ever said, i wish craig was out of our lives? >> no. she wanted craig to have a relationship with the kids, she didn't have animosity towards craig. >> reporter: but when deputies searched the home where laura lived, there were clues everywhere. inside the master bedroom, a key fob to unlock craig's car. in another bedroom, blue tape, identical to the tape used to make that garage found in craig's basement. bits of incriminating evidence in the home where p.j. also lived. >> reporter: when craig was killed, where were? you >> we were at home. i was with laura. >> reporter: the investigator believed he was with laura, but not innocently at home. six

weeks after craig's murder, p.j. tucci was under arrest to. >> i can tell you this to, i've never been in the guy's house, i've dropped him off, i've never been in there. >> reporter: were you part of the overall plan to cover it up? >> there is no plan. >> reporter: four people were under arrest, and all four let out on bail. >> kyle and alex, any comment? >> reporter: they were only charged with evidence tampering won best gaiters tried to figure out exactly who did what . no one was talking anymore. >> reporter: laura, anything to say? >> reporter: all four lawyered up and present a united front. investigators still did not know if this was a crime of passion or a conspiracy. and if it had been planned, who was the ringleader? investigator bolton says the answer to some of those questions came after analyzing items found on or around craig's body dumped in the woods . >> reporter: we found bungee cords, and a tarp.

and from backtracking receipts, we are able to find video at a number of stores, particular the walmart. >> reporter: when investigators pulled security video from walmart, they saw what appeared to them to be a murder plot in the making. july 18th, two days before the murder, a, laura colin, and one of the younger kids go shopping to buy drain cleaner. drink cleaner which investigators believed was used to disfigure craig rideout's face. the next day, just a few hours before the murder, laura and p.j. are at a different walmart buying a large tarp, bungee cord, and more drain cleaner. >> the tarp in the bungee matched up to the one fan on craig's body. >> reporter: the day of the murder, here's colin buying a shovel, a shovel identical to the one left by the road were craig's body is found. >> a diabolical plans forming here over a number of days. >> reporter: there was laura on

tape, looking completely relaxed. a wife, a mother, and now investigators believed a killer . craig's sister saw a woman who had somehow turned two sons against their own father. >> honest to god, i don't know how that happened. what was said that could've turned the kids against him? >> reporter: this is the ultimate story of betrayal. >> yes. >> reporter: what do you believe happened that like night? >> my belief is that the two younger children are brought over to craig rideout's house that evening. laura or paul go up to craig's room, to maybe talk about this in north carolina. i think laura is the one that gets him to come down to the basement. >> reporter: it was in the basement where

>> is there anything you'd like to say? >> when the charges came down, all four including colin, who had just proposed to his girlfriend chelsea, were charged with murder. >> that was a surprise, you have to have 1 million questions? >> million and one. >> and as the investigation unfolded, authorities had more questions too, including a big one about p. j. tucci. it had to do with his first wife, jennifer, who died from liver disease. he thought it was a suspicious coincidence that her death coincided with his new relationship with laura. >> we spoke with the district attorney's office because we said that this needs to be investigated. >> you learned that it would be possible to poison someone and it could look like cirrhosis of deliver? >> from talking with different people, that is a potential. >> did you think about that,

maybe paul tucci poisoned his wife? >> without a doubt. >> both the sheriff and the district attorney wanted to exhume her body. but the medical examiner was satisfied with the original autopsy. >> the medical examiner wrote on the death certificate what happened, stop bringing her into this, she had nothing to do with it. >> the questions about jennifer tucci's death went nowhere. the prosecutor didn't pursue it. then, as the summer of 2017 approached, the craig rideout case was set to go to trial, and that pretty town of pittsburgh, braced to hear the story of the rideout family. >> yeah we lived in a bubble, that doesn't happen in the bubble. we weren't ready for this. >> and no one was ready for what would happen in court. the families united front was about to implode. >> coming up. four defense teams about to throw each other's clients under the bus. >> everyone started pointing fingers at each other. >> and then, the jury speaks. >> i hear those words and i

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welcome back. just a few years earlier, the rideout family >> welcome back, just a few years earlier the rideout families seemed happy, but now laura her sons alex and collin and her boyfriend p. j. tucci were heading to trial accused of murdering laura's ex

husband, craig. to this point the four of them stood of them together, but that united front was about to be tested. whatever the verdict, one thing was certain, the rideout family would never be the same. with the conclusion of devils bathtub, here is andrea canning. >> they all had big plans. colin rideout was looking forward to getting married, his younger brother alex was planning to go to college. and laura and p. j. were preparing for a fresh start in north carolina. but instead, in the summer of 2017, they were all going to court to stand trial for second degree murder. and in a highly unusual ruling, the judge decided all four would be tried together, for trials in one. it's just bizarre that this family would be on trial together? >> i don't think i've ever seen anything like that.

