i have no remorse and i do have remorse for what happened with the boys, and i do have remorse for my husband's death. i wrote her back and basically said i get you have that remorse, but you've never expressed remorse for planning the murder or for taking responsibility for the murder. >> will you ever say i did this? >> no. >> or i told them to do this? >> no, i didn't ask them to do this and no, i will not. >> so far all of pamela's petitions to be considered for parole have been denied. she says she will never stop trying to win her freedom. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. atic cr in a story of two mothers fighting for their sons-- he knows, he hurt my son bad.

i believed every word my son said, and i still do to this day. answer for this? >> a dramatic chapter 2 mothers fighting for their sons. >> he knows he hurt my son. >> a missing teenager found dead. >> his body was laying in the clearing. >> we want answers. >> was it murder? or was it something else? >> how do you get in a scuffle and the next thing you know you're being charged with murder. >> a trial. >> i watch my son die every day. >> and a twist that stunned un everyone. >> we had to stop and think with the we heard it right. . i, there is nothing more powerful than a mother's love for her child and no greater pain than losing a child. >> hello, welcome into datelin it has been said there's nothing more powerful than a

mother's love for her child and no greater pain than losing a child. both forces collided in a small midwestern town when a mysterious death sparked a search for justice. it divided a community and turn strangers into allies. the outcome left both sides reeling. here is dennis merce -- murphy with here at the edge of town. yards from the chicken wing places an one likely scrapple wilderness and a southern illinois town. a thicket of vines and brambles. acres of thorns that tear the flesh. for years people spend by without a second look. something terrible at in their in a cold night the brought a stranger to town. a mother looking for answers about her son. >> i knew one thing is i was not going to stop. >> no matter how painful the truth turned out to be.

does it hurt you to be back here? >> yes. >> her heartbreak launched another mother might ski fight. >> i want to save my son. i'm a fighter. i am a mom. >> divided an entire community. >> no matter who you are or where you came from, right is right and wrong is wrong. >> few people know this part of southern illinois better than monica. this mother two has spent most of her life in these parts. >> we are the average small town america. >> who runs a? >> that's a hard question. until something goes wrong, we all do. . >> for years, she hosted a friday night radio show called reality check. did you touch scandal or city hall politics? >> oh, yeah.

i like to push the envelope a little bit. >> it wasn't unusual for people to send her tips of stories to watch. that began in february 2014. >> i had a ran a facebook message from somebody had never heard of and it said, have you heard about this? it was the link to a flyer for missing person. >> 19-year-old pravin varughese. a college sophomore at southern illinois university in carbondale. last seen leaving a house party, stepping into the bitter cold. >> i was like, where is this kid at? >> what caught your interest? >> the young man that contacted me was in distress. he says it's abnormal. he would not do this. something is wrong. >> monica learn that he came from chicago, six hour drive away. he was the adored middle child of immigrants from india. his dad was a respiratory therapist and his mom a nurse.

>> thursday morning, i woke up with this awful feeling of something heavy in my chest. >> when the phone rang, lovely expected to hear his voice. he called home most evenings. it was not her son. it was a police officer. >> he said, well, your son is reported missing by his cousin. i screamed. everything change that moment. everything changed. >> lovely and her husband drove to carbondale and met their daughter at pravin's student apartment. there was no sign of her boy. >> my parents were mentally out of it. it was so hard. i felt i had to set up because it was my brother. i wanted to find a more than anything in the world. >> she organized busloads of volunteers are shut up from chicago to help the family search. they handed out flyers. posted on telephone poles and gas stations, desperate for

clues. >> we had no idea what happened with pravin at that point. >> police were searching too. >> we had 14 canines to help search the areas for him. two helicopters and a state police plane. >> so you were blowing it off. >> no. >> we did not know where he was. >> lovelies family as the public for help. they offered $15,000 in reward money. this is a start of a long journey for you. a journey that began as a search for her son, but soon became something else. a search for truth and kindness and finally justice >> coming up. >> the statement was pravin seem to be intoxicated and could not tell where he was going. >> a first clue from the last person to see pravin alive. >> now we have an area to

look. >> but what they discover will tear two families apart. >> i thought this doesn't sound right. ...makeup smearing drops user. i want another option that's not another drop. tyrvaya. it's not another drop. it's the first and only nasal spray for dry eye. tyrvaya treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease fast by helping your body produce its own real tears. common side effects include sneezing, cough, and throat and nose irritation. relying only on drops? not me. my own real tears are my relief. ask your eye doctor about tyrvaya. an alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. ♪♪ get 6x longer-lasting freshness,

plus odor protection. try for under $5!

craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. so he sublet half his real estate office... plus odor protection. [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. shell renewable race fuel. reducing emissions by 60%. ♪♪ we're moving forward with indycar. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress.

dennis murphy: lovely gazed out a hotel window and waited for news of her missing son. memories crowded out the quiet. lovely gazed at a hotel window and waited for news of her missing son. memories crowded out the quiet.

pravin, a chatty and energetic child was always in motion from the time he was little. singing. dancing. running. he had made varsity on his high school track team. >> his cross-country coach said i don't know any kid who can run that fast and talk and cracked jokes. >> personality? >> goofy and funny. never held a grudge, ever. >> his real dream was to become an fbi agent. the criminal justice program at southern illinois university was well regarded, and there was something else the university was known for. >> when we looked at the college, my husband said, that's a party college. he said which college is not a party college? >> a party was the last place pravin had been seen. did he fit into that party crowd? >> we head a lot of his friends

who told us he did party with them on a regular basis. >> drink until they got sloppy? >> he did consume alcohol in number time of days. >> some witnesses told police at the party the night he disappeared. >> he was creating somewhat of a disturbance and was asked to leave. >> pravin's friends expected him to meet up at a bar, but he never showed. they did not see him the next day or the day after that. finally, four days after he was reported missing, someone came forward with a tip. pravin had scored a ride after the party. cops track down the driver. >> his statement was pravin seemed to be intoxicated and unable to tell where was he was going. >> there had been a fight and the driver said pravin had run into the woods at the edge of town. >> now we have an area to look. >> team spandau to search and it did not take long.

>> his body was laying in a clearing. he had a cell phone nearby. >> the temperature was 14 degrees. >> yes. >> it looked as though pravin had frozen to death. it's the worst possible news for the family. >> yes. >> a police officer showed up at lovely's hotel room. >> he said we found pravin. i said, is he alive? he said no. >> it turned out he was found in rough woods, not that far from the window of your motel. >> 400 yards from the motel. >> all the days you were wondering where he was. >> that's the hardest part for me, thinking he was alone. there wasn't anyone by his side to tell him we love him and he had to die alone in the middle of nowhere. >> she wasn't just sad. she was angry.

priya thought she could hear the police judging her brother. >> they said he was too drunk to figure out where he was. >> college kid who couldn't handle liquor and ended up dead. >> that's what they said. >> the police chief held a news conference at afternoon. >> the difficult terrain and low temperatures are believed to have contributed to pravin's difficulty to find his way out. >> monica who had been following the story watched the presser at a friends house. >> no foul play is suspected. >> i thought this doesn't sound right. >> she was struck by the sight of pravin's mother ntv. lovely had gone to the scene where her son died. >> when i saw his mom, broke my heart. i remember thinking, she is not from southern illinois. >> a stranger in a strange land. >> she does not know this town. i have so many questions and i

am from here. >> monica did not know it but lovely had questions too. when she got back to chicago, the funeral director handling pravin's body had disturbing news. >> he said, lovely, you are a nurse. he said, you need to see him. this is not a frostbitten body. >> lovely had seen several dead bodies during her career as a nurse but never expected to see her own son's. she was shocked by what she saw. a massive bruise on pravin's forehead and bruises on his thigh. 's lip was busted up. if a civilian had seen the body , what they say i see injury? >> yes. >> lovely higher term pathologist. to examine pravin's body. >> this was someone -- >> he noted injuries lovely had not seen including a bruise on pravin's arm that went all the way to the bone, possibly a

defensive injury. if you're stumbling around the woods in the dark and you stumble and hit a rock, could that cause a? >> it's not enough. >> the more you became familiar with the body, did you think he suffered a terrible beating i don't know what caused this? >> the body was found the way it looked on a city street, you would think somebody heard him. >> but who? lovely was determined to find out. >> and she will have help. lovely forms a powerful bond with the radio host obsessed with her son's case. can they solve the mystery together? >> she was completely shattered. she just said this is not my kid. something is wrong. >> i am like, a mother asking the same questions i have. >> two mothers united in a common cause. >> lovely said i don't want

revenge. i just want answers. ant answer. in every jar. olay visibly firms, lifts, and smooths wrinkles, by penetrating the skin, to boost regeneration at the surface cellular level. try olay. wanna know a secret? more than just my armpits stink. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant... everywhere. 4 out of 5 gynecologists would recommend whole body deodorant, which gives you 72 hour odor protection from your pits to your- (sfx: deoderant being sprayed) secret whole body deodorant. what can you do with sensitive skin? ( ♪♪ ) cetaphil moisturizing lotion hydrates for a full 48 hours. because a lot can happen in 48 hours. cetaphil. we do skin. you do you.

why choose a sleep number smart bed? can it keep me warm when i'm cold? because a lot can happen in 48 hours. wait, no, i'm always hot. sleep number does that. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 48 months when you add an adjustable base. shop now at sleepnumber.com

dennis murphy: pravin varughese had been found dead in the heart of the woods. police suspected, he'd gotten lost in a drunken daze ol pravin varughese had been found dead in the heart of the woods. police suspected he had gotten lost in a drunken days and succumb to the cold. his mother thought something far more sinister had happened, especially after reading the report of around pathologist.

he believed pravin suffered blunt force trauma to the head. blunt force trauma. >> yes. >> lovely was not alone in her suspicions. >> we have had a situation in southern illinois that has been disturbing. >> his team same we can pravin's family gathered for his funeral, monica was on radio 300 miles away asking questions about his death. >> we have what we believe to be a healthy 19-year-old found dead in the woods. >> during the show, a mourner sent monica a text. >> i just got a text message from a dear friend of pravin. i went to pravin's visitation. his face looks like he was beat bad. >> someone told lovely about monica's show. >> when i was listening to her, i was like, boy, there's a mother asking the same questions i have. >> the two women started talking on the phone every day.

>> i felt a connection with her. i thought, i can tell her anything. >> lovely confided how hurt she was by all the talk of pravin drinking. >> she was completely shattered. she just said this is not my kid. something is wrong. >> pravin's cousin ashley had already given lovely his version of events. >> was pravin drinking that night? was he drinking too much? >> no. >> what about reports of rowdy behavior? >> that is how pravin is in general. >> friends and family posted videos of his boisterous behavior. >> he is intergenic. >> it was hard for lovely not to wonder if he was just telling her what she wanted to hear. until monica interviewed three other students on a radio show who were at the party that night. >> this is our second show we've done on this particular issue. >> explained from what they had

seen, pravin had not been drinking all that much. >> he was standing and talking to me like i would talk to anyone is. he was not leaning on me your couldn't talk or think straight. >> if pravin was not that drunk, lovely wondered how had the ended up lost in the woods. police had found his body hundreds of yards from the road. you can see them try to retrace his steps in this video. lovely walked the route too. what's it like? >> they are thick and full of thorns. you have to spread it. >> there was barbed wire fencing of some of the woods from the highway. that's right found a piece of his clothing? >> yes. this is where. >> a piece of his t-shirt snagged on one of the barbs. the lower strand got a piece of his clothing. lovely thought the rough terrain and barbed wire made it unlikely pravin would've wandered aimlessly into the woods and gotten lost. if he had been lost, why hadn't

he headed toward the cars? are used as phone to call for help? we was a phone? >> it was found to his right side. >> lovely was more convinced than ever that pravin's death was a result of foul play which is why she was so surprised when six weeks after his death, the official autopsy report came back and confirm what police had originally said. pravin died of hypothermia. the report did note some abrasions on his body but said there was no significant trauma. one report has one report not needing a band-aid a one blunt force trauma. >> that's a time i thought i'm in the twilight zone. >> there was something else in the autopsy report. something big. no alcohol had been founded pravin's blood. didn't that undermine the theory that he had gotten lost because he was drunk? it certainly got the attention of the police pathologist who wrote strangely tax is negative. no reason for pravin's bizarre

behavior and hiding in the woods. did that say something about your attitude toward the investigation? it throughout your theory he was drunk? >> it didn't change in my mind, didn't change the direction of the investigation. it was definitely a surprise that there wasn't more of an alcohol level in his toxicology. >> police had a theory. maybe he had metabolize alcohol as he laid dying in the woods. lovely did not by it. she went back to carbondale and staged a protest in the town square. >> we will not rest until we find the truth. >> it was the first time she and monica met in person. >> we were just hugging and crying. >> they started planning their next move. >> lovely said i don't want revenge. i just want answers. and if the answers are that somebody hurt my baby, i want justice. >> over the next few months,

lovely and her supporters organized protests and press conference is demanding a new investigation. >> we are seeking justice. >> a year past. lovely went to pray in the woods where pravin's body had been found, and she waited. then suddenly -- >> he didn't call us. he gave it to the press. >> it turned out the local prosecutor had been investigating behind the scenes. he had consulted new pathologist and convened a grand jury. in his report he wrote the evidence showed pravin's death was an accident caused by intoxication, frigid weather, and poor judgment. >> he said pravin was drunk, intoxicated, highly intoxicated. >> what did the science a? >> he didn't mention the tax was negative. >> she felt as if the story was not being heard.

monica had an idea of how to turn up the volume. why did you invest so much of your personal time for a young man you did not known a mother you did not know? >> it sounds cheesy and clichi, but i am a mother and there is nothing we will not do for our kids. >> lovely and monica double down on their search for answers. they inch closer to the truth. coming up. one possible answer to what happened that night. >> i was scared for my life. >> another mother tells her side of the story. >> went to his father and they took care of things. and with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is no exception. it's time you had a proven choice to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the first and only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo. proven to help repigment skin over time.

restoring what's yours. it's possible with a steroid-free cream that you can apply yourself. opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections including tb or hepatitis b or c. serious lung infections, skin cancer, blood clots, and low blood cell counts occurred with opzelura. in people taking jak inhibitors, serious infections, increased risk of death, lymphoma, other cancers, and major cardiovascular events have occurred. the most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. repigmentation is possible. ask your dermatologist today about starting or refilling opzelura. pursue it. long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent. but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize. lysol can.

♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen. say goodbye gush fears! thanks to always ultra thins... with rapiddry technology... that absorbs two times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush.

i'm jessica layton. a to is really prime minister netanyahu said sunday the country is not rejecting the cease-fire framework for the war in gaza laid out by president biden. this despite his speaking out against the proposal calling it

a nonstarter. check evacuation order has been lifted and tracy california is firefighters continue battling the coral fire. it broke out saturday was said to be 50% contained sunday night. i'm andrea canning. authorities concluded that pravin varughese's death was i am andrea canning. authorities concluded pravin varughese death was an accident saying he was drunk. got lost in the woods and froze to death. an autopsy found no alcohol in his blood and his mother, lovely, was convinced there had to be another explanation. then, she discovered police had not shared a key detail about the night pravin disappeared. here is dennis murthy with at the edge of town. in the town where her son lost his life, soft-spoken lovely was finding her voice. >> i am not trying to blame

anyone or point fingers. we just demand answers. >> the investigation appeared to be over but lovely refused to give up. >> this is not over. >> she had filed a lawsuit against the city of carbondale and its police chief, accusing them of negligence. 12 days after the boy's family files a lawsuit against you, you were fired? >> it was over the weekend. >> 30 years of law enforcement workup and spoke. >> it got to my career. >> the city manager said the dismissal was a confidential matter they had nothing to do with any litigation. the former chief believes he was the scapegoat of a city under siege from pravin's family. did you think it was a good investigation? >> i did. i did think it was a good investigation. there were conscientious people working hard. >> there was one other person lovely suit. a driver had given pravin a

ride that i. he was the last person known to have seen pravin alive. puts the character of this kid? what did you learn? >> at face value, typical southern illinois guy. middle-class family. >> his name is gaege bethune. just like pravin, he was 19 years old. just like lovely, his mom was also a nurse. >> gaege was very laid back. a good kid. a lot of dreams and hopes. >> penny said gaege have fell sorry for pravin walking in the bitter cold. >> did not have a codon and as gaege free ride. gaege said his. >> she said gaege had no idea pravin was missing until days later when he saw story about it on tv. >> he immediately went to his father and they went and took care of things. >> a statement taken from gaege bethune. >> he told police he was upset when he heard pravin was

missing. >> it made me sick to my stomach. >> he seemed eager to tell detectives everything he knew. >> he came up to my window and said give me a ride. i said okay. it's cold outside. nobody needs to be walking in this cold. >> gaege said pravin didn't seem to have a clue where he was going. they drove around in circles for 30 minutes. he said they didn't talk that much. >> he was on the phone the majority of the time. trying to get cocaine of somebody. >> gaege said the talk of drugs made him nervous and he wanted to get home. >> i was like, i told you to get out of my vehicle. then he started to get aggressive. >> gaege said he pulled over and that's when he said things got ugly. >> he got out of the vehicle and swung on me. self-defense, i hit bad. dodged it the night hit.

we rolled down the hill. he was on top. i was on top. i do know for sure the first hit i hit him in the face. >> maybe that would explain the bruising. >> i was scared for my life. i didn't know what he was capable of. i'm not used to being around that type of population. >> at that moment, he said as state trooper arrived at the scene and pravin dashed into the woods. really? that was something easy for police to verify, and they did. here is the dash cam video. there's no audio but you can see gaege walking in the shot in the trooper shining his light into the woods, looking for someone. the trooper told gaege to head home before leaving himself. police had not told the family about the trooper, but monica did after getting a tip. >> it haunts me. i think my brother could've been alive at that time. >> monaco was getting tips about the roadside via too. >> our kids are talking over

here. they say the driver beat this kid up. >> they thought they had proof pravin had been scared. a friend of his had been on the phone when the incident occurred and told the family what she it hurt. >> she said it sounded like someone was running. he said do not hang up. >> don't hang up. could that have been a call for help? lovely was at her wits end imagining are some in last hours in the woods and frustrated the case was going nowhere. then, she got a surprising break because the prosecutor did something lovely never expected. he asked the judge to appoint a special prosecutor to take a fresh look at the case. is this credit to the guy? i know you're not fond of him as an individual. buddy did this thing? >> i guess -- i believe it is god pushing him to do that. the truth still needed to come out. >> lovely dropped her lawsuit

against the city and the police chief, and waited to see what would happen. but, half a year went by. >> i said, that's it. were going to the city council meeting and i will get pictures of pravin and put them in their face. >> any citizen comments? >> i took a six-hour train drive to be here today and i request your kind attention to me. >> she didn't cuss them out or threaten him. she said, please, i want answers. common courtesy. >> then it was monica's turn. >> i want to show you a few images of what we are being told here are not injuries. >> she handed out photos of pravin's injuries. >> one lady excused herself and was crying and this guy was crying. >> the presentation seem to have an impact. a few weeks later, city officials handed over a copy of the case file lovely and monica

could not believe what they found inside. >> coming up. >> it is such a really. >> news welcomed by one mother that stones another. ice works fast. ♪♪ heat makes it last. feel the power of contrast therapy. ♪♪ so you can rise from pain. icy hot. [♪♪] if you're only using facial moisturizer in the morning, so you can rise from pain. did you know, the best time for skin renewal is at night? olay retinol24 renews millions of surface skin cells while you sleep. wake up to smoother, younger-looking skin with olay retinol24.

what is cirkul? cirkul is what you hope for when life tosses lemons your way. cirkul is your frosted treat with a sweet kick of confidence. cirkul is the effortless energy that gets you in the zone. cirkul, available at walmart and drinkcirkul.com. are you still struggling with your bra? it's time for you to try knix. makers of the world's comfiest wireless bras. for revolutionary support without underwires, and sizes up to a g-cup, find your new favorite bra today at knix.com smile! you found it. the feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you.

so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu.

so clearly you. dennis murphy: pravin's room has been left untouched since his death. it's a shrine of sorts. d. pravin's room has been le untouched. it is a shrine of sorts. lovely praise mold nights

before she goes to bed. do you worry about losing your mother in the grief of all of this? she so consumed by it? >> no. it is my brother. i want everything and anything for him to get justice. we have to fight. >> for lovely that no longer meant protests or speeches. it meant hours studying the case file. monica travel to chicago to help . >> we got dry erase boards and want to know which officers were here and who so what. does is report match his? we were pretty awesome. >> visitors were not welcome. >> don't touch our stuff. >> they started to question just how cooperative gaege had been with the police. remember he said oh badly he felt about pravin's death. >> it made me sick to my stomach. >> it turns out gaege had not

come forward to the cops of his own accord. it was only after his cousin told police about him that he went to see them. >> if he was in a fight with pravin and it was completely innocent, why would he of called immediately and said i got in a fight with that guy. let me show you where it happened. >> here is what they learned from the case file. gaege had not talked to law enforcement once or twice, but talk to them three times. each story was slightly different. >> we feel that you were not completely honest with us. >> his first story was to the state trooper. gaege told him he picked up a black hitchhiker walking along route 13. he said the hitchhiker tried to rob him and then ran into the woods. in a follow-up interview, gaege admitted to the cops that was a lie. >> did he rep may? >> he said there was something else he lied about before bumping into pravin he had been at a party trying to score grow dashed drugs. he said pravin was a one

looking for cocaine. >> the things we are seeing in here, speechless. >> is lovely and monica talked about the case live on facebook, -- gaege's mom watched with dread. >> i feel guilty. >> why do you feel guilty? >> because i didn't do enough to save my son? i didn't speak up. >> penny said her son was no angel and she knew he drinks sometimes. i don't hear you making him a saint. i don't hear you saying you will never hear bad thing. >> no child is perfect. >> so there could've been beer in the car? >> i wouldn't be shocked. >> gaege she said was like any other teenager. that explained his lies to police too. >> he thought he was going to get in trouble for the drinking and driving. >> the different stories he told police.

>> exactly. we have all been 19 whether you have been to in trouble or not, you have lived about something one way or another. >> penny said gaege had been honest when it mattered. he told the state trooper that pravin was in the woods and wondered why the trooper hadn't gone to look for him. you put some blame on the officer. >> i put most of the blame on the officer. >> why didn't he looked for that kid? whatever he didn't do that night, his mother said he was not responsible for pravin dying in the woods. >> he had done nothing wrong besides getting into a scuffle and giving the kid a ride. >> the special prosecutor thought differently. july 2017, three years after pravin's body had been found, gaege was charged with two counts of felony murder. the special prosecutor had a new theory. check out these tweets that appeared weapon posted by gaege. the prosecutor believed that gaege using a racial epithet was bragging about hustling

people of color. that's when he thought gaege it done to provine. not just beaten him but robbed him. under illinois law, the special pricing heater could prove pravin died as a result of the blows even if he didn't mean to kill him, gaege could be found guilty of felony murder. >> it is such a really. it's a peace of mind. >> after the charges, lovely felt as if she could breathe for the first time since pravin's death. for penny, it was agony. what do you do? >> i fell to pieces then i gathered myself up and i hug him and tell him everything will be okay. >> dara, gaege's best friend said he was terrified. since the debt, gaege had become a father to a little girl. >> i've never seen a dude cry until the day before he started going to trial. that is a guys scared for his life. >> pravin died in the most picture of winter colds.

it was blazing summer when his family and gaege's family set foot in the jackson county courthouse. did you ever catch eyes with pravin's mom? >> yes, i wanted her to feel my sympathy. >> but it didn't happen? >> by that point, they wanted my son to pay. >> the prosecutor's case was is. gauges blows inflicted during a robbery at sent pravin fleeing into the woods where a disoriented from his interest, he died in the bitter cold. the prosecutor argued, you didn't have to look further than the lies to police to see a guilty man trying to cover his tracks. >> the prosecutor pointed out the very first question they asked him other than his name, he answered with a lie. >> gaege's defense attorney came back swinging. arguing that the death was a tragedy but one of his own making. >> the problem with pravin that

night as he was poorly dressed for the weather. he had a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and. >> he froze to death. that was the cause of death. >> that was the cause of death. >> they said the injuries were hardly life-threatening. if anything the defense argued, was the alcohol in his system that made him more vulnerable to hypothermia. what about the negative tox results? the kid was not correct? >> he lived for three or four hours after he went into the woods. >> the body is metabolizing. >> absolutely. >> how drunk could pravin a ben if he made the phone call to his friend telling her do not hang up? he's having a sensible phone conversation with a friend in chicago. he is able to dial his phone. >> you are assuming this lady was not on speed dial. >> the defense said the prosecution's case added to a bunch of nothing. there was no proof of a beating in zero evidence of a robbery.

he said those tweets were posted almost one year before pravin's death. they were crude and stupid but that's all they were. words and did not prove anything. they hadn't even been allowed into trial by the judge. what's more dashed >> when pravin was found, he had his wallet. he had $24 in his wallet. >> the defense attorney made a bold mood. he called gaege to the stand and it did not go well. >> gaege's first at cross- examination was tough. >> shocked. miracle. dream come true. >> because gaege did something monica had never imagined. he admitted punching pravin and demonstrated to the jurors how he had done it. >> lovely said, he said it. i hit him right here. she said that's all i need. >> lovely had fought for years to get her some's case heard inside a courtroom. after nine days of testimony,

it was in the hands of the jury. but, what happened next surprised everyone. >> coming up. >> the jury comes in. several of the jurors were visibly shaken and looked as if they had been crying. >> a verdict. >> i could hear crying from the other side and i could hear crying from our side. >> i've been doing this over 30 years and it's the first time i've ever had this happen. is h. shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. ahhh, there's nothing like a day out with friends. that's nice, but shingles doesn't care! 99% of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. a perfect day for a family outing! guess what? shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions

to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. wanna know a secret? with new secret outlast, you can almost miss the bus... but smell like you didn't. secret fights 99% of odor-causing bacteria. smell fresh for up to 72 hours. secret works! it's a crime to smell that good. what can you do with sensitive skin? ♪♪ cetaphil gentle skin cleanser does more than clean. it actually protects skin by keeping it hydrated. so you're always ready for the unexpected. cetaphil. we do skin. you do you. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth

and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients. so rich. so indulgent. it's new olay body wash. silky indulgent moisture. bye bye, dry skin. hello glow in just 14 days. indulge. with olay body wash.

welcome back. accused murderer gaege bethune testified

that he punched pravin varughese the night welcome back. accused murderer gaege bethune testified he had punched pravin varughese the night the teenager went missing. gaege's lawyer argued the injuries were not life- threatening and pravin later froze to death to to his own poor judgment. the jury was about to deliver its verdict. then, a surprise that would leave the courtroom stunned. here is dennis murphy with the conclusion of at the edge of town. >> lovely and her family waited patiently inside the jackson county courthouse is a jury decided whether to find gaege bethune guilty of their son's murder. one hour turned into two. then six and then seven hours of deliberation. >> we were called back to the courtroom. the jury comes in. several of the jurors were visibly shaken. they look like they had been

crying. >> when we sat down, i touch my son's picture and i always tell him what is going on. i hear him saying in my heart, mommy, we got it. >> the jury did not believe the prosecutor's theory that a robbery was behind the death. he was acquitted on the account. they did believe gaege's blows had caused pravin's death after that they convicted him of felony murder. >> i remember seeing my son hit his hand on the table and then he started throwing up. he yelled mom. as he was throwing up. all i wanted to do was get to him. i was not allowed to even touch him. >> i could hear crying from the other side. i could hear crying from our side. i was numb. i was thankful.

i was devastated. nobody wins. >> is justice done? >> yes. >> gaege was led away.'s sentencing set for a later day. 20 to 60 years in prison. is a defense attorney filed a motion for a new trial but the judge rejected it. >> i called up and said i am telling you something is wrong. >> chicago defense attorney believed the whole case had been an outrage from the beginning and offer to work for the bethune family. >> when we let someone for a fistfight get convicted for murder, that's a problem. >> he let the judge allow him to file a new motion arguing that the way prosecutors had charged gaege was flawed. >> the way the indictment was phrased, the jury did not have to find that gaege ever intended to cause great bodily harm. they just had to find he

touched the guy. >> gaege had been sitting in jail awaiting his sentencing. penny said it was hard to see them there but harder still was explaining to his daughter why he was not coming home. he told his daughter he was at work. >> i absolutely did. she is three. you cannot explain something like that to her. >> finally, the day of sentencing arrive. lovely prayed as she made her way to carbondale one more time. driving the six hours from chicago, past the woods where her son had died. at the courthouse she sat in her usual spot, but something seemed odd. gaege was not in a jumpsuit. >> i asked the prosecutor why is he in street clothes? where is the handcuffs? he said i don't know. >> she said the judge issued a stern warning to the two families. >> i want to warn you one side of the courtroom will be very upset.

if any of you cannot handle this, you need to leave the room right now. >> lovely assumed he meant gaege's family, but she was wrong. >> everybody in the courtroom was shocked. >> i've been doing this over 30 years and it's the first time i've ever had this happen. >> rather than sentencing gaege, the judge throughout the verdict and ordered a new trial. he ruled the evidence had been sufficient to convict gaege but the wording in the indictment might have confused the jurors. gaege was a free man, for now. >> when i saw him walk out and i got to put my arms around him and told him, it was a most amazing feeling. >>'s best friend said gaege couldn't wait to be reunited with his daughter. >> she has these big eyes and jumped straight in his arms. it's one of those hallmark movie things. >> not for lovely. she could not believe what had happened. >> i was shocked. disgusted.

i felt like, how can you trust the justice system anymore? a jury of 12 members found this man guilty and the judge turned around and threw it away with no reason. >> the special prosecutor promised to fight another day. >> there was never a question we prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. we are going to retry the case. >> a few months later he dropped the charges against gaege although he said he is keeping all options on the table. there is no statute of limitations of felony murder charges, but when we contacted him two years later, the special prosecutor had not refiled any charges. if gaege stopped by a trooper for broken tail light, what will they pull up about him? what will they learn about him? >> they will learn he was charged with murder. >> that will not go away? >> it will never go away. >> she ended up settling her lawsuit against gaege out-of-

court. what she wants is something he will never give her. an apology. is for her boy, her pravin. >> i miss him. mommy. yeah, i miss hearing his footsteps. >> she thinks he would've been proud of her. >> i believe it was pravin's spirit who brought us all this way. he wanted us to know what happened to him, and who did this to him. we got it. we know who did this to pravin. that's all i needed to know. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am andrea canning. thank you for watching. i am andrea canning and this is dateline. >> what's going on? >> my