>> everyone had his or her attorney that sat down with us. >> collins of 30. >> there was no motive. >> alex is attorney. >> lack of evidence. >> p. j. tucci's attorney. >> lack of evidence. >> and two attorneys for laura. >> it was a circumstantial case. >> they were all prepared to argue that the prosecution had no idea what really happened in that basement. does anyone know who the real killer is? >> the real killer knows, it could've been one of many people. >> this is a classic whodunnit. >> district tierney and assistant da, tim prosperity, admitted they didn't know who deliver the final blow. but that didn't stop them from saying all four defendants were responsible for craig rideout's death. you can charge them all with second degree murder even if one of them did not provid the final blow to craig rideout?

>> exactly. >> the example is about the bank robbery, the writer is just as guilty as the one who goes in the bank. >> they told them about the purchase of the tarp, a city train cleaner and a shovel. when the jury learned about the garbage bag full of bloody clothes, they said that genes had the most amount of blood, putting them in the basement at the time of the murder, but dna from all four defendants was found on items in the bags in devils bathtub. you had dna on all four -- >> exactly. and the motive behind it all? the prosecution said it was simple and obvious. >> we believe the motive was to allow the mother to take the younger children out of the state and start off with a new life with her boyfriend, p. j. tucci. >> it's just so hard to understand why the sons would want to do this for their mother? >> perhaps there was some underlying agreement between the sons and the mother that we were not aware of. >> it was now time for all those defense attorneys to have

their say. >> who killed craig right out? who did it? >> the defense said the walmart videos didn't reveal a murder conspiracy, the tarp, the bungee cord, the drain cleaner, all were purchased in preparation for that big move to north carolina. and that's what p. j. told us. >> we had trucks coming, and we had the foosball table, we had to deal with, i'm gonna need something to strap that, the wood things on thed of the uhaul, so i need something big to cover the floor because i'm gonna do the ceiling painting. >> why did you need a drink cleaner for? >> we have girls that have long hair, and they clogged up the shower drains and sinks all over the place. laura even said this works really well. i said, great. >> the family on trial together sitting around that defense table went on the attack, against one another. colin's attorney started pointing fingers. >> who's getting divorced? colin's not getting divorce.

>> that united front that held the family together came crashing down. >> we pointed the finger at the person that was closest to us in terms of items of evidence. >> who's moving to north carolina? collin's not. collin's not moving their. laura rideout, paul tucci are moving to north carolina. >> laura's attorney fought back. >> you can't get around the incriminating evidence against colin rideout. >> so you're pointing the finger laura and is anyone else pointing the finger at anyone else? so you're pointing the finger at colin, on behalf of laura -- >> it affects the family dynamics during the trial. >> we have mother and son, and then paul -- >> i never said that it was colin, i never said that it was anybody, i just said that no one connected evidence to the scene, not my guy. >> and we had to?

>> after a month of testimony the case went to the jury, chelsea remained his biggest supporter to the very end. do you think that the way you described him as being this protector of the family, do you think that is optimally what might have gotten him in trouble? >> he's a smart guy, i don't think he would ever put himself in a situation. he had a life ahead of him. he had no need. >> after five days of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. >> we set a prayer. >> hearts racing, game face on. >> tensions were high for everyone as the crowd filed back into the courtroom, the verdicts were read, one by one. >> alexander rideout. >> beginning with the suns. first younger son alex. >> you've been found not guilty of second degree murder. >> alex was acquitted of the murder charge but guilty of tampering with evidence. >> colin rideout. >> then the eldest son colin.

>> the jury found you guilty of murder in the second degree. >> i hear those words and i was just the -- i just blacked it out. >> deputies lead calling away in handcuffs. >> chelsea was inconsolable as she left the courtroom surrounded by family. >> it was the grown-ups turned to hear their verdicts. the victims from her best friend, pg tucci. >> mr. tucci, you've been found not guilty of murder in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence. >> p. j. tucci was acquitted on all counts. >> actually had to check the verdict sheet to make sure that i had heard it right. >> laura rideout -- >> but what about the mother at the center of it all? laura rideout. >> the jury has convicted you of murder in the second degree. >> laura rideout, guilty of murder. >> not surprised at all. >> what's that emotion like? >> relief. and justification. >> laura and her son, colin, were both sentenced to 25 years

to life behind bars, younger son alex was sentenced to a maximum of eight years. alex and collin are appealing their convictions. p. j. tucci walked out of court a free man. prosecutors had no physical evidence to prove that he was ever in craig's house. did paul tucci get away with murder? >> i believe he did. >> there will be people who will say, he definitely had something to do with this. >> half the people out there are gonna think one thing and you can change peoples beliefs that way, and half the people are going to think the other way. i'm not here to change your mind. it is a sad story. a murder did occur. but i don't think that the whole story is out there. i don't think the jury necessarily got it right. >> p. j. tucci was free, but now alone. a widower, who once planned to make and new life with laura, and now, she was behind bars for what could be her rest of her life. does she want you to find love

again? >> she always wants me to find love. sure. the question is, she set a really high standard. >> but she's been convicted of murder? >> but i know in my heart that she didn't do it. >> craig's sister, robin, is left trying to make sense of it all. the darkness that destroyed that big family, of family that once had so much ambition and promise. >> it's just heartbreaking. nobody wins. nobody wins in this. >> this is a family divided like no other. >> yeah. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. melvin, thank you for watching. good morning, look to this sunday edition of morning joe: weekend. it's a fast-moving week of news

